1961 Tony Awards results (15th) – Winners & nominees

This page lists the winners from the 15th Tony Awards, held on May 21, 1961. The 1961 Tony Award for Best Musical went to “Bye Bye Birdie.”

Best Musical

• Bye Bye Birdie

• Do Re Mi
• Irma La Douce

Best Play

• Becket

• All the Way Home
• The Devil’s Advocate
• The Hostage

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play

• Zero Mostel (Rhinoceros)

• Hume Cronyn (Big Fish, Little Fish)
• Sam Levene (The Devil’s Advocate)
• Anthony Quinn (Becket)

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play

• Joan Plowright (A Taste of Honey)

• Tallulah Bankhead (Midgie Purvis)
• Barbara Baxley (Period of Adjustment)
• Barbara Bel Geddes (Mary, Mary)

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical

• Richard Burton (Camelot)

• Phil Silvers (Do Re Mi)
• Maurice Evans (Tenderloin)

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical

• Elizabeth Seal (Irma La Douce)

• Julie Andrews (Camelot)
• Carol Channing (Show Girl)
• Nancy Walker (Do Re Mi)

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play

• Martin Gabel (Big Fish, Little Fish)

• Philip Bosco (Rape of the Belt)
• Eduardo Ciannelli (The Devil’s Advocate)
• George Grizzard (Big Fish, Little Fish)

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play

• Colleen Dewhurst (All the Way Home)

• Eileen Heckart (Invitation to a March)
• Tresa Hughes (The Devil’s Advocate)
• Rosemary Murphy (Period of Adjustment)

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical

• Dick Van Dyke (Bye Bye Birdie)

• Clive Revill (Irma La Douce)
• Ron Husmann (Tenderloin)
• Dick Van Dyke (Bye Bye Birdie)

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical

• Tammy Grimes (The Unsinkable Molly Brown)

• Nancy Dussault (Do Re Mi)
• Chita Rivera (Bye Bye Birdie)

Best Scenic Design (Play)

• Oliver Smith (Becket)

• Roger Furse (Duel of Angels)
• David Hays (All the Way Home)
• Jo Mielziner (The Devil’s Advocate)
• Rouben Ter-Arutunian

Best Scenic Design (Musical)

• Oliver Smith (Camelot)

• George Jenkins (13 Daughters)
• Robert Randolph (Bye Bye Birdie)

Best Costume Design (Play)

• Motley (Becket)

• Theoni V. Aldredge (The Devil’s Advocate)
• Raymond Sovey (All the Way Home)

Best Costume Design (Musical)

• Adrian and Tony Duquette (Camelot)

• Rolf Gerard (Irma La Douce)
• Cecil Beaton (Tenderloin)

Stage Technician Award

• Teddy Van Bemmel (Becket)

Best Direction of a Play

• Sir John Gielgud (Big Fish, Little Fish)

• Joseph Anthony (Rhinoceros)
• Joan Littlewood (The Hostage)
• Arthur Penn (All the Way Home)

Best Direction of a Musical

• Gower Champion (Bye Bye Birdie)

• Peter Brook (Irma La Douce)
• Garson Kanin (Do Re Mi)

Best Choreography

• Gower Champion (Bye Bye Birdie)

• Onna White (Irma La Douce)

Special Tony Award

• David Merrick
• The Theatre Guild

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