55th Tony Awards

The 55th Annual Tony Awards was held at Radio City Music Hall on June 3, 2001 and broadcast by CBS. "The First Ten" awards ceremony was telecast on PBS television. The event was co-hosted by Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick. The Producers, starring Lane and Broderick, won 12 awards, breaking the 37-year-old record set by Hello, Dolly! to become the most awarded show in Tony Awards history. Mel Brooks's win made him the eighth person to become an EGOT.

Eligibility

Shows that opened on Broadway during the 2000–01 season before May 3, 2001 are eligible.
;Original plays

;Original musicals

;Play revivals

;Musical revivals

The ceremony

Presenters: Joan Allen, Dick Cavett, Kristin Chenoweth, Glenn Close, Dame Edna, Edie Falco, Kathleen Freeman, Gina Gershon, Heather Headley, Cherry Jones, Jane Krakowski, Marc Kudisch, Eric McCormack, Audra McDonald, Reba McEntire, Donna McKechnie, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sarah Jessica Parker, Bernadette Peters, Natasha Richardson, Doris Roberts, Gary Sinise, Lily Tomlin, Henry Winkler, and three "Broadway Babies".
The musicals that performed were:A Class Act ;Bells Are Ringing ;42nd Street ;Follies ;The Full Monty ;Jane Eyre ;The Producers, the new Mel Brooks Musical ; andThe Rocky Horror Show.
Plays were also presented:The Invention of Love, introduced by playwright Tom Stoppard. Montage with voice-over by Richard Easton.King Hedley II, introduced by playwright August Wilson. Excerpt performed by Viola Davis and Brian Stokes Mitchell.One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, introduced by Joan Allen. Excerpt performed by Gary Sinise, Amy Morton, Tim Sampson, Bruce McCarty, Jeanine Morick, and Afram Bill Williams.Proof, introduced by playwright David Auburn. Scene with Mary-Louise Parker and Ben Shenkman.The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, introduced by playwright Charles Busch. Scene with Linda Lavin, Tony Roberts, and Michele Lee.

Winners and nominees

Winners are in bold
Source: BroadwayWorld

Best Play	Best Musical
Proof – David Auburn * The Invention of Love – Tom Stoppard * King Hedley II – August Wilson * The Tale of the Allergist's Wife – Charles Busch	The Producers * A Class Act * The Full Monty * Jane Eyre
Best Revival of a Play	Best Revival of a Musical
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest * Betrayal * The Best Man * The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe	42nd Street * Bells Are Ringing * Follies * The Rocky Horror Show
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play	Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Richard Easton – The Invention of Love as A. E. Housman * Seán Campion – Stones in His Pockets as Jake Quinn * Conleth Hill – Stones in His Pockets as Charlie Conlon * Brian Stokes Mitchell – King Hedley II as King * Gary Sinise – One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest as Randle P. McMurphy	Mary-Louise Parker – Proof as Catherine * Juliette Binoche – Betrayal as Emma * Linda Lavin – The Tale of the Allergist's Wife as Marjorie Taub * Jean Smart – The Man Who Came to Dinner as Lorraine Sheldon * Leslie Uggams – King Hedley II as Ruby
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical	Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Nathan Lane – The Producers as Max Bialystock * Matthew Broderick – The Producers as Leo Bloom * Kevin Chamberlin – Seussical as Horton the Elephant * Tom Hewitt – The Rocky Horror Show as Frank N Furter * Patrick Wilson – The Full Monty as Jerry Lukowski	Christine Ebersole – 42nd Street as Dorothy Brock * Blythe Danner – Follies as Phyllis Rogers Stone * Randy Graff – A Class Act as Sophie * Faith Prince – Bells Are Ringing as Ella Peterson * Marla Schaffel – Jane Eyre as Jane Eyre
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play	Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Robert Sean Leonard – The Invention of Love as A. E. Housman * Charles Brown – King Hedley II as Elmore * Larry Bryggman – Proof as Robert * Michael Hayden – Judgment at Nuremberg as Oscar Rolfe * Ben Shenkman – Proof as Hal	Viola Davis – King Hedley II as Tonya * Johanna Day – Proof as Claire * Penny Fuller – The Dinner Party as Gabrielle Buonocelli * Marthe Keller – Judgment at Nuremberg as Mme. Bertholt * Michele Lee – The Tale of the Allergist's Wife as Lee
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical	Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Gary Beach – The Producers as Roger DeBris * Roger Bart – The Producers as Carmen Ghia * John Ellison Conlee – The Full Monty as Dave Bukatinsky * André DeShields – The Full Monty as Noah "Horse" T. Simmons * Brad Oscar – The Producers as Franz Liebkind	Cady Huffman – The Producers as Ulla * Polly Bergen – Follies as Carlotta Campion * Kathleen Freeman – The Full Monty as Jeanette Burmeister * Kate Levering – 42nd Street as Peggy Sawyer * Mary Testa – 42nd Street as Maggie Jones
Best Book of a Musical	Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan – The Producers * Linda Kline and Lonny Price – A Class Act * Terrence McNally – The Full Monty * John Caird – Jane Eyre	The Producers – Mel Brooks * A Class Act – Edward Kleban * The Full Monty – David Yazbek * Jane Eyre – Paul Gordon
Best Scenic Design	Best Costume Design
Robin Wagner – The Producers * Bob Crowley – The Invention of Love * Heidi Ettinger – The Adventures of Tom Sawyer * Douglas W. Schmidt – 42nd Street	William Ivey Long – The Producers* Theoni V. Aldredge – Follies * Roger Kirk – 42nd Street * David C. Woolard – The Rocky Horror Show
Best Lighting Design	Best Orchestrations
Peter Kaczorowski – The Producers * Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer – Jane Eyre * Paul Gallo – 42nd Street * Kenneth Posner – The Adventures of Tom Sawyer	Doug Besterman – The Producers* Larry Hochman – A Class Act * Jonathan Tunick – Follies * Harold Wheeler – The Full Monty
Best Direction of a Play	Best Direction of a Musical
Daniel Sullivan – Proof * Marion McClinton – King Hedley II * Ian McElhinney – Stones in His Pockets * Jack O'Brien – The Invention of Love	Susan Stroman – The Producers* Christopher Ashley – The Rocky Horror Show * Mark Bramble – 42nd Street * Jack O'Brien – The Full Monty
Best Choreography	-
Susan Stroman – The Producers * Jerry Mitchell – The Full Monty * Jim Moore, George Pinney and Jonathan Vanderkolff – Blast! * Randy Skinner – 42nd Street	-

Special awards

Regional Theatre Award

Victory Gardens Theater, Chicago, Illinois

Special Theatrical Event

Blast!

Special Lifetime Achievement Tony Award

Paul Gemignani

Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre

Betty Corwin and the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
New Dramatists
Theatre World

Multiple nominations and awards

These productions had multiple nominations:

15 nominations: ''The Producers
10 nominations: The Full Monty
9 nominations: 42nd Street
6 nominations: King Hedley II and Proof
5 nominations: A Class Act, Follies, The Invention of Love and Jane Eyre
4 nominations: The Rocky Horror Show
3 nominations: Stones in His Pockets and The Tale of the Allergist's Wife
2 nominations: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Bells Are Ringing, Betrayal, Blast!, Judgment at Nuremberg and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

The following productions received multiple awards.

12 wins: The Producers
3 wins: Proof
2 wins: 42nd Street and The Invention of Love''