Tony Awards flashback to 1963: A not so funny thing happened to Stephen Sondheim
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What do the 76th annual Tonys have in common with the 17th annual awards?
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The late, great influential composer is represented in this year’s Tonys with the acclaimed, popular revivals of his 1979 classic “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Street” earning eight nominations and 1987’s “Into the Woods” receiving six.
Sixty years ago, it was Sondheim’s musical comedy “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” which dominated the Tony Awards with six wins: best musical, best producer for Harold Prince, best director for George Abbott, best author for Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart, leading actor for Zero Mostel and featured actor for David Burns. Ironically, Sondheim failed to earn a nomination for best original score (music and/or lyrics) written for the theater. He would not win for his tunes until “Company” in 1971. Vying in that category were “Stop the World I Wanted to Get Off”; Little Me”; and the short-lived “Bravo Giovanni” with Lionel Bart’s music and lyrics for “Oliver!” winning the honor.
The 17th annual Tony Awards took place at the Hotel Americana Imperial Ballroom where it was telecast locally in New York on Channel 9. Tony Award winners Robert Morse and writer Abe Burrows of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” were the hosts. Presenters included Elizabeth Ashley, Diahann Carroll, Helen Hayes, Van Heflin, Walter Matthau, Helen Menken (Humphrey Bogart’s first wife), Maureen O’Sullivan and Rosalind Russell.
Edward Albee’s landmark “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” earned the most Tonys in the drama categories with five including best play; it was in competition with “A Thousand Clowns,” “Mother Courage and Her Children” and “Tchin-Tchin.” The four-character drama also won for best producer for Richard Barr and Clinton Wilder, best director for Alan Schneider and for leads Arthur Hill and Uta Hagen.
Two-time Oscar-winner Vivien Leigh (“Gone With the Wind,” “A Streetcar Named Desire”) took home her first Tony for leading actress for her first musical “Tovarich,” while Anna Quayle won for featured actress in a musical for playing various characters in “Stop the World I Want to Get Off.”
One bit of Tony Awards history trivia: among the featured actor in a musical nominees was David Jones, then 17, who received a nomination in the category as the Artful Dodger in “Olivier!” Three years later as Davy Jones, he would become a heartthrob as a member of the Monkees.
Alan Arkin earned the Tony for featured actor in a play for “Enter Laughing” and Sandy Dennis received her honor for featured actress in a play for the romantic comedy “Any Wednesday.” Among the nominees in the category was Melinda Dillon for “Virginia Woolf.” Ironically, Dennis made her film debut three years later in the acclaimed adaptation of “Virginia Woolf” starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton winning the Oscar for supporting actress.
Bob Fosse won his fourth Tony for best choreography for “Little Me.” And Solly Pernick became the last person to receive the Tony for best stage technician for “Mr. President,” which also happened to be the final Broadway musical for Irving Berlin. The renowned composer received a special Tony for his “distinguished contribution to the musical theatre for these many years.”
Also receiving a special Tony were the British comedic rapscallions “Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Jonathan Miller and Dudley Moore for ‘Beyond the Fringe,’ for their brilliance which has shattered all the old concepts of comedy.”
Other winners that evening: Anthony Powell for best costume design for “The School for Scandal; Sean Kenny for best scenic design for “Olivier!” and Donald Pippin for best conductor and musical director for “Olivier!”
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