Tonys name 'Once,' 'Clybourne Park' best of season

Once, a small musical about an Irishman and a Czech immigrant drawn together by music, was an eight-time winner at Sunday night’s Tony Awards, which honored the best of the 2011-12 Broadway season.

Once, nominated for eight Tonys and based on the movie of the same name, won best musical and best actor for Steve Kazee. Its chief competition was Newsies from Disney Theatricals, the more commercial of the two and the one Atlanta audiences are likely to see sooner at the Fox Theatre. Audra McDonald (Bess in The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess) won best actress in a musical, her fifth Tony, tying her with record-holders Angela Lansbury and Julie Harris. She previously won for Carousel, A Raisin in the Sun, Master Class and Ragtime. Porgy and Bess also won best revival of a musical.

Peter and the Starcatcher, a play with music about Peter Pan’s pre-Wendy days, won five awards, including featured actor Christian Borle (TV’s Smash), who won his first Tony for his portrayal of the pirate Black Stache.

Clybourne Park, which features one-time Atlanta actor Crystal Dickinson, won best play. Its two acts take place 50 years apart and are linked to the Younger family from Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun. Best revival of a play went to Death of a Salesman, with director Mike Nichols winning his ninth Tony.

Here’s a complete list of the winners.

Best musical: Once by Enda Walsh, Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová

Best play: Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris

Best revival of a musical: The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess

Best revival of a play: Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman

Best performance by a leading actress in a musical: Audra McDonald (Porgy and Bess)

Best performance by a leading actor in a musical: Steve Kazee (Once)

Best performance by a leading actress in a play: Nina Arianda (Venus in Fur)

Best performance by a leading actor in a play: James Corden (One Man, Two Guvnors)

Best Performance by an actress in a featured role in a play: Judith Light (Other Desert Cities)

Best Performance by an actor in a featured role in a musical: Michael McGrath (Nice Work If You Can Get It

Best original score: Newsies (music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Jack Feldman)

Best direction of a play: Mike Nichols (Death of a Salesman)

Best direction of a musical: John Tiffany (Once)

Best dhoreography: Christopher Gattelli (Newsies)

Best orchestration: Martin Lowe (Once)

Best book of a musical: Once (Edna Walsh)

Best costume design of a play: Paloma Young (Peter and the Starcatcher)

Best scenic design of a play: Donyale Werle (Peter and the Starcatcher)

Best scenic design of a musical: Bob Crowley (Once)

Best costume design of a musical: Gregg Barnes (Follies)

Best sound design of a play: Darron L. West  (Peter and the Starcatcher)

Best sound design of a musical: Clive Goodwin (Once)

Best lighting design of a play: Jeff Croiter (Peter and the Starcatcher)

Best lighting design of a musical: Natasha Katz (Once)

Regional theater award: Shakespeare Theatre, Washington, D.C.

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre: Emanuel Azenberg