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.
Eligibility
Shows that opened on Broadway during the 1971–1972 season before March 31, 1972 are eligible.;Original plays
- All Over
- Children! Children!
- The [Dance of Death (Strindberg play)|The Dance of Death]
- Defender of the Faith
- Double Solitaire
- Eli, the Fanatic
- Epstein
- Fun City
- How the Other Half Loves
- The Incomparable Max
- Lenny
- The Love Suicide at Schofield Barracks
- Ovid's Metamorphoses
- Moonchildren
- Murderous Angels
- Narrow Road to [the Deep North]
- Night Watch
- Old Times
- The Prisoner of Second Avenue
- Scratch
- Solitaire
- Sticks and Bones
- There's One in Every Marriage
- The Trial of the Catonsville Nine
- Twigs
- Vivat! Vivat Regina!
- Wise Child
- Ain't Supposed [to Die a Natural Death]
- Earl of Ruston
- Follies
- Frank Merriwell
- The [Grass Harp (musical)|The Grass Harp]
- Grease
- Inner City
- Jesus Christ Superstar
- Only Fools Are Sad
- The Selling of the President
- 70, Girls, 70
- To Live Another Summer, To Pass Another Winter
- Two Gentlemen of Verona
- Wild and Wonderful
- You're a [Good Man, Charlie Brown]
- Antigone
- The Country Girl
- Mary Stuart
- No Place to Be Somebody
- The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window
- Twelfth Night
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:Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death Jesus Christ Superstar No, No, Nanette
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 (song)|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 boldSpecial 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:- 11 nominations: ''Follies
- 9 nominations: Two Gentlemen of Verona
- 7 nominations: Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death and Grease
- 5 nominations: Jesus Christ Superstar and Old Times
- 4 nominations: Sticks and Bones and Vivat! Vivat Regina!
- 3 nominations: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and The Prisoner of Second Avenue
- 2 nominations: Lenny