06/11/2007
First-Timer David Hyde Pierce Among Tony Award Winners
David Hyde Pierce came out publicly last week, just in time to be able to thank his partner at the Tony Awards. In an unexpected win, the three-time Emmy Award winner took home his first Tony for his role as Lieutenant Frank Cioffi in Curtains, beating out favorite Raul Esparza.
Hyde Pierce noted his significant other at the end of his acceptance speech, joking: "My partner Brian - cause it's 24 years of listening to your damn notes. That's why I'm up here tonight."
A full list of Tony Award winners follows after the jump...
Full List of Tony Award winners...
Spring Awakening - best musical, score, book of a musical (Steven Sater), director of a musical (Michael Mayer), featured actor of a musical (John Gallagher Junior), lighting design of a musical (Kevin Adams), choreography (Bill T Jones), and orchestrations (Duncan Sheik).
The Coast of Utopia - best play, director of a play (Jack O'Brien), featured actor of a play (Billy Crudup), featured actress of a play (Jennifer Ehle), scenic design of a play (Bob Crowley and Scott Pask), costumes of a play (Catherine Zuber), and lighting design of a play (Brian MacDevitt, Kenneth Posner and Natasha Katz).
Grey Gardens - best actress of a musical (Christine Ebersole), featured actress of a musical (Mary Louise Wilson), costumes of a musical (William Ivey Long).
Curtains - best actor of a musical (David Hyde Pierce).
Company - best revival of a musical.
Frost/Nixon - best actor of a play (Frank Langella).
The Little Dog Laughed - best actress of a play (Julie White).
Mary Poppins - best scenic design of a musical (Bob Crowley).
Journey's End - best revival of a play.
Jay Johnson: The Two and Only - best special theatrical event.
Alliance Theatre, Atlanta, Georgia - Regional Theatre Tony Award.
(via Times Online)
Sphere: Related ContentPosted 9:51 AM EST by Andy in David Hyde Pierce, New York, News, Raúl Esparza, Theatre | Permalink
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I was so pleased he did this. I felt so happy for him that he finally felt free enough to acknowledge such a vital part of his life for so long, something he didn't do any of the times he won Emmy awards for "Frasier."
I must say, I do love the unabashed "gayness" of the Tonys.
Posted by: Larry | Jun 11, 2007 10:01:55 AM
Congratulations to David Hyde Pierce, he deserves the Tony. His acceptance speech was inspiring and truly heartfelt. This proves that sometimes nice guys do finish first...
Posted by: Robert In WeHo | Jun 11, 2007 10:24:25 AM
I`m glad that David is now proud to say he`s gay though that was a no-brainer.
Posted by: Toby | Jun 11, 2007 10:25:51 AM
Bravo to Spring Awakening too!! I live in Dallas but I've been to see this show 3 times in the past several months...can't get enough of it!
Posted by: Wayne | Jun 11, 2007 11:04:13 AM
O.K., Boring night, with boring shows, and I was not inspired to see Broadway after seeing the Tonys. I had not liked this season and thought many of shows were lacking in material. No show has been able to have a hit album I think since "Wicked". And there is rarely a musical with a breakout song anymore - sorry but all the "F*** this" songs from Spring Awakening really do not do it for me. There's still nothing like Les Mis from 1988 - and to think they didn't think that show was going to make it because the storyline was too dark. But the Les Mis score made it just a phenomenal show unparalleled ever again.
When it comes to Broadway scores, Les Mis by far as the best one.
I wonder if DHP came out knowing it would sway the voters, or did was the voting over by the time he came out? Raul Esparza was amazing last night. I did not see DHP in his role as Lieutenant Cioffi.
Julie White had the best acceptance speech of the night by far. I thought Angela was going to win her 5th Tony.
Who has the most Tonys for an actress? Audra McDonald has 4 with 6 nominations. Was this Angela's 5th nomination? Did she ever lose one?
Grey Gardens is the show that I most wanted to see after this. Spring Awakening is like the new Rent - the "hot new musical with a hot young cast" was already done in 1996 with Rent, which SA holds no candle to. Rent was truly a revolution and I really don't love it as much as I love "Carousel" or "Show Boat" or other shows.
How many shows have y'all seen?
Mine are:
"Carousel" with Mommy at Lincoln Center for my 8th Birthday
"Grease!" before Rosie came out
"Show Boat"
"Jesus Christ Superstar" at MSQ
"Ragtime" which was my 2nd sentimental favorite after "Carousel"
"Thoroughly Modern Millie" on a high school trip
"Phantom"
"Wicked" (Twice, but it is not my favorite, I went twice because another family member wanted to go)
(I think I am missing one.)
