Tony Awards

American theatrical awards
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Also known as: Antoinette Perry Awards
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entertainment

Tony Awards, annual awards for distinguished achievement in American theatre. Named for the actress-producer Antoinette Perry, the annual awards were established in 1947 by the American Theatre Wing and are intended to recognize excellence in plays and musicals staged on Broadway. Awards are given for best play, best musical, best play revival, and best musical revival, and in categories such as acting, directing, music, choreography, set design, and costume design.

Winners of Tony Awards for best musical and best play are provided in the table.

Tony Awards: best musical and best play
year best musical best play
*Awarded to playwright for Best Author.
**Awarded in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
1947 not awarded All My Sons (Arthur Miller)*
1948 not awarded Mister Roberts (Thomas Heggen and Joshua Logan)
1949 Kiss Me, Kate (book, Bella Spewack and Samuel Spewack; music and lyrics, Cole Porter) Death of a Salesman (Arthur Miller)
1950 South Pacific (book, Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan; music, Richard Rodgers; lyrics, Oscar Hammerstein II) The Cocktail Party (T.S. Eliot)
1951 Guys and Dolls (book, Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows; music and lyrics, Frank Loesser) The Rose Tattoo (Tennessee Williams)
1952 The King and I (book and lyrics, Oscar Hammerstein II; music, Richard Rodgers) The Fourposter (Jan de Hartog)
1953 Wonderful Town (book, Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodorov; music, Leonard Bernstein; lyrics, Betty Comden and Adolph Green) The Crucible (Arthur Miller)
1954 Kismet (book, Charles Lederer and Luther Davis; music, Alexander Borodin; adaptation and lyrics, Robert Wright and George Forrest) The Teahouse of the August Moon (John Patrick)
1955 The Pajama Game (book, George Abbott and Richard Bissell; music and lyrics, Richard Adler and Jerry Ross) The Desperate Hours (Joseph Hayes)
1956 Damn Yankees (book, George Abbott and Douglass Wallop; music and lyrics, Richard Adler and Jerry Ross) The Diary of Anne Frank (Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett)
1957 My Fair Lady (book and lyrics, Alan Jay Lerner; music, Frederick Loewe) Long Day's Journey into Night (Eugene O'Neill)
1958 The Music Man (book, Meredith Willson and Franklin Lacey; music and lyrics, Meredith Willson) Sunrise at Campobello (Dore Schary)
1959 Redhead (book, Herbert Fields, Dorothy Fields, Sidney Sheldon, and David Shaw; music, Albert Hague; lyrics, Dorothy Fields) J.B. (Archibald MacLeish)
1960 The Sound of Music (book, Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse; music, Richard Rodgers; lyrics, Oscar Hammerstein II);
Fiorello! (book, Jerome Weidman and George Abbott; music, Jerry Brock; lyrics, Sheldon Harnick) (tied)
The Miracle Worker (William Gibson)
1961 Bye Bye Birdie (book, Michael Stewart; music, Charles Strouse; lyrics, Lee Adams) Beckett (Jean Anouilh, translated by Lucienne Hill)
1962 How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (book, Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, and Willie Gilbert; music and lyrics, Frank Loesser) A Man for All Seasons (Robert Bolt)
1963 A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (book, Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart; music and lyrics, Stephen Sondheim) Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Edward Albee)
1964 Hello, Dolly! (book, Michael Stewart; music and lyrics, Jerry Herman) Luther (John Osborne)
1965 Fiddler on the Roof (book, Joseph Stein; music, Jerry Bock; lyrics, Sheldon Harnick) The Subject Was Roses (Frank Gilroy)
1966 Man of La Mancha (book, Dale Wasserman; music, Mitch Leigh; lyrics, Joe Darion) Marat/Sade (Peter Weiss, translated by Geoffrey Skelton)
1967 Cabaret (book, Joe Masteroff; music, John Kander; lyrics, Fred Ebb) The Homecoming (Harold Pinter)
1968 Hallelujah, Baby! (book, Arthur Laurents; music, Jule Styne; lyrics, Betty Comden and Adolph Green) Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (Tom Stoppard)
1969 1776 (book, Peter Stone; music and lyrics, Sherman Edwards) The Great White Hope (Howard Sackler)
1970 Applause (book, Betty Comden and Adolph Green; music, Charles Strouse; lyrics, Lee Adams) Borstal Boy (Frank McMahon)
1971 Company (book, George Furth; music and lyrics, Stephen Sondheim) Sleuth (Anthony Shaffer)
1972 Two Gentlemen of Verona (book, John Guare and Mel Shapiro; music, Galt MacDermot; lyrics, John Guare) Sticks and Bones (David Rabe)
1973 A Little Night Music (book, Hugh Wheeler; music and lyrics, Stephen Sondheim) That Championship Season (Jason Miller)
1974 Raisin (book, Robert Nemiroff and Charlotte Zaltzberg; music, Judd Woldin; lyrics, Robert Brittan) The River Niger (Joseph A. Walker)
1975 The Wiz (book, William F. Brown; music and lyrics, Charlie Smalls) Equus (Peter Shaffer)
1976 A Chorus Line (book, James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante; music, Marvin Hamlisch; lyrics, Edward Kleban) Travesties (Tom Stoppard)
1977 Annie (book, Thomas Meehan; music, Charles Strouse; lyrics, Martin Charnin) The Shadow Box (Michael Christofer)
1978 Ain't Misbehavin' (book, Murray Horwitz and Richard Maltby, Jr.; music, Fats Waller; lyrics, Fats Waller and many others) Da (Hugh Leonard)
