'Book of Mormon' Wins Nine Tony Awards, Including Best Musical (Plus: Watch How the Musical Got Started)
by Richard Sharp
"Broadway....it's not just for gays anymore!" announced MC Neil Patrick Harris at the beginning of last night's Tony Awards telecast, where the night belonged to a controversial, comedic play about religion from the masters of scathing humor.
Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of "South Park," scored big with their satirical musical "The Book of Mormon," taking home Best Musical and nine other awards at the Tonys.
The musical, which the team created in collaboration with “Avenue Q’s” Robert Lopez, took home awards for original score, book, orchestrations, set design, sound design, lighting, direction and featured actress, in addition to the Best Musical award.
"You did it, Joseph! You got the Tony!" Parker said when winning the award - a reference to Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon church. The play is a satirical take on both the church and Broadway itself.
Best Play went to the British play "War Horse," and Best Actor went to Mark Rylance for "Jerusalem." "Fargo" star Frances McDormand grabbed a Tony for her role in "Good People," and John Larroquette (aka Dan Fielding from "Night Court") won one for his role alongside "Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying."
Watch Trey Parker and Matt Stone talk about the genesis of "The Book of Mormon" with Robert Lopez, and check out the full list of winners below:
Check out the entire list of winners.
Full Winner List of 2011 Tony Awards:
Best Musical: "The Book of Mormon"
Best Play: "War Horse"
Best Revival of a Play: "The Normal Heart"
Best Revival of a Musical: "Anything Goes"
Best Book of a Musical: Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone - "The Book of Mormon"
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theater: Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone - "The Book of Mormon"
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play: Mark Rylance - "Jerusalem"
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play: - "Good People"
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical: - "Catch Me If You Can"
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical: Sutton Foster - "Anything Goes"
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play: John Benjamin Hickey - "The Normal Heart"
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play: - "The Normal Heart"
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical: John Larroquette - "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying"
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical: Nikki M James - "The Book of Mormon"
Best Scenic Design of a Play: Rae Smith - "War Horse"
Best Scenic Design of a Musical: Scott Pask - "The Book of Mormon"
Best Costume Design of a Play: Desmond Heeley - "The Importance of Being Earnest"
Best Costume Design of a Musical: Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner - "Priscilla Queen of the Desert"
Best Lighting Design of a Play: Paule Constable - "War Horse"
Best Lighting Design of a Musical: Brian MacDevitt - "The Book of Mormon"
Best Sound Design of a Play: Christopher Shutt - "War Horse"
Best Sound Design of a Musical: Brian Ronan - "The Book of Mormon"
Best Direction of a Play: Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris - "War Horse"
Best Direction of a Musical: Casey Nicholaw and Trey Parker - "The Book of Mormon"
Best Choreography: Kathleen Marshall - "Anything Goes"
Best Orchestrations: Larry Hochman and Stephen Oremus - "The Book of Mormon"