26th Tony Awards


The 26th Annual Tony Awards was broadcast by ABC television on April 23, 1972, from The Broadway Theatre in New York City. Hosts were Henry Fonda, Deborah Kerr and Peter Ustinov.

The ceremony

Presenters were Richard Benjamin, Ingrid Bergman, Claire Bloom, Arlene Dahl, Sandy Duncan, Peter Falk, Lee Grant, Joel Grey, Arthur Hill, Hal Holbrook, Jean Stapleton, and Gwen Verdon.
Performers were Desi Arnaz, Janet Blair, Larry Blyden, Alfred Drake, Helen Gallagher, Lisa Kirk, Hal Linden, Barbara McNair, Ethel Merman, and Constance Towers.
Musicals represented:
Special Tony Awards were presented to Ethel Merman and Richard Rodgers. For Rodgers, there was a medley from his works, from Garrick Gaieties to Do I Hear A Waltz, with the composer accepting his award to the tune of "The Sound of Music." With the assistance of Hal Linden and Larry Blyden, Merman herself sang selections from her performances, including "I Got Rhythm" and "Everything's Comin' Up Roses."

Winners and nominees

Winners are in bold
Best PlayBest Musical

  • Two Gentlemen of Verona
  • * Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death
  • * Follies
  • * Grease
    • Best Book of a MusicalBest Original Score Written for the Theatre
  • John Guare and Mel Shapiro – Two Gentlemen of Verona
  • * Melvin Van Peebles – Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death
  • * James Goldman – Follies
  • * Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey – Grease
  • Follies – Stephen Sondheim
  • * Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death – Melvin Van Peebles
  • * Jesus Christ Superstar – Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice
  • * Two Gentlemen of Verona – Galt MacDermot and John Guare
    • Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a PlayBest Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
  • Cliff Gorman – Lenny as Lenny Bruce
  • * Tom Aldredge – Sticks and Bones as Ozzie
  • * Donald Pleasence – Wise Child as Mrs. Artminster
  • * Jason Robards – The Country Girl as Frank Elgin
  • Sada Thompson – Twigs as Various Characters
  • * Eileen Atkins – Vivat! Vivat Regina! as Elizabeth I
  • * Colleen Dewhurst – All Over as The Mistress
  • * Rosemary Harris – Old Times as Anna
    • Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a MusicalBest Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
  • Phil Silvers – A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum as Pseudolus
  • * Clifton Davis – Two Gentlemen of Verona as Valentine
  • * Barry Bostwick – Grease as Danny Zuko
  • * Raúl Juliá – Two Gentleman of Verona as Proteus
  • Alexis Smith – Follies as Phyllis Rogers Stone
  • * Jonelle Allen – Two Gentlemen of Verona as Silvia
  • * Dorothy Collins – Follies as Sally Durant Plummer
  • * Mildred Natwick – 70, Girls, 70 as Ida Dodd
    • Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a PlayBest Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
  • Vincent Gardenia – The Prisoner of Second Avenue as Harry Edison
  • * Douglas Rain – Vivat! Vivat Regina! as William Cecil
  • * Lee Richardson – Vivat! Vivat Regina! as Lord Bothwell
  • * Joe Silver – Lenny as Various Characters
  • Elizabeth Wilson – Sticks and Bones as Harriet
  • * Cara Duff-MacCormick – Moonchildren as Shelly
  • * Mercedes McCambridge – The Love Suicide at Schofield Barracks as Lucy Lake
  • * Frances Sternhagen – The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window as Mavis Parodus Bryson
    • Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a MusicalBest Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
  • Larry Blyden – A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum as Hysterium
  • * Timothy Meyers – Grease as Kenickie
  • * Gene Nelson – Follies as Buddy Plummer
  • * Ben Vereen – Jesus Christ Superstar as Judas Iscariot
  • Linda Hopkins – Inner City as Various Characters
  • * Adrienne Barbeau – Grease as Betty Rizzo
  • * Bernadette Peters – On the Town as Hildy Esterhazy
  • * Beatrice Winde – Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death as Various Characters
    • Best Direction of a PlayBest Direction of a Musical
  • Mike Nichols – The Prisoner of Second Avenue
  • * Jeff Bleckner – Sticks and Bones
  • * Gordon Davidson – The Trial of the Catonsville Nine
  • * Peter Hall – Old Times
  • Harold Prince and Michael Bennett – Follies
  • * Gilbert Moses – Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death
  • * Mel Shapiro – Two Gentlemen of Verona
  • * Burt Shevelove – A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
    • Best ChoreographyBest Scenic Design
  • Michael Bennett – Follies
  • * Patricia Birch – Grease
  • * Jean Erdman – Two Gentlemen of Verona
  • Boris Aronson – Follies
  • * John Bury – Old Times
  • * Kert Lundell – Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death
  • * Robin Wagner – Jesus Christ Superstar
    • Best Costume DesignBest Lighting Design
  • Florence Klotz – Follies
  • * Theoni V. Aldredge – Two Gentlemen of Verona
  • * Randy Barceló – Jesus Christ Superstar
  • * Carrie F. Robbins – Grease
  • Tharon Musser – Follies
  • * Martin Aronstein – Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death
  • * John Bury – Old Times
  • * Jules Fisher – Jesus Christ Superstar

    • Special awards

  • The Theatre Guild—American Theatre Society, for its many years of service to audiences for touring shows.
  • Fiddler on the Roof, on becoming the longest-running musical in Broadway history. Presented to Harold Prince
  • Ethel Merman
  • Richard Rodgers

    Multiple nominations and awards

    • These productions had multiple nominations:
    The following productions received multiple awards.