Some Tony Award trivia ... just for fun!

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Posted: 6/4/05 at 1:03pm

The first musical to be named Best musical was KISS ME KATE (1949) but at the very first awards in 1947 there was no award for Best Musical, however Kurt Weill's score for STREET SCENE won the first Best Score Tony.

In 1951 GUYS AND DOLLS wone Best musical, but Irving Berlin won Best Score for CALL ME MADAM. Others shows to win Best Score but not win Best Musical: NO STRINGS (1962), OLIVER! (1963), FOLLIES (1972), GIGI (1974), and AIDA (2000).

These shows won Best Book and Best Score but NOT Best musical: ON THE 20th CENTURY (197, WOMAN OF THE YEAR (1981), INTO THE WOODS (198, FALSETTOS (1992), RAGTIME (199, PARADE (1999) and URINETOWN (2002).

The first time the Tony for Best Book went to a show other than the onse selected as Best Musical was 1974 when Hugh Wheeler's revised book fof the revival of CANDIDE won. Other Best Book winners that were not also named Best Musical: SHENANDOAH (1975), DREAMGIRLS (1982), THE SECRET GARDEN (1991), and JAMES JOYCE'S THE DEAD (2000),

The only Best Musical to win long after it has closed: HALLELUJAH, BABY! (196

The luckiest record label for cast albums is Columbia/Sony with 20 Tony winning OCR's to their credit. (RCA Victor/BMG is 2nd with 16. Last year the two parent companies merged so SONY/BMG now owns the rights to 36 Tony winners!)

The theatre that has housed the most Tony winning shows: The Richard Rodgers/46th Street theatre.

Biggest Tony losers: CHICAGO (1975) and STEEL PIER (1997) Both shows receieved 11 nominations and both went away empty-handed.

Only tie for Best Musical: 1960 - FUIORELLO & SOUND OF MUSIC.