The 62nd Tony Awards ceremony was held on June 15, 2008. The Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Awards, recognize achievement in live American theatre. CBS television broadcast the event from Radio City Music Hall in New York City as it has since the 51st Awards ceremony in 1997. The event recognized Broadway productions playing during the 2007 – 2008 season and was hosted by Whoopi Goldberg.^[2]

The cut-off date for eligibility in the 2007–08 season was May 7, 2008. The Tony Awards Administration Committee announced eligibility rules for many of the award categories.^[3]^[4] Two new categories debuted at this ceremony: Best Sound Design of a Musical and Best Sound Design of a Play.^[5]

The Tony Award nominations were announced on May 13, 2008 by David Hyde Pierce and Sara Ramirez. In the Heights, which premiered Off-Broadway, garnered the most nominations of any show with 13. Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific received 11, the second most of any revival to date (one of these was in the new "sound design" category). The Pulitzer Prize-winning drama August: Osage County earned seven nominations. The revival of Sunday in the Park with George received nine nominations, the revival of Gypsy received seven, as did the new musical Passing Strange.

The "Visa Signature Tonys Preview Concert" was taped at Jazz at Lincoln Center on May 11, 2008 and broadcast on CBS television affiliates in June. The concert featured performances from 10 Tony-eligible musicals as well as interviews with Tony nominees.^[6] This television show received a nomination for a New York Emmy Award in the Best Special Event Coverage category; the Awards were presented on March 29, 2009.^[7]

Eligibility

Shows that opened on Broadway during the 2007–08 season before May 8, 2008 are eligible.

Original plays

Original musicals

Play revivals

Musical revivals

Awards ceremony

Presenters

The initial list of presenters was announced on June 2, 2008.^[8] Additional presenters were announced on June 5.^[9] ^[10]

Performances

The cast of The Lion King opened the show with a performance "Circle of Life", celebrating the show's 10th anniversary. The cast of Grease, featuring Max Crumm and Laura Osnes as Danny and Sandy, then performed "Grease" and "We Go Together".

Patti LuPone performed "Everything's Coming Up Roses" with Boyd Gaines and Laura Benanti from Gypsy. This was followed by the cast of South Pacific in a medley of "There Is Nothin' Like A Dame", "Some Enchanted Evening", and "(I'm in Love with) a Wonderful Guy". Daniel Evans and Jenna Russell sang "Move On" from Sunday in the Park with George.

The cast of Cry-Baby next performed "A Little Upset". Stew and the cast of Passing Strange, including Daniel Breaker and De'Adre Aziza, performed "Keys (Marianna)"/"Keys (It's Alright)". Lin-Manuel Miranda and the cast of In the Heights followed this with "In the Heights"/"96,000", after which the cast of Xanadu performed "Don't Walk Away".

The three new musicals that were not nominated for Best Musical also gave abbreviated performances of a song from each show. Sierra Boggess performed "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid. Faith Prince performed "Vision" from A Catered Affair, as Leslie Kritzer and Matt Cavenaugh danced in the background, and Megan Mullally and Shuler Hensley performed "Deep Love" from Young Frankenstein.

The cast of Rent performed part of "La Vie Boheme", introduced by original cast member Anthony Rapp. Rapp then invited the rest of the original cast on stage, and they performed part of "Seasons of Love". All of the original cast members were there except for Kristen Lee Kelly and Jesse L. Martin.

^[11]

Winners and nominees

(winners are in bold)

