by POPSUGAR Entertainment 13

It was a spirited and star-studded Tony Awards ceremony on Sunday night and Broadway would have it no other way. Elton John, Liza Minnelli, Dolly Parton and more (including, of course, this year's host, Neil Patrick Harris), all came out for the theatrical awards show. By far the majority of the honors went to Billy Elliot, the Musical, while the comedic play God of Carnage and the musical Next to Normal also did quite well. Angela Lansbury was lauded for her performance in Blithe Spirit while Marcia Gay Harden took home a Tony for her God of Carnage role. There was also some love for Equus and some recognition for Shrek the Musical. To see a full list of 2009 Tony winners, read more.

BEST MUSICAL
Billy Elliot, The Musical

BEST PLAY
God of Carnage

REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
Hair

BOOK OF A MUSICAL
Lee Hall, Billy Elliot, The Musical

ORIGINAL SCORE (MUSIC AND/OR LYRICS) WRITTEN FOR THE THEATRE:
Next to Normal

REVIVAL OF A PLAY
The Norman Conquests

SPECIAL THEATRICAL EVENT
Liza's at The Palace

PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTOR IN A PLAY
Geoffrey Rush, Exit the King

PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Marcia Gay Harden, God of Carnage

PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish, Billy Elliot, The Musical

PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Alice Ripley, Next to Normal

PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY:
Roger Robinson, Joe Turner's Come and Gone

PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY:
Angela Lansbury, Blithe Spirit

PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL:
Gregory Jbara, Billy Elliot, The Musical

PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Karen Olivo, West Side Story

SCENIC DESIGN OF A PLAY
Derek McLane, 33 Variations

SCENIC DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Ian MacNeil, Billy Elliot, The Musical

COSTUME DESIGN OF A PLAY
Anthony Ward, Mary Stuart

COSTUME DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Tim Hatley, Shrek The Musical

LIGHTING DESIGN OF A PLAY:
Brian MacDevitt, Joe Turner's Come and Gone

LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Rick Fisher, Billy Elliot, The Musical

SOUND DESIGN OF A PLAY
Gregory Clarke, Equus

SOUND DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Paul Arditti, Billy Elliot, The Musical

DIRECTION OF A PLAY
Matthew Warchus, God of Carnage

DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot, The Musical

CHOREOGRAPHY
Peter Darling, Billy Elliot, The Musical

ORCHESTRATIONS:
Martin Koch, Billy Elliot, The Musical; Michael Starobin and Tom Kitt, Next to Normal

SPECIAL TONY AWARD FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT IN THE THEATRE
Jerry Herman.

REGIONAL THEATRE TONY AWARD
Signature Theatre, Arlington, VA

ISABELLE STEVENSON AWARD
Phyllis Newman

TONY HONOR FOR EXCELLENCE IN THE THEATRE
Shirley Herz

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