1979 Sweeney Todd (book, Hugh Wheeler; music and lyrics, Stephen Sondheim) The Elephant Man (Bernard Pomerance)
1980 Evita (book and lyrics, Tim Rice; music, Andrew Lloyd Webber) Children of a Lesser God (Mark Medoff)
1981 42nd Street (book, Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble; music, Harry Warren; lyrics, Al Dubin) Amadeus (Peter Shaffer)
1982 Nine (book, Arthur Kopit; music and lyrics, Maury Yeston) The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (David Edgar)
1983 Cats (book and lyrics, T.S. Eliot; music, Andrew Lloyd Webber) Torch Song Trilogy (Harvey Fierstein)
1984 La Cage aux folles (book, Harvey Fierstein; music and lyrics, Jerry Herman) The Real Thing (Tom Stoppard)
1985 Big River (book, William Hauptman; music and lyrics, Roger Miller) Biloxi Blues (Neil Simon)
1986 The Mystery of Edwin Drood (book, music, and lyrics, Rupert Holmes) I'm Not Rappaport (Herb Gardner)
1987 Les Misérables (book, Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg; music, Claude-Michel Schönberg; lyrics, Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil) Fences (August Wilson)
1988 The Phantom of the Opera (book, Richard Stilgoe and Andrew Lloyd Webber; music, Andrew Lloyd Webber; lyrics, Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe) M. Butterfly (David Henry Hwang)
1989 Jerome Robbins' Broadway (compilation) The Heidi Chronicles (Wendy Wasserstein)
1990 City of Angels (book, Larry Gelbart; music, Cy Coleman; lyrics, David Zippel) The Grapes of Wrath (Frank Galati)
1991 The Will Rogers Follies (book, Peter Stone; music, Cy Coleman; lyrics, Betty Comden and Adolph Green) Lost in Yonkers (Neil Simon)
1992 Crazy for You (book, Ken Ludwig; music and lyrics, George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin) Dancing at Lughnasa (Brian Friel)
1993 Kiss of the Spider Woman (book, Terrence McNally; music, John Kander; lyrics, Fred Ebb) Angels in America: Millennium Approaches (Tony Kushner)
1994 Passion (book, James Lapine; music and lyrics, Stephen Sondheim) Angels in America: Perestroika (Tony Kushner)
1995 Sunset Boulevard (book and lyrics, Don Black and Christopher Hampton; music, Andrew Lloyd Webber) Love! Valour! Compassion! (Terrence McNally)
1996 Rent (book, music, and lyrics, Jonathan Larson) Master Class (Terrence McNally)
1997 Titanic (book, Peter Stone; music and lyrics, Maury Yeston) The Last Night of Ballyhoo (Alfred Uhry)
1998 The Lion King (book, Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi; music and lyrics, Elton John, Tim Rice, and others) Art (Yasmina Reza)
1999 Fosse (compilation) Side Man (Warren Leight)
2000 Contact (book, John Weidman; music and lyrics, various artists) Copenhagen (Michael Frayn)
2001 The Producers (book, Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan; music and lyrics, Mel Brooks) Proof (David Auburn)
2002 Thoroughly Modern Millie (book, Richard Morris and Dick Scanlan; music, Jeanine Tesori; lyrics, Dick Scanlan) The Goat; or, Who Is Sylvia? (Edward Albee)
2003 Hairspray (book, Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan; music, Marc Shaiman; lyrics, Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman) Take Me Out (Richard Greenberg)
2004 Avenue Q (book, Jeff Whitty; music and lyrics, Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx) I Am My Own Wife (Doug Wright)
2005 Monty Python's Spamalot (book, Eric Idle; music and lyrics, John Du Prez and Eric Idle) Doubt (John Patrick Shanley)
2006 Jersey Boys (book, Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice; music, Bob Gaudio; lyrics, Bob Crewe) The History Boys (Alan Bennett)
2007 Spring Awakening (book and lyrics, Steven Sater; music, Duncan Sheik) The Coast of Utopia (Tom Stoppard)
2008 In the Heights (book, Quiara Alegría Hudes; music and lyrics, Lin-Manuel Miranda) August: Osage County (Tracy Letts)
2009 Billy Elliot: The Musical (book and lyrics, Lee Hall; music, Elton John) God of Carnage (Yasmina Reza)
2010 Memphis (book, Joe DiPietro; music, David Bryan; lyrics, Joe DiPietro and David Bryan) Red (John Logan)
2011 The Book of Mormon (book, music, and lyrics, Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, and Matt Stone) War Horse (Nick Stafford)
2012 Once (book, Enda Walsh; music and lyrics, Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová) Clybourne Park (Bruce Norris)
2013 Kinky Boots (book, Harvey Fierstein; music and lyrics, Cyndi Lauper) Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Christopher Durang)
2014 A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder (book, Robert L. Freedman; music, Steven Lutvak; lyrics, Robert L. Freedman and Steven Lutvak) All the Way (Robert Schenkkan)
2015 Fun Home (book, Lisa Kron; music, Jeanine Tesori; lyrics, Lisa Kron) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Simon Stephens)
2016 Hamilton (book, music, and lyrics, Lin-Manuel Miranda) The Humans (Stephen Karam)
2017 Dear Evan Hansen (book, Steven Levenson; music and lyrics, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul) Oslo (J.T. Rogers)
2018 The Band's Visit (book, Itamar Moses; music and lyrics, David Yazbek) Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Jack Thorne)
2019 Hadestown (book, music, and lyrics, Anaïs Mitchell) The Ferryman (Jez Butterworth)
2020** Moulin Rouge! The Musical (book, John Logan; music and lyrics, various artists) The Inheritance (Matthew López)
The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.