Go ahead - list shows you have seen. I'm curious to see how old some of you are (-;
Posted by: juliana | Jun 11, 2007 11:23:16 AM
omg and the Christine Ebersole "it's a mean nasty Republican town" song was great... I YouTube'd that already.
Posted by: juliana | Jun 11, 2007 11:24:17 AM
The music in Spring Awakening is far superior to the tripe in Rent. The show is a work of art with music that is completely idiomatic to the time we live in. Rent was a hodgepodge of styles that were already out of date when it premiered. And the story was already ten years old. Not to mention the staging and direction (what staging and direction?) were horrific. The only other comparable truly modern musical with an authentic score is Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
Les Mis is the best score ever??? Is that some sort of joke?
I believe Julie Harris has the most Tony wins and nominations of anybody.
Posted by: Jon | Jun 11, 2007 11:43:04 AM
God, how could someone ever pick a "best score ever?"
I have a new favorite score every time I turn on my Ipod. This week's favorite is Into the Woods.
I will say that there is a very large preponderence of talented musical writers with the first name "Steven." I wonder if that's some kind of coincidence, or something?
Posted by: Ryan | Jun 11, 2007 12:19:35 PM
Who the hell said Les Mis was a joke?
I don't like Spring Awakening. I love to pick fights on this board actually. It makes my wasteful life seem meaningful when I can go on here and spout my rhetoric.
This forum is a place to speak our views. There are no gay people in my town, so I have to go on here to vent about things like Miss Universe and the Tonys or the Oscars and all that gay crappola.
Les Mis is one of the most beloved musicals of all time. I doubt SA is going to be as loved in 20 years, but in 2027, we'll see, won't we? That is if global warming has not destroyed the Earth by then.
My List of Best Musicals is...
1. Carousel- For purely sentimental reasons
2. Les Miserables- Artisticly, this is the best show ever made, and its score is the best ever.
3. Ragtime- The richest story/plot of any musical ever.
4. Show Boat- The first real Broadway musical (before SB, it was mostly follie shows and girly shows)
5. The King and I- Just a classic show, I cry at the end, and I love those huge gowns Anna wears. Plus the kids are just beautiful.
I'm more of a Rodgers and Hammerstein kind of girl than a Sondheim girl. I don't like Sondheim and I hated Little Night Music. Sondheim shows always got to be too deep for any real person to understand them. I still don't know what the hell Little Night Music was about...or Company? Sweeney Todd? Angela is the show and "Johanna" is a beautiful song, but the rest of it's kinda lacking.
Posted by: juliana | Jun 11, 2007 12:33:47 PM
Juliana, go to Broadwayworld.com--no one here cares what your favorite Broadway shows are or whether you liked Spring Awakening. I don't know why you are trying, just go away you silly, bilious girl.
Posted by: Boobs | Jun 11, 2007 1:11:33 PM
First off....Juliana WELCOME and thanks...(but no thanks in that RENT is the truly tiresome piece....although I am still thrilled to see how young an audience it continues to puill in and think it better than that monster set of a musical WICKED)
But Spring Awakening truly did wake up Broadway -having seen it twice at the Atlantic I never would have believed it could even make the trip to a commercial run on B-Way.
You have your opinions and they are traditional---WAY TOO FOR MY TASTE--but have you ckecked out the All that Chat board there you will find more opportunities to engage others in what their favs are www.allthatchat.com
GLAD RAUL LOST still with his beard I see.
And yes I do think DHP's coming out had a bit to do with it. His reviews were terrific but Raul's closet has def. hurt him in the past with the voters who hated his hypocracy
Posted by: MCnNYC | Jun 11, 2007 1:26:55 PM
What? No comment on the fact that Kevin I'M NOT GAY Spacey was there to see and hear Julie White's scene as the agent in "The Little Dog Laugh" mocking her closeted client who wants to take his mother to an awards show just as Spacy did at least once to the Oscars?
"DHP "so deserved it"???? Poppypenis! This is not the "Nice Guy Awards." I realize that they were not for the scenes we saw last night, per se, but if that tired, trite ensemble number from "Curtains," in which DHP barely glimmered let alone glowed, is supposed to represent his complete performance then Drama Desk Award winner Raul Esparza—whose rafter-ringing [and Radio City has stratospheric rafters]solo performance of "Being Alive" from the brilliant re-imagining of the classic "Company" [that took the Tony for best revival] brought a roar of approval from the whole audience that rivaled the repeated squeals for Awakening—should sue.
