44th Tony Awards


The 44th Annual Tony Awards to honor achievement in Broadway theatre was held on June 3, 1990, at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre and broadcast by CBS television. The hostess was Kathleen Turner.

The ceremony

The theme, "The Year of the Actor," featured classic monologues from As You Like It ; Hamlet ; Long Day's Journey Into Night ; The Royal Family ; The Tempest.
Presenters and Performers: Philip Bosco, Matthew Broderick, Len Cariou, Dixie Carter, Michael Crawford, Sandy Duncan, Morgan Freeman, Helen Hayes, Dustin Hoffman, James Earl Jones, Kevin Kline, Linda Lavin, Bernadette Peters, Christopher Reeve, Joan Rivers, Ron Silver, Jessica Tandy, Lily Tomlin.
Musicals and Plays represented:
Winners are in bold
Best PlayBest Musical

  • City of Angels
  • * Aspects of Love
  • * Grand Hotel
  • * Meet Me in St. Louis
    • Best RevivalBest Book of a Musical
  • Gypsy
  • * '
  • * The Circle
  • * The Merchant of Venice
  • Larry Gelbart – City of Angels
  • * Andrew Lloyd Webber – Aspects of Love
  • * Luther Davis – Grand Hotel
  • * Hugh Wheeler – Meet Me in St. Louis
    • Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a PlayBest Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
  • Robert Morse – Tru as Truman Capote
  • * Charles S. Dutton – The Piano Lesson as Boy Willie
  • * Dustin Hoffman – The Merchant of Venice as Shylock
  • * Tom Hulce – A Few Good Men as Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee, USN, JAG Corps
  • Maggie Smith – Lettice and Lovage as Lettice Douffet
  • * Geraldine James – The Merchant of Venice as Portia
  • * Mary-Louise Parker – Prelude to a Kiss as Rita Boyle
  • * Kathleen Turner – Cat on a Hot Tin Roof as Maggie Pollitt
    • Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a MusicalBest Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
  • James Naughton – City of Angels as Stone
  • * David Carroll – Grand Hotel as Felix Von Gaigern
  • * Gregg Edelman – City of Angels as Stine
  • * Bob Gunton – ' as Sweeney Todd
  • Tyne Daly – Gypsy as Mama Rose
  • * Georgia Brown – The Threepenny Opera as Celia Peachum
  • * Beth Fowler – ' as Mrs. Lovett
  • * Liliane Montevecchi – Grand Hotel as Elizaveta Grushinskaya
    • Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a PlayBest Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
  • Charles Durning – Cat on a Hot Tin Roof as Big Daddy
  • * Rocky Carroll – The Piano Lesson as Lymon
  • * Terry Kinney – The Grapes of Wrath as Jim Casy
  • * Gary Sinise – The Grapes of Wrath as Tom Joad
  • Margaret Tyzack – Lettice and Lovage as Lotte Schoen
  • * Polly Holliday – Cat on a Hot Tin Roof as Big Mama
  • * S. Epatha Merkerson – The Piano Lesson as Berniece
  • * Lois Smith – The Grapes of Wrath as Ma
    • Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a MusicalBest Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
  • Michael Jeter – Grand Hotel as Otto Kringelein
  • * René Auberjonois – City of Angels as Buddy Fidler/Irwin S. Irving
  • * Kevin Colson – Aspects of Love as George Dillingham
  • * Jonathan Hadary – Gypsy as Herbie
  • Randy Graff – City of Angels as Oolie/Donna
  • * Jane Krakowski – Grand Hotel as Freida Flamm/Flaemmchen
  • * Kathleen Rowe McAllen – Aspects of Love as Giulietta Trapani
  • * Crista Moore – Gypsy as Louise
    • Best Original Score Written for the TheatreBest Choreography
  • City of Angels – Cy Coleman David Zippel
  • * Aspects of Love – Andrew Lloyd Webber Don Black and Charles Hart
  • * Grand Hotel – Robert Wright, George Forrest and Maury Yeston
  • * Meet Me in St. Louis – Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane
  • Tommy Tune – Grand Hotel
  • * Joan Brickhill – Meet Me in St. Louis
  • * Graciela Daniele and Tina Paul – Dangerous Games
    • Best Direction of a PlayBest Direction of a Musical
  • Frank Galati – The Grapes of Wrath
  • * Michael Blakemore – Lettice and Lovage
  • * Peter Hall – The Merchant of Venice
  • * Lloyd Richards – The Piano Lesson
  • Tommy Tune – Grand Hotel
  • * Michael Blakemore – City of Angels
  • * Trevor Nunn – Aspects of Love
  • * Susan H. Schulman – '
    • Best Scenic DesignBest Costume Design
  • Robin Wagner – City of Angels
  • * Alexandra Byrne – Some Americans Abroad
  • * Kevin Rigdon – The Grapes of Wrath
  • * Tony Walton – Grand Hotel
  • Santo Loquasto – Grand Hotel
  • * Theoni V. Aldredge – Gypsy
  • * Florence Klotz – City of Angels
  • * Erin Quigley – The Grapes of Wrath
    • Best Lighting Design-
  • Jules Fisher – Grand Hotel
  • * Paul Gallo – City of Angels
  • * Paul Pyant and Neil Peter Jampolis – Orpheus Descending
  • * Kevin Rigdon – The Grapes of Wrath
    		• -

    Special awards

    The Regional Theatre Award was presented to the Seattle Repertory Theatre. The Tony Honor Award was presented to Alfred Drake for Excellence in the Theatre.

    Multiple nominations and awards

    These productions had multiple nominations:
    The following productions received multiple awards.