The Ceremony
The ceremony was broadcast on national prime time television on CBS for three hours, rather than two hours on CBS and one hour on PBS, as had been done for several years previously. The television ratings were 5.4, down slightly from the 2002 telecast of 5.9.
Presenters included: Benjamin Bratt, Toni Braxton, Matthew Broderick, Alan Cumming, Edie Falco, Joey Fatone, Laurence Fishburne, Sutton Foster, Danny Glover, Melanie Griffith, Frank Langella, John Leguizamo, John Lithgow, Julianna Margulies, Bebe Neuwirth, Sarah Jessica Parker, Rosie Perez, Lynn Redgrave, Vanessa Redgrave, Christopher Reeve, Ann Reinking, John Spencer, Marisa Tomei, Mike Wallace, and Barbara Walters. In addition, Jason Alexander and Martin Short, the stars of the national company of The Producers, presented an award from the stage of Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles.
There were memorial tributes to cartoonist Al Hirschfeld, writer Peter Stone, and lyricist Adolph Green.
Shows that performed were:
New Musicals
- Movin' Out: Billy Joel opened by performing "New York State of Mind" live from Times Square, leading to a medley of "River of Dreams", "Keep the Faith" and "Only the Good Die Young" performed by the company of Movin' Out on stage at Radio City Music Hall.
- Hairspray, Harvey Fierstein, Matthew Morrison and Marissa Jaret Winokur led the company with "You Can't Stop the Beat"
- A Year with Frog and Toad, Mark Linn-Baker and Jay Goede performed "Alone"
Revivals
- Nine, Antonio Banderas performed "Guido's Song" with the company
- La bohème, The company (including all 10 members of the principal ensemble) performed a medley from the opera
- Gypsy, Bernadette Peters performed "Rose's Turn"
- Man of La Mancha, Brian Stokes Mitchell performed "The Impossible Dream (The Quest)" with Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
Read more about this topic: 57th Tony Awards
Famous quotes containing the words the ceremony and/or ceremony:
“Those who marry God can become domesticated too—it’s just as hum-drum a marriage as all the others. The word “Love” means a formal touch of the lips as in the ceremony of the Mass, and “Ave Maria” like “dearest” is a phrase to open a letter.”
—Graham Greene (1904–1991)
“Every ceremony or rite has a value if it is performed without alteration. A ceremony is a book in which a great deal is written. Anyone who understands can read it. One rite often contains more than a hundred books.”
—George Gurdjieff (c. 1877–1949)
“No ceremony that to great ones ‘longs,
Not the king’s crown, nor the deputed sword,
The marshal’s truncheon, nor the judge’s robe,
Become them with one half so good a grace
As mercy does.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)