32nd Tony Awards

The 32nd Annual Tony Awards was broadcast by CBS television on June 4, 1978, from the Shubert Theatre in New York City. This was the first time that CBS broadcast the ceremony, which had previously been shown on the ABC television network.^[1]

32nd Tony Awards
Date	June 4, 1978
Location	Shubert Theatre, New York City, New York
Television/radio coverage
Network	CBS
← 31st · Tony Awards · 33rd →

The ceremony

Presenters were Ed Asner, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Carol Channing, Bonnie Franklin, Robert Guillaume, Julie Harris, Helen Hayes, Bob Hope, Gene Kelly, Linda Lavin, Jack Lemmon, Hal Linden, Roy Scheider and Dick Van Patten.

Bonnie Franklin introduced each segment from her seat in the audience. Bob Hope presented the "Lawrence Langer" Special Award to Irving Berlin, who was not present at the ceremony.^[1] The theme of the ceremony was "footlights", with each presenter telling of the first time they saw live theatre.

Musicals represented:

• The Act ("City Lights" – Liza Minnelli and Company)
• Ain't Misbehavin' ("Ladies Who Sing with the Band"/"Off Time" – Company)
• Dancin' ("Sing, Sing, Sing" – Company)
• On the Twentieth Century ("On The Twentieth Century" – Company)
• Runaways (Medley – Company)

Winners and nominees

Winners are in bold

Best Play	Best Musical
Da – Hugh Leonard Chapter Two – Neil Simon Deathtrap – Ira Levin The Gin Game – D. L. Coburn	Ain't Misbehavin' Dancin' On the Twentieth Century Runaways
Most Innovative Production of a Revival	Best Book of a Musical
Dracula Tartuffe Timbuktu! A Touch of the Poet	Betty Comden and Adolph Green – On the Twentieth Century Christopher Durang – A History of the American Film Elizabeth Swados – Runaways Stephen Schwartz – Working
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play	Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Barnard Hughes – Da as Da Hume Cronyn – The Gin Game as Weller Martin Frank Langella – Dracula as Dracula Jason Robards – A Touch of the Poet as Cornelius Melody	Jessica Tandy – The Gin Game as Fonsia Dorsey Anne Bancroft – Golda as Golda Meir Anita Gillette – Chapter Two as Jennie Maclaine Estelle Parsons – Miss Margarida's Way as Miss Margarida
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical	Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
John Cullum – On the Twentieth Century as Oscar Jaffee Eddie Bracken – Hello, Dolly! as Horace Vandergelder Barry Nelson – The Act as Dan Conners Gilbert Price – Timbuktu! as The Mansa of Mali	Liza Minnelli – The Act as Michelle Craig Madeline Kahn – On the Twentieth Century as Lily Garland/Mildred Plotka Eartha Kitt – Timbuktu! as Shaleem La Lume Frances Sternhagen – Angel as Eliza Gant
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play	Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Lester Rawlins – Da as Drumm Morgan Freeman – The Mighty Gents as Zeke Victor Garber – Deathtrap as Clifford Anderson Cliff Gorman – Chapter Two as Leo Schneider	Ann Wedgeworth – Chapter Two as Faye Medwick Starletta DuPois – The Mighty Gents as Rita Swoosie Kurtz – Tartuffe as Mariane Marian Seldes – Deathtrap as Myra Bruhl
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical	Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Kevin Kline – On the Twentieth Century as Bruce Granit Steven Boockvor – Working as John Fortune/Marco Camerone Wayne Cilento – Dancin' as Performer Rex Everhart – Working as Herb Rosen/Booker Page	Nell Carter – Ain't Misbehavin' as Nell Imogene Coca – On the Twentieth Century as Letitia Primrose Ann Reinking – Dancin' as Various Characters Charlayne Woodard – Ain't Misbehavin' as Charlaine
Best Direction of a Play	Best Direction of a Musical
Melvin Bernhardt – Da Robert Moore – Deathtrap Mike Nichols – The Gin Game Dennis Rosa – Dracula	Richard Maltby, Jr. – Ain't Misbehavin' Bob Fosse – Dancin' Harold Prince – On the Twentieth Century Elizabeth Swados – Runaways
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre	Best Choreography
On the Twentieth Century – Cy Coleman (music) and Betty Comden and Adolph Green (lyrics) The Act – John Kander (music) and Fred Ebb (lyrics) Runaways – Elizabeth Swados (music and lyrics) Working – Craig Carnelia, Micki Grant, Mary Rodgers, Susan Birkenhead, Stephen Schwartz and James Taylor (music and lyrics)	Bob Fosse – Dancin' Arthur Faria – Ain't Misbehavin' Ron Lewis – The Act Elizabeth Swados – Runaways
Best Scenic Design	Best Costume Design
Robin Wagner – On the Twentieth Century Zack Brown – The Importance of Being Earnest Edward Gorey – Dracula David Mitchell – Working	Edward Gorey – Dracula Halston – The Act Geoffrey Holder – Timbuktu! Willa Kim – Dancin'
Best Lighting Design
Jules Fisher – Dancin' Jules Fisher – Beatlemania Tharon Musser – The Act Ken Billington – Working

Special awards

• Lawrence Langner Memorial Award for Distinguished Lifetime Achievement in the American Theatre – Irving Berlin
• Theatre Award '78 – To the creators, Charles Moss and Stan Dragoti (of Wells, Rich, Greene, Inc.) of the I Love New York Broadway Show Tours and William S. Doyle, Deputy Commissioner, the New York State Department of Commerce
• Regional Theatre Award – The Long Wharf Theatre, New Haven, Connecticut

Multiple nominations and awards

These productions had multiple nominations: 9 nominations: On the Twentieth Century 7 nominations: Dancin' 6 nominations: The Act and Working 5 nominations: Ain't Misbehavin', Dracula and Runaways 4 nominations: Chapter Two, Da, Deathtrap, The Gin Game and Timbuktu! 2 nominations: The Mighty Gents, Tartuffe and A Touch of the Poet

The following productions received multiple awards. 5 wins: On the Twentieth Century 4 wins: Da 3 wins: Ain't Misbehavin' 2 wins: Dancin' and Dracula

See also

• Drama Desk Awards
• 1978 Laurence Olivier Awards – equivalent awards for West End theatre productions
• Obie Award
• New York Drama Critics' Circle
• Theatre World Award
• Lucille Lortel Awards

References

1. Thomas, Robert Jr.New York Times, "Ain't Misbehavin" and Da Win Tonys", June 5, 1978, p.C18

External links

• Tony Awards Official Site