'Doubt,' 'Spamalot' take top Tony trophies

Doubt, the Broadway season's most honoured theatre work, won best play at the 59th annual Tony Awards.

Monty Python's Spamalot won best musical, beating out The Light in the Piazza which won the most trophies.

Doubt, which had previously won the Pulitzer Prize, the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award and several other top theatre prizes, won Tony trophies for director Doug Hughes (direction of a play) and actresses Cherry Jones (leading actress in a play) and Adriane Lenox (featured actress in a play).

Playwright John Patrick Shanley accepted the Tony for best play. "I want to thank the Sisters of Charity for teaching me how to read and write. I want to thank the Irish Christian Brothers for throwing me out of high school," he said in his acceptance speech.

Spamalot producer Bill Haber invoked the classic Monty Python line "Well, now for something complete different," in his acceptance of the best musical trophy. He then proceeded to "not thank" the host of people involved in the production, including director Mike Nichols, who added a ninth Tony to his collection for directing the silly musical.

"To the other members of my category, I guess you're thinking age before beauty. Me too," Nichols joked. Actress Sara Ramirez, who drew critical acclaim as Spamalot's Lady of the Lake, won the Tony category for featured actress in a musical.

The Light in the Piazza won six trophies Sunday night. Adam Guettel, in his first foray on Broadway as a lyricist and composer, won the Tony for the best original score written for the theatre for Piazza.

"This is just the most incredible thrill of my entire life, period," Guettel said. "This is so exciting, I can't believe this is happening ... it's such a strong season, I'm so honoured to be here."

Piazza also won Tonys for Victoria Clark (best lead actress in a musical) and for its orchestrations, as well as sweeping the design awards for musicals, which organizers separated from those honouring plays this year. Piazza won Tonys for its sets, costumes and lighting in the presentations prior to the CBS telecast.

Other winners included:

• Norbert Leo Butz, who beat Dirty Rotten Scoundrels co-star John Lithgow to the Tony for best leading actor in a musical.
• La Cage aux Folles, which won best musical revival, and Glengarry Glen Ross, which won best play revival.
• In the design categories for plays, The Pillowman won for its sets and lighting while The Rivals won for its costumes.
• Liev Schreiber of Glengarry Glen Ross won for best performance by a featured actor in a play.
• Newcomer Rachel Sheinkin took the Tony for the book of the musical 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
• Twice-nominated Jerry Mitchell won the best choreography trophy for La Cage aux Folles.

Billy Crystal, who began the evening in a skit where he tried to steal the Tony hosting gig from Hugh Jackman, won the award for best special theatrical event for his show 700 Sundays, which has been the biggest grossing non-musical in Broadway history. Jackman returned for the third time to emcee the awards, presented live from Radio City Music Hall in New York.

"The greatest thrill in my career has been doing this show," Crystal said. "This is the best part I've ever had to play."

The Theatre de la Jeune Lune in Minneapolis was honoured with the regional theatre Tony and a lifetime achievement award was presented to playwright Edward Albee, author of classics like this year's revival of Who's Afraid of Virigina Woolf? Albee praised the virtue of "being given a life achievement award before you have achieved your lifetime of work."

"If they wait until you do achieve lifetime work, you probably would have died. This is better," he said before dedicating his Tony to Jonathan Thomas, his partner of 35 years who died last month. The revival's lead actor, Bill Irwin, took the Tony for best leading actor in a play.

An audience of familiar faces from stage and screen attended including Nathan Lane, James Earl Jones, Matthew Broderick and Chita Rivera.

Though it started slowly, the 2004-2005 Broadway season ultimately saw 39 Tony-eligible productions open the most in more than two decades. Attendance also rose to 3.34 million theatre goers, up from last year's 3.13 million.

Founded in 1947 by the American Theatre Wing, the Tony Awards are officially known as the Antoinette Perry Awards after the woman who headed the group during the Second World War. The organization now administers the annual awards with industry trade group the League of American Theatres and Producers. More than 750 members of the theatre community vote on nominations in 25 categories.