I’ll be live blogging the 66th Annual Tony awards right here! watch for videos!

The opening bit has cast members from The Book Of Mormon knocking on the dressing room doors of the Tony presenters. Cute. They end up on stage singing “Hello”.  The Book of Mormon won a butt load of Tonys last year.

The cast introduces Neil Patrick Harris who is dressed in Mormon Missionary garb. Hello indeed! This show is off to an excellent start.

The Tony Awards otherwise knows as “Fifty Shades of Gay.” quips Neil. ” I had to!” he says. It’s his 3rd Tony Awards! He wonders “What if Life Were Like Theater” in song.  Patty Lupone, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and more join him on stage to illustrate how awesome life would be if we had the ability to break into song at the drop of  a hat or call in an understudy if we felt like staying in bed.  The conclusion? “If life were more like theater, life wouldn’t suck so much.”

Paul Rudd takes the stage to present Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play.  He helpfully explains exactly what that is. Well not really! Judith Light wins for Other Desert Cities. Her thank you speech is breathless. She’s making sure she forgets no one!

Nick Jonas presents a performance from the musical Newsies.  Jeremy Jordan sings lead! I SEE YOU ALEX WONG! (From So You Think You Can Dance)

We’re back from break. NPH has ideas for Musical/Movie Mashups  “Field of Dreamgirls” “The Bridge on the River Kwibaby” “My Left Footloose”

Amanda Seyfried presents Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical to Michael McGrath for “Nice Work If You Can Get It”

Bernadette Peters introduces a performance from  Danny Burstein and the cast of Follies.

We’re back from break, and it’s time for a performance of  from Ghost the Musical.  The movie Ghost really needed to be made into a musical. Just kidding.  It really, really didn’t.  Not sure what’s going on in this medley of songs that includes “Unchained Medley,” but I’m not really enjoying it.

John Larroquette takes the stage to present Best Direction of a Musical to John Tiffany of Once. He’s got a lovely Irish accent!  And Best Direction of a Play goes to the legendary Mike Nichols for Death of a Salesman.    It’s his 6th Tony. He’s been nominated 18 times!  Wife Diane Sawyer is sitting right next to him. He tells a funny anecdote about winning a pie eating contest in that theater as a kid. He gets very very choked up talking his cast.

Ben Vereen is next to introduce a performance from the revival of Jesus Christ Superstar. Ben starred in the original production in the early 70s.

OMG Neil is suspended upside down from the ceiling a la Spiderman.  He’s not worried about falling because he’s completely distracted by the  “searing pain in my junk.”   He goes on to introduce Angela Lansbury and Theodore Chapin from the American Theater Wing.  Neil stays suspended from the ceiling behind them as they deliver their speil. Laughing.

Jessica Chastain takes the stage to present Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play to Christian Borle for Peter and the Star Catcher. WHOO HOO. You may know him as Bombshell  composer, Tom,  from Smash! Congrats Christian!

Glee star, Matthew Morrison introduces a performance from Matthew Broderick and the company of Nice Work if You Can Get It.

James Marsden presents Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical to Judy Kaye for Nice Work If You Can Get It.  She dedicates her win to her father, who died only last week.

Ellen Barkin takes the stage to announce that 40 new productions opened on Broadway this year and broke records, but she offers no stats.  She introduces a musical production celebrating the year in plays featuring Christian Borle and Peter and the Starcatcher,  One Man Two Guvnors (Holy crap. James Corden is comic genius!)  and Rainbow (This is the July Garland Bio Play) plus clips from this year’s plays on the Great White Way.

Neil Patrick Harris is back to sing a medley of songs composed by Tony nominees.  He doesn’t even know where to begin BUT HE TRIES.   All of that to introduce….Sheryl Crow!  She wrote the score for Barry Levinson’s Diner. And she presents Original score (music and/or lyrics) written for the theater to  Newsies with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Jack Feldman.  Menken notes that Newsies the movie BOMBED at the box office and won a Razzie for Worst Song!  But the kids would not be denied. They made it a cult hit on VHS/DVD.

Bebe Winans takes the stage to introduce a performance from the Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess.

Movie mogul, Tyler Perry, takes the stage to present Best Revival of a Play to Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. The cast joins the producer on stage.

Josh Groban takes the stage to introduce a performance from Once, based on the movie! Oh this score is lovely!

Jim Parsons takes the stage to introduce the Best Play nominees, Clybourne Park,  Other Desert Cities, Peter and the Star Catcher and Venus in Fur. We see a clip from each. The Tony Award goes to Clybourne Park.

Elena Rogers, Ricky Martin and the company of Evita perform!  Elena is the first Argentinian to play the role of Evita.

After the break, Corbin Blue and the company of Godspell perform.

Patty Lupone and Mandy Patinkin take the stage SINGING to present the Best Revival of a Musical to The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess.  I did not know this show work shopped at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, MA. Good stuff!

Harvey Fierstein takes the stage in a BIG BLUE inner tube. Oh. He’s pimping Royal Cruise Lines.  Oh, we’re going live to a CRUISE SHIP to see a performance from Hairspray. Hm.

Deborra-Lee Furness surprised her husband, Hugh Jackman a special Tony Award for his charity work. He’s done a lot of work with Broadway Cares.  He talked about his great experience hosting the Tonys about 10 years ago.   Aw, he’s so sweet to his wife.

“Ive just gotten bad news that the cast of Hairspray has been taken over by Pirates…of Penzance!” -  Neil Patrick Harris

Candice Bergen presents Performance by an actor in a leading role in a musical to Steve Kazee from Once.  He thanks his co-star and cast for carrying him through the death of his mother. She died on Easter. He’s in tears.  “I feel you hear with me tonight,” he says tearfully. And Performance by an actor in a leading role in a play goes to James Corden for One Man, Two Guvnors.  James’ girlfriend had a baby. “I can’t wait to marry her,” he says.

The company of Leap of Faith take the stage for a performance.

Christopher Plumber takes the stage to present Performance by an actress in a leading role in a play to Nina Arianda from Venus in Furs.  Nina says Christopher was her very first crush. Ha. Performance by an actress in a leading role in a Musical to Audra McDonal for  The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess.

Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of The Book of Mormon present Best Musical to Once.  Trey has a cup of coffee and a donut in hand.

AND OF COURSE. Despite running over, Neil Patrick Harris sings a recap of the show! “There’s No Time”

Winner’s List

Play
“Clybourne Park,” Bruce Norris – WINNER
“Other Desert Cities,” Jon Robin Baitz
“Peter and the Starcatcher,” Rick Elice
“Venus in Fur,” David Ives

Musical
“Leap of Faith”
“Newsies”
“Nice Work If You Can Get It”
“Once” – WINNER

Revival of a play
“Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman” – WINNER
“Gore Vidal’s The Best Man”
“Master Class”
“Wit”

Revival of a musical
“Evita”
“Follies”
“The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess” – WINNER
“Jesus Christ Superstar”

Book of a musical
“Lysistrata Jones,” Douglas Carter Beane
“Newsies,” Harvey Fierstein
“Nice Work If You Can Get It,” Joe DiPietro
“Once,” Enda Walsh – WINNER

Original score (music and/or lyrics) written for the theater
“Bonnie & Clyde,” music: Frank Wildhorn; lyrics: Don Black
“Newsies,” music: Alan Menken; lyrics: Jack Feldman – WINNER
“One Man, Two Guvnors,” music & lyrics: Grant Olding
“Peter and the Starcatcher,” music: Wayne Barker; lyrics: Rick Elice

Performance by an actor in a leading role in a play
James Corden, “One Man, Two Guvnors” – WINNER
Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman”
James Earl Jones, “Gore Vidal’s The Best Man”
Frank Langella, “Man and Boy”
John Lithgow, “The Columnist”

Performance by an actress in a leading role in a play
Nina Arianda, “Venus in Fur” – WINNER
Tracie Bennett, “End of the Rainbow”
Stockard Channing, “Other Desert Cities”
Linda Lavin, “The Lyons”
Cynthia Nixon, “Wit”

Performance by an actor in a leading role in a musical
Danny Burstein, “Follies”
Jeremy Jordan, “Newsies”
Steve Kazee, “Once” – WINNER
Norm Lewis, “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess”
Ron Raines, “Follies”

Performance by an actress in a leading role in a musical
Jan Maxwell, “Follies”
Audra McDonald, “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess” – VIDEO
Cristin Milioti, “Once”
Kelli O’Hara, “Nice Work If You Can Get It”
Laura Osnes, “Bonnie & Clyde”