Best Play	Best Musical
August: Osage County – Tracy Letts Rock 'n' Roll – Tom Stoppard The Seafarer – Conor McPherson The 39 Steps – Patrick Barlow	In the Heights Cry-Baby Passing Strange Xanadu
Best Revival of a Play	Best Revival of a Musical
Boeing-Boeing The Homecoming Les Liaisons Dangereuses Macbeth	South Pacific Grease Gypsy Sunday in the Park with George
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play	Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
*Mark Rylance – Boeing-Boeing* as Robert** Ben Daniels – Les Liaisons Dangereuses as Le Vicomte de Valmont Laurence Fishburne – Thurgood as Thurgood Marshall Rufus Sewell – Rock 'n' Roll as Jan Patrick Stewart – Macbeth as Macbeth	*Deanna Dunagan – August: Osage County* as Violet Weston** Eve Best – The Homecoming as Ruth Kate Fleetwood – Macbeth as Lady Macbeth S. Epatha Merkerson – Come Back, Little Sheba as Lola Delaney Amy Morton – August: Osage County as Barbara Fordham
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical	Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
*Paulo Szot – South Pacific* as Emile de Becque** Daniel Evans – Sunday in the Park with George as George Lin-Manuel Miranda – In the Heights as Usnavi Stew – Passing Strange as Narrator Tom Wopat – A Catered Affair as Tom Hurley	*Patti LuPone – Gypsy* as Mama Rose** Kerry Butler – Xanadu as Kira/Clio Kelli O'Hara – South Pacific as Ensign Nellie Forbush Faith Prince – A Catered Affair as Agnes 'Aggie' Hurley Jenna Russell – Sunday in the Park with George as Dot/Marie
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play	Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
*Jim Norton – The Seafarer* as Richard Harkin** Bobby Cannavale – Mauritius as Dennis Raúl Esparza – The Homecoming as Lenny Conleth Hill – The Seafarer as Ivan Curry David Pittu – Is He Dead? as Various Characters	*Rondi Reed – August: Osage County* as Mattie Fae Aiken** Sinéad Cusack – Rock 'n' Roll as Eleanor/Esme Mary McCormack – Boeing-Boeing as Gretchen Laurie Metcalf – November as Clarice Bernstein Martha Plimpton – Top Girls as Pope Joan/Angie
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical	Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
*Boyd Gaines – Gypsy* as Herbie** Daniel Breaker – Passing Strange as Youth Danny Burstein – South Pacific as Luther Billis Robin de Jesús – In the Heights as Sonny Christopher Fitzgerald – Young Frankenstein as Igor	*Laura Benanti – Gypsy* as Louise** de'Adre Aziza – Passing Strange as Edwina/Marianna/Sudabey Andrea Martin – Young Frankenstein as Frau Blücher Olga Merediz – In the Heights as Abuela Claudia Loretta Ables Sayre – South Pacific as Bloody Mary
Best Book of a Musical	Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Stew – Passing Strange Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan – Cry-Baby Quiara Alegría Hudes – In the Heights Douglas Carter Beane – Xanadu	In the Heights – Lin-Manuel Miranda (music and lyrics) Cry-Baby – David Javerbaum and Adam Schlesinger (music and lyrics) The Little Mermaid – Alan Menken (music) and Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater (lyrics) Passing Strange – Stew (music and lyrics) and Heidi Rodewald (lyrics)
Best Scenic Design of a Play	Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Todd Rosenthal – August: Osage County Peter McKintosh – The 39 Steps Scott Pask – Les Liaisons Dangereuses Anthony Ward – Macbeth	Michael Yeargan – South Pacific David Farley, Timothy Bird and The Knifedge Creative Network – Sunday in the Park with George Anna Louizos – In the Heights Robin Wagner – Young Frankenstein
Best Costume Design of a Play	Best Costume Design of a Musical
Katrina Lindsay – Les Liaisons Dangereuses Gregory Gale – Cyrano de Bergerac Rob Howell – Boeing-Boeing Peter McKintosh – The 39 Steps	Catherine Zuber – South Pacific David Farley – Sunday in the Park with George Martin Pakledinaz – Gypsy Paul Tazewell – In the Heights
Best Lighting Design of a Play	Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Kevin Adams – The 39 Steps Howard Harrison – Macbeth Donald Holder – Les Liaisons Dangereuses Ann G. Wrightson – August: Osage County	Donald Holder – South Pacific Ken Billington – Sunday in the Park with George Howell Binkley – In the Heights Natasha Katz – The Little Mermaid
Best Sound Design of a Play	Best Sound Design of a Musical
Mic Pool – The 39 Steps Simon Baker – Boeing-Boeing Adam Cork – Macbeth Ian Dickson – Rock 'n' Roll	Scott Lehrer – South Pacific Acme Sound Partners – In the Heights Sebastian Frost – Sunday in the Park with George Dan Moses Schreier – Gypsy
Best Direction of a Play	Best Direction of a Musical
Anna D. Shapiro – August: Osage County Maria Aitken – The 39 Steps Conor McPherson – The Seafarer Matthew Warchus – Boeing-Boeing	Bartlett Sher – South Pacific Sam Buntrock – Sunday in the Park with George Thomas Kail – In the Heights Arthur Laurents – Gypsy
Best Choreography	Best Orchestrations
Andy Blankenbuehler – In the Heights Rob Ashford – Cry-Baby Christopher Gattelli – South Pacific Dan Knechtges – Xanadu	Alex Lacamoire and Bill Sherman – In the Heights Jason Carr – Sunday in the Park with George Stew and Heidi Rodewald – Passing Strange Jonathan Tunick – A Catered Affair

Special Tony Awards

Regional Theatre Tony Award

Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Special Tony Award

Robert Russell Bennett, for achievements in orchestration

Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

Stephen Sondheim

Multiple nominations and awards

These productions had multiple nominations:

13 nominations: In the Heights
11 nominations: South Pacific
9 nominations: Sunday in the Park with George
7 nominations: August: Osage County, Gypsy & Passing Strange
6 nominations: Boeing-Boeing, Macbeth & The 39 Steps
5 nominations: Les Liaisons Dangereuses
4 nominations: Cry-Baby, Rock 'n' Roll, The Seafarer & Xanadu
3 nominations: A Catered Affair, The Homecoming & Young Frankenstein
2 nominations: The Little Mermaid

The following productions received multiple awards.

7 wins: South Pacific
5 wins: August: Osage County
4 wins: In the Heights
3 wins: Gypsy
2 wins: Boeing-Boeing & The 39 Steps

References

External links

Tony Awards

Tony Awards
American Theatre Wing The Broadway League EGOT Triple Crown of Acting
Play	Best Play Best Revival of a Play Best Direction of a Play Best Leading Actor in a Play Best Leading Actress in a Play Best Featured Actor in a Play Best Featured Actress in a Play Best Costume Design in a Play Best Lighting Design in a Play Best Scenic Design in a Play Best Sound Design of a Play
Musical	Best Musical Best Revival of a Musical Best Direction of a Musical Best Leading Actor in a Musical Best Leading Actress in a Musical Best Featured Actor in a Musical Best Featured Actress in a Musical Best Book of a Musical Best Choreography Best Costume Design in a Musical Best Lighting Design in a Musical Best Orchestrations Best Original Score Best Scenic Design in a Musical Best Sound Design of a Musical
Special (non-competitive)	Regional Theatre Tony Award Special Tony Award Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre Isabelle Stevenson Award
Retired	Best Author Best Conductor and Musical Director Best Costume Design Best Director Best Lighting Design Best Newcomer Best Revival Best Scenic Design Best Special Theatrical Event Best Stage Technician
Ceremonies	1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 ~~2020~~ 2021 2022 2023 2024