1973 Tony Awards flashback: Battle of the Stephens (Sondheim vs. Schwartz)

It was the battle of the Stephens at the 27th annual Tony Awards telecast March 25, 1973 on ABC from the Imperial Theatre. In one corner was Stephen Sondheim’s glorious and exquisite romantic musical “A Little Night Music” based on Ingmar Bergman’s 1955 comedy “Smiles of a Summer Night.” And in the other corner, 25-year-old Stephen Schwartz’s hip, cool, Fosse Fosse Fosse musical “Pippin.”

“A Little Night Music,” which featured song memorable tunes as “Send in the Clowns” and “A Weekend in the Country,” waltzed  into the ceremony hosted by Rex Harrison and Celeste Holm and co-hosted by Sandy Duncan and Jerry Orbach with 12 nominations including best musical, best original score, best book for Hugh Wheeler, best direction of a musical for Harold Prince, best performance by a leading actress in a musical for Glynis Johns,  leading actor in a musical for Len Cariou, featured actress in a musical for both Hermione Gingold and Patricia Elliott and featured actor in a musical for Lawrence Guittard.

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“Pippin” was nipping at the heels of “A Little Night Music” with 11 nominations for musical, original score, performance for a leading actor for Ben Vereen, who became a singular sensation in the show, featured actress for Irene Ryan, who was 180 degrees removed from her role as Granny in “The Beverly Hillbillies,” and direction and choreography for Bob Fosse (Ryan would die the following month at the age of 70.)

When the dust settled, “A Little Night Music” won the most awards that evening, earning six including musical, score, book, lead actress and featured actress for Elliott. Pippin” took home five including for Vereen and Fosse for both direction and choreography.

The late Sondheim is front and center at this year’s Tony Awards with acclaimed revivals of two of his landmark musicals, “Sweeney Todd” and “Into the Woods,” expected to receive multiple nominations.

“Some Like it Hot,” the well-received musical version of Billy Wilder’s 1959 gender-bender comedy, is projected to receive several Tony nominations. A half century ago, “Sugar,” the first musical version of the film classic, was nominated for best musical. Besides best musical, the show earned nominations for leading actor for Robert Morse and direction and choreography for Gower Champion.

Jason Miller’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama “That Championship Season” won best play and direction for A.J. Antoon  Alan Bates won leading actor in a play for “Butley,” Julie Harris received her fourth Tony for leading actress and Leora Dana earned featured actress for “The Last of Mrs. Lincoln.” George S. Irving claimed featured actor in a musical for “Irene” while a 27-year-old John Lithgow went the “full Monty” and won the featured actor in a play prize for “The Changing Room.”

Special awards, called Theater Awards ’73, were given to NY mayor John Lindsay, Actors Fund of America for its 90 years of assistance to needy and elderly members of the theater community, and the Shubert Organization.

The show opened with Gwen Verdon, Paula Kelly, Helen Gallagher and Donna McKechnie performing a song-and-dance medley.

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