Posted by: Leland | Jun 11, 2007 1:33:16 PM
So, being closeted is now a liability on Broadway?
Posted by: anon (gmail.com) | Jun 11, 2007 1:42:09 PM
I don't want to go to broadway world because everybody's speakin' their crazy minds over there - Here I can say what I want and don't have to go through 50,000 pages of top ten lists. lol
Any clue on what will be nominated next year??!??!!??!?!
Posted by: juliana | Jun 11, 2007 1:43:10 PM
What is this "beard" crap about Esparza? He came out as at least bisexual last year, clearly still trying to deal with who he is having been married. He's 36 and much newer to the public eye than 48-year old DHP who's been breaking the needle on people's gaydar ever since he first stepped in front of an audience and denied his male partner's existence for nearly a quarter of a century.
Posted by: Leland | Jun 11, 2007 1:44:29 PM
yea it is, when like 90% percent of the Tony judging committee are white, affluent over-the-hill gay men. The other 10% are haggish old ladies a la Liz Taylor. These women help to fund the shows so they have somewhere nice and classy to go to every week. (I'm serious, some of these little old ladies actually go to the theatre every week.)
All you need to do to win a Tony is three things. First, your performance has to be good. Second, you have had to play either a gay character or be in a show with some gay themes. Third, if you REALLY want it bad you come out of the closet and do the cover of the Advocate. lol
Nah, really all you have to do is be great. But I am sure that politics does sway the votes. It always does. Even at the Oscars.
Posted by: juliana | Jun 11, 2007 1:49:42 PM
Everyone has a right to their own opinion and mine is this: Anyone who says Les Mis is "the best" -- or even a great -- broadway score is suffering either from ignorance or a pathetic lack of taste. Considering the paltry number of shows the poster has seen, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume it's the former.
Posted by: Rascal | Jun 11, 2007 2:01:31 PM
David HIDE Pierce... ain't exactly David PRIDE Pierce.
Posted by: A.J. | Jun 11, 2007 2:26:51 PM
DHP came out when he wanted to. The fact that he caused every gaydar in the country to go completely off scale meant nothing.
I can understand some people not being open, it might be their jobs, or their personal situation, but it's their decision, not mine. I can also understand a lot of the younger, soon to be stars being closeted, there is a lot of homophobia in Hollywood and in the audiences. But an established *star* like DHP has no reason to be hiding.
But, once again, it's HIS decision, not mine or yours.
Posted by: Joshua | Jun 11, 2007 6:43:01 PM
Wait Juliana, you liked Grease BEFORE Rosie came out. You didn't like it after? Did the show somehow change? Did Rizzo start necking with the Pink Ladies?
Posted by: Daniel | Jun 11, 2007 7:40:13 PM
Thanks RASCAL. I couldn't have said it better. I think Spring Awakening is very flawed but it is very important nonetheless and some of it is downright thrilling.
The scene from Curtains was almost unbearable. Kander and Ebb haven't done anything new in 30+ years and even their peak was overrated.
Raul Esparza was infinitely better than DHP. I don't know what influenced the voting but it certainly wasn't the performances on Broadway.
Besides everyone knows Annie is the best musical of all time. ;-)
Posted by: Jon | Jun 11, 2007 7:44:55 PM
I thought Spring Awakening was pretty amazing, though I liked Grey Gardens more I wasn't crushed or surprised by the results. I also thought Raul Esparza was amazing--he's brought that character to life in a way I've never seen anyone do before. That said, I'm not devastated that David Hyde Pierce won--I didn't like Curtains all that much but I thought his performance gave it what little humanity it had.
It's interesting--people are nasty and snarky about performers before they come out in the press and then they are even nastier after they come out. People--it's just so sad.
Posted by: Daniel | Jun 11, 2007 8:18:49 PM
being out in the sticks I love to watch the Tonys. I have watched them for 30 years. My fav moment was Mary L Wilson's acceptance speech. what a hoot!!
will agree that R Esparza's performance was electric!!
Posted by: David in Iowa | Jun 11, 2007 9:54:42 PM
Not that anybody is gonna see this this late in the game but DHP was thanking his "partner" for years everytime his Niles character from "Frasier" won an Emmy or Golden Globe award. Neither did he ever (to my knowledge) deny his gayness or the nature of the partnership with his bf. "Frasier" was, after all, the gayest show on TV (many gay actors, many gay-friendly co-stars) in a much more subtle way, as opposed to that vulgar piece of shit "Will & Grace".
Posted by: Matt | Jun 17, 2007 9:14:43 PM