51st Annual TONY AWARDS Rosie O'Donnell "Titanic" Bebe Neuwirth 1997 Playbill

Description

T
his is a rare program (playbill) from the Fifty-First Annual ANTOINETTE PERRY AWARDS ceremony held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on June 1st, 1997.
The American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards® got their start in 1947 when the Wing established an awards program to celebrate excellence in the theatre. Named for Antoinette Perry, an actress, director, producer, and the dynamic wartime leader of the American Theatre Wing who had passed away the previous year, the Tony Awards made their official debut at a dinner in the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel on Easter Sunday, April 6th, 1947. Vera Allen, Perry's successor as chairwoman of the Wing, presided over an evening that included dining, dancing, and a program of entertainment.
Among those honored at the 1996-97 Tony's with acting awards were JAMES NAUGHTON (
Chicago
), BEBE NEUWIRTH (
Chicago
), CHUCK COOPER (
The Life
), LILLIAS WHITE (
The Life
),
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER (
Barrymore
)
,
JANET McTEER
(A Doll's House
), OWEN TEALE (
A Doll's House
)
and LYNNE THIGPEN
(
An American Daughter
)
.
The award for "Best Musical" went to "TITANIC", "Best Book of a Musical" to PETER STONE (
Titanic
)
and
"Best Original Score" to MAURY YESTON
(
Titanic
). "Best Revival of a Play" went to Ibsen's "A DOLL'S HOUSE",
"Best Revival of a Musical"
to John Kander and Fred Ebb's "CHICAGO", "Best Play" went to ALFRED UHRY (
The Last Night of Ballyhoo
)
, "Best Choreography" to ANN REINKING (
Chicago
)
, "Best Direction of a Musical" to
WALTER BOBBIE (
Chicago
)
and "Best Direction of a Play" to ANTHONY PAGE
(
A Doll's House
)
.
The host of the Fifty-First Annual Tony Awards was Rosie O'Donnell and presenting awards were Julie Andrews, Lauren Bacall, Alec Baldwin, Christine Baranski, Dixie Carter, Savion Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, Joel Grey, Marilu Henner, Hal Holbrook, Swoosie Kurtz, Liza Minnelli, Mary Tyler Moore, Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters, Chita Rivera, Roseanne, Susan Sarandon, Jimmy Smits, Marisa Tomei, Rip Torn, Leslie Ann Warren and Raquel Welch.
DETAILS: The 208 page playbill measures 5 1/2" X 8 1/2" inches and includes full production credits, individual photos of each of the nominees and participating artists, production photos from each of the nominated plays and musicals, a list of the winners from the first fifty years of the Tony Awards and a number of congratulatory advertisements from current Broadway productions
.
CONDITION: This rare playbill is in excellent condition and will make a wonderful addition to the collection of any theatre aficionado or historian. This item will be carefully packaged in a protective, carded sleeve and backed by stiff cardboard for safe transport.