38th Tony Awards


The 38th Annual Tony Awards were held on June 3, 1984, at the Gershwin Theatre and broadcast by CBS television. Hosts were Julie Andrews and Robert Preston.

The ceremony

Presenters and performers: Carol Channing, Marilyn Cooper, Nancy Dussault, Robert Goulet, Robert Guillaume, Dustin Hoffman, Beth Howland, Larry Kert, Michele Lee, Dorothy Loudon, Shirley MacLaine, Liza Minnelli, Mary Tyler Moore, Anita Morris, Bernadette Peters, Anthony Quinn, Tony Randall, Tony Roberts, Chita Rivera, Leslie Uggams, Gwen Verdon, Raquel Welch
Musicals represented:
There was a special salute to the songs of John Kander and Fred Ebb, Jerry Herman and Stephen Sondheim. The Finale was a medley of Jerry Herman songs, including "Milk and Honey' and "Shalom", "Before the Parade Passes By", "It Only Takes a Moment", "Hello, Dolly!", "If He Walked Into My Life" and "Mame" ; a Mack & Mabel medley with Robert Preston and Bernadette Peters ; and a La Cage aux Folles segment with Gene Barry, the Cagelles, and George Hearn,. The first Brooks Atkinson Award for lifetime contribution to the theater was given to Al Hirschfeld.

Winners and nominees

Winners in bold
Best PlayBest Musical

  • La Cage aux Folles
  • * Baby
  • * Sunday in the Park with George
  • * The Tap Dance Kid
    • Best RevivalBest Book of a Musical
  • Death of a Salesman
  • * American Buffalo
  • * Heartbreak House
  • * A Moon for the Misbegotten
  • Harvey Fierstein – La Cage aux Folles
  • * Sybille Pearson – Baby
  • * James Lapine – Sunday in the Park with George
  • * Charles Blackwell – The Tap Dance Kid
    • Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a PlayBest Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
  • Jeremy Irons – The Real Thing as Henry
  • * Calvin Levels – Open Admissions as Calvin Jefferson
  • * Rex Harrison – Heartbreak House as Captain Shotover
  • * Ian McKellen – Ian McKellen Acting Shakespeare as Performer
  • Glenn Close – The Real Thing as Annie
  • * Rosemary Harris – Heartbreak House as Hesione Hushabye
  • * Linda Hunt – End of the World as Audrey Wood
  • * Kate Nelligan – A Moon for the Misbegotten as Josie Hogan
    • Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a MusicalBest Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
  • George Hearn – La Cage aux Folles as Albin
  • * Gene Barry – La Cage aux Folles as Georges
  • * Ron Moody – Oliver! as Fagin
  • * Mandy Patinkin – Sunday in the Park with George as George
  • Chita Rivera – The Rink as Anna
  • * Rhetta Hughes – Amen Corner as Sister Margaret Alexander
  • * Liza Minnelli – The Rink as Angel
  • * Bernadette Peters – Sunday in the Park with George as Dot/Marie
    • Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a PlayBest Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
  • Joe Mantegna – Glengarry Glen Ross as Richard Roma
  • * Philip Bosco – Heartbreak House as Boss Mangan
  • * Robert Prosky – Glengarry Glen Ross as Shelly Levene
  • * Douglas Seale – Noises Off as Selsdon Mowbray
  • Christine Baranski – The Real Thing as Charlotte
  • * Jo Henderson – Play Memory as Ruth MacMillan
  • * Dana Ivey – Heartbreak House as Lady Utterword
  • * Deborah Rush – Noises Off as Brooke Ashton
    • Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a MusicalBest Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
  • Hinton Battle – The Tap Dance Kid as Dipsey
  • * Stephen Geoffreys – The Human Comedy as Homer
  • * Todd Graff – Baby as Danny
  • * Samuel E. Wright – The Tap Dance Kid as William
  • Lila Kedrova – Zorba as Madame Hortense
  • * Martine Allard – The Tap Dance Kid as Emma
  • * Liz Callaway – Baby as Lizzie Fields
  • * Dana Ivey – Sunday in the Park with George as Yvonne/Naomi Eisen
    • Best Original Score Written for the TheatreBest Choreography
  • La Cage aux Folles – Jerry Herman
  • * Baby – David Shire and Richard Maltby, Jr.
  • * The Rink – John Kander and Fred Ebb
  • * Sunday in the Park with George – Stephen Sondheim
  • Danny Daniels – The Tap Dance Kid
  • * Wayne Cilento – Baby
  • * Graciela Daniele – The Rink
  • * Scott Salmon – La Cage aux Folles
    • Best Direction of a PlayBest Direction of a Musical
  • Mike Nichols – The Real Thing
  • * Michael Blakemore – Noises Off
  • * David Leveaux – A Moon for the Misbegotten
  • * Gregory Mosher – Glengarry Glen Ross
  • Arthur Laurents – La Cage aux Folles
  • * James Lapine – Sunday in the Park with George
  • * Richard Maltby, Jr. – Baby
  • * Vivian Matalon – The Tap Dance Kid
    • Best Scenic DesignBest Costume Design
  • Tony Straiges – Sunday in the Park with George
  • * Clarke Dunham – End of the World
  • * Peter Larkin – The Rink
  • * Tony Walton – The Real Thing
  • Theoni V. Aldredge – La Cage aux Folles
  • * Jane Greenwood – Heartbreak House
  • * Anthea Sylbert – The Real Thing
  • * Patricia Zipprodt and Ann Hould-Ward – Sunday in the Park with George
    • Best Lighting Design-
  • Richard Nelson – Sunday in the Park with George
  • * Ken Billington – End of the World
  • * Jules Fisher – La Cage aux Folles
  • * Marc B. Weiss – A Moon for the Misbegotten
    		• -

    Special awards

  • To director Peter Brook and producer Alexander H. Cohen for La tragédie de Carmen, for outstanding achievement in musical theatre
  • Peter Feller, a master craftsman who has devoted forty years to theatre stagecraft and magic
  • A Chorus Line producer Joseph Papp was presented with a special Gold Tony Award in honor of becoming Broadway's longest-running musical
  • Al Hirschfeld, Brooks Atkinson Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
    • ;Regional Theatre Award
    These productions had multiple nominations:
    The following productions received multiple awards.