May 25, 1964 - The musical “Hello, Dolly!” and the drama “Luther” were named the season’s best shows by the American Theater Wing last night.
The two productions by David Merrick won the Drama Critics Awards last month. At the New York Hilton Hotel last night, they received the Theater Wing’s Tonys, Broadway’s counterpart to Hollywood’s Oscars. Eligible were shows that opened on Broadway between April 1, 1963, and April 30, 1964.
“Hello, Dolly!” is Broadway’s leading hit. Its plot was derived from Thornton Wilder’s play, “The Matchmaker.” The musical follows the story of Dolly Gallagher Levi (Carol Channing), a strong-willed matchmaker, as she travels to Yonkers, New York, to find a match for the miserly “well-known, unmarried half-a-millionaire” Horace Vandergelder.
“Luther” was written by John Osborne. Albert Finney made his New York stage debut in the title role. Tony Richardson staged the drama, which had a run of 212 performances. The play depicts the life of Martin Luther, one of the leaders of the Protestant Reformation.
Other awards were made last night as follows:
Dramatic Star, Actor: Alec Guinness, “Dylan.”
Dramatic Star, Actress: Sandy Dennis, “Any Wednesday.” Miss Dennis won a Tony last year for her supporting performance in “A Thousand Clowns.”
Musical Star, Actor: Bert Lahr, “Foxy.”
Musical Star, Actress: Carol Channing, “Hello, Dolly!”
Dramatic Supporting Actor: Hume Cronyn, “Hamlet.”
Dramatic Supporting Actress: Barbara Loden, “After the Fall.”
Musical Supporting Actor: Jack Cassidy, “She Loves Me.”
Musical Supporting Actress: Tessie O’Shea, “The Girl Who Came to Supper.”
Play Director: Mike Nichols, “Barefoot in the Park.”
Musical Director: Gower Champion, “Hello, Dolly!”
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