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Paulus, director of the Best Revival of a Musical, Hair, said she was grateful to take a piece from the sixties and breathe new life into it in 2009. The show faced some financial challenges during its transfer to Broadway from the Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park, and producer Andy Harrison said its current success felt, “very, very good.”
Geoffrey Rush, who won Best Actor in a Play, for his role in Exit the King, stated simply, “French existential absurdist comedy ROCKS!”
Best Actress in a Play went to Marcia Gay Harden for her role in The Norman Conquests. Harden, who began her career as a theater actress before moving to television and film, said, “Coming back to the theater for me feels like home. When I think about tonight, the ore of what this means to me is about 25 years old. In the process of the nomination, I had forgotten the core. And the core was a kid who came to New York and wanted to be an actor and worked and worked and worked, and it feel so far away. The girl who got off the bus and thought, ‘Maybe I can join in,’ seemed so far away until tonight.’”
Yasmin Reza, author of God of Carnage, said, “The Tony, for me, is the very best award. Nothing compares to the Tony.”
Best Revival of a Play went to The Norman Conquests, a series of three plays transferred from London.
Elton John, who accepted the award for Best Musical for Billy Elliot,, which also won Best Choreography, said, “this is the icing on the cake with us, and it’s the acceptance we wanted. We’ve been so welcomed on Broadway…you opened your hearts and your wallets to us, and we thank you.” He credited the show’s success to its timeliness, saying, “It opened in a really tough time last November, and it’s a story about winners and survivors. It’s about a boy who gets to be what he wants to be.”
Best Actress in a Musical went to Alice Ripley who stars in Next to Normal. “I am stunned and honored beyond belief to be here,” she said of her award. “I feel different in that I feel complete. It feels natural to be here because the aim that I had in my heart when I was a child would have led me through this and beyond to something else as well. To me, it makes sense that I have it and I know I’m very, very fortunate to play a role that is recognized by a Tony. It feels completely otherworldy and like a dream come true but at the same time it feels completely natural like I knew it would arrive at some point if I had the role where I could reveal myself to the audience.”
In a historic move, for the first time Best Actor in a Musical went to three actors who share the title role of Billy Elliot ...
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