26th Tony Awards

Eligibility

Shows that opened on Broadway during the 1971–1972 season before March 31, 1972 are eligible.

;Original plays

• All Over
• Children! Children!
• The Dance of Death
• Defender of the Faith
• Double Solitaire
• Eli, the Fanatic
• Epstein
• Fun City
• How the Other Half Loves
• The Incomparable Max
• Lenny
• The Love Suicide at Schofield Barracks
• Ovid's Metamorphoses
• Moonchildren
• Murderous Angels
• Narrow Road to the Deep North
• Night Watch
• Old Times
• The Prisoner of Second Avenue
• Scratch
• Solitaire
• Sticks and Bones
• There's One in Every Marriage
• The Trial of the Catonsville Nine
• Twigs
• Vivat! Vivat Regina!
• Wise Child ;Original musicals
• Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death
• Earl of Ruston
• Follies
• Frank Merriwell
• The Grass Harp
• Grease
• Inner City
• Jesus Christ Superstar
• Only Fools Are Sad
• The Selling of the President
• 70, Girls, 70
• To Live Another Summer, To Pass Another Winter
• Two Gentlemen of Verona
• Wild and Wonderful
• You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown ;Play revivals
• Antigone
• The Country Girl
• Mary Stuart
• No Place to Be Somebody
• The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window
• Twelfth Night ;Musical revivals
• A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
• Johnny Johnson
• On the Town

The ceremony

Presenters were Richard Benjamin, Ingrid Bergman, Claire Bloom, Arlene Dahl, Sandy Duncan, Peter Falk, Lee Grant, Joel Grey, Arthur Hill, Hal Holbrook, Jean Stapleton, and Gwen Verdon.

Performers were Desi Arnaz, Janet Blair, Larry Blyden, Alfred Drake, Helen Gallagher, Lisa Kirk, Hal Linden, Barbara McNair, Ethel Merman, and Constance Towers.

Musicals represented:

• Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death ("Put a Curse on You" - Company)
• Jesus Christ Superstar (Medley - Jeff Fenholt, Yvonne Elliman and Company)
• No, No, Nanette ("You Can Dance With Any Girl" - Helen Gallagher and Bobby Van / "I Want to Be Happy" - Ruby Keeler and Company)

Special Tony Awards were presented to Ethel Merman and Richard Rodgers. For Rodgers, there was a medley from his works, from Garrick Gaieties to Do I Hear A Waltz, with the composer accepting his award to the tune of "The Sound of Music." With the assistance of Hal Linden and Larry Blyden, Merman herself sang selections from her performances, including "I Got Rhythm" and "Everything's Comin' Up Roses."

Winners and nominees

Winners are in bold

Special awards

• The Theatre Guild—American Theatre Society, for its many years of service to audiences for touring shows.
• Fiddler on the Roof, on becoming the longest-running musical in Broadway history. Presented to Harold Prince.
• Ethel Merman
• Richard Rodgers

Multiple nominations and awards

These productions had multiple nominations:

• 11 nominations: Follies
• 9 nominations: Two Gentlemen of Verona
• 7 nominations: Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death and Grease
• 5 nominations: Jesus Christ Superstar and Old Times
• 4 nominations: Sticks and Bones and Vivat! Vivat Regina!
• 3 nominations: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and The Prisoner of Second Avenue
• 2 nominations: Lenny

The following productions received multiple awards.

• 7 wins: Follies
• 2 wins: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, The Prisoner of Second Avenue, Sticks and Bones and Two Gentlemen of Verona

References

References

1. O'Connor, John.''New York Times'', April 25, 1972,p.86