Performance by an actor in a featured role in a play
Christian Borle, “Peter and the Starcatcher” – WINNER
Michael Cumpsty, “End of the Rainbow”
Tom Edden, “One Man, Two Guvnors”
Andrew Garfield, “Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman”
Jeremy Shamos, “Clybourne Park”

Performance by an actress in a featured role in a play
Linda Emond, “Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman”
Spencer Kayden, “Don’t Dress for Dinner”
Celia Keenan-Bolger, “Peter and the Starcatcher”
Judith Light, “Other Desert Cities” – WINNER
Condola Rashad, “Stick Fly”

Performance by an actor in a featured role in a musical
Phillip Boykin, “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess”
Michael Cerveris, “Evita”
David Alan Grier, “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess”
Michael McGrath, “Nice Work If You Can Get It” – WINNER
Josh Young, “Jesus Christ Superstar”

Performance by an actress in a featured role in a musical
Elizabeth A. Davis, “Once”
Jayne Houdyshell, “Follies”
Judy Kaye, “Nice Work If You Can Get It” – WINNER
Jessie Mueller, “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever”
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “Ghost the Musical”

Scenic design of a play
John Lee Beatty, “Other Desert Cities”
Daniel Ostling, “Clybourne Park”
Mark Thompson, “One Man, Two Guvnors”
Donyale Werle, “Peter and the Starcatcher” – WINNER

Scenic design of a musical
Bob Crowley, “Once” – WINNER
Rob Howell and Jon Driscoll, “Ghost the Musical”
Tobin Ost and Sven Ortel, “Newsies”
George Tsypin, “Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark”

Costume design of a play
William Ivey Long, “Don’t Dress for Dinner”
Paul Tazewell, “A Streetcar Named Desire”
Mark Thompson, “One Man, Two Guvnors”
Paloma Young, “Peter and the Starcatcher” – WINNER

Costume design of a musical
Gregg Barnes, “Follies” – WINNER
ESosa, “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess”
Eiko Ishioka, “Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark”
Martin Pakledinaz, “Nice Work If You Can Get It”

Lighting design of a play
Jeff Croiter, “Peter and the Starcatcher” – WINNER
Peter Kaczorowski, “The Road to Mecca”
Brian MacDevitt, “Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman”
Kenneth Posner, “Other Desert Cities”

Lighting design of a musical
Christopher Akerlind, “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess”
Natasha Katz, “Follies” – WINNER
Natasha Katz, “Once”
Hugh Vanstone, “Ghost the Musical”

Sound design of a play
Paul Arditti, “One Man, Two Guvnors”
Scott Lehrer, “Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman”
Gareth Owen, “End of the Rainbow”
Darron L. West, “Peter and the Starcatcher” – WINNER

Sound design of a musical
Acme Sound Partners, “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess”
Clive Goodwin, “Once” – WINNER
Kai Harada, “Follies”
Brian Ronan, “Nice Work If You Can Get It”

Choreography
Rob Ashford, “Evita”
Christopher Gattelli, “Newsies” – WINNER
Steven Hoggett, “Once”
Kathleen Marshall, “Nice Work If You Can Get It”

Direction of a play
Nicholas Hytner, “One Man, Two Guvnors”
Pam MacKinnon, “Clybourne Park”
Mike Nichols, “Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman” – WINNER
Roger Rees and Alex Timbers, “Peter and the Starcatcher”

Direction of a musical
Jeff Calhoun, “Newsies”
Kathleen Marshall, “Nice Work If You Can Get It”
Diane Paulus, “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess”
John Tiffany, “Once” – WINNER

Orchestrations
William David Brohn and Christopher Jahnke, “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess”
Bill Elliott, “Nice Work If You Can Get It”
Martin Lowe, “Once” – WINNER
Danny Troob, “Newsies”

Non-competitive categories

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Emanuel Azenberg

Regional Theatre Award
The Shakespeare Theatre Company, Washington, D.C.

Isabelle Stevenson Award
Bernadette Peters

Special Tony Award
Actors’ Equity Assn. Hugh Jackman

Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre
Freddie Gershon
Artie Siccardi
TDF Open Doors