`Guys And Dolls' Tops 1992 Tony Awards

Broadway celebrated a bumper crop of new and old musicals at last night's televised ceremony of the Tony Awards. And it basked in the reflected glow of the movie stars who are on the New York stage currently - Alex Baldwin, Gene Hackman, and Richard Dreyfuss among them.

Tony awards are handed out each spring by the American Theatre Wing and the League of American Theatres and Producers. They mark the year's achievements in Broadway theater, and (not incidentally) promote shows that are still running.

And what's the major hip-hooray and ballyhoo about on Broadway these days? Musicals and stars, both of which have helped pump up ticket sales.

As expected, the new smash hit production of Frank Loesser's 40-year old musical, "Guys and Dolls" garnered the most awards of the evening (four), including one for best revival and another for highly praised actress Faith Prince. But the Tonys were spread fairly evenly among other major contenders too.

"Crazy For You," an extravaganza built around a clutch of beloved Gershwin standards, picked up the Tony for best "new" musical, along with awards