NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Congratulations to all you new Tony winners. It's a tradition that had a noble start: When the coveted prizes for Broadway's best were handed out for the first time 61 years ago, it was not at the 5,933-seat Radio City Music Hall but rather at a festive dinner in the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria, with only eight categories saluted, compared with 21 these days.
The winners that inaugural session, in case you're curious, included Ingrid Bergman, Fredric March, David Wayne, Patricia Neal, Elia Kazan and choreographers Agnes DeMille and Michael Kidd.
COMING DOWN THE STREET
On Tuesday night (June 17), Academy Award winner Estelle Parsons took over the meatiest role in this year's most spellbinding play, "August: Osage County." Oscar's best supporting actress winner for 1967's "Bonnie and Clyde" and a four-time Tony nominee, she assumes the star spot at the Music Box being vacated by Steppenwolf's brilliant Deanna Dunagan.
Also on the "August" front: The Pulitzer Prize-winning drama will launch a national tour at San Francisco's Curran Theatre beginning August 11, 2009, with other tour dates to follow.
Meanwhile, on July 8, Sam Robards, who also has a Tony nomination to his credit, joins the delicious spoof "The 39 Steps" in the role made famous in the 1935 Hitchcock classic by Robert Donat and in this rocket-fueled stage version by Charles Edwards. The latter departs the show's current run at the Cort on July 6.
Further down the road is the oddly named new musical "(title of show)," with music and lyrics by Jeff Bowen, which will debut at the Lyceum in mid-July, when the city is sweltering.
It's in September that the Broadway season really starts, with the new musical "A Tale of Two Cities" launching September 18 at the Hirschfeld, with its book, music and lyrics by Jill Santoriello and direction and choreography by Warren Carlyle. Then, on September 25 comes a five-month run at the Broadhurst for Peter Shaffer's "Equus," with the same cast (Daniel Radcliffe and Richard Griffiths) and director (Thea Sharrock) that made it a must-see success on London's West End in 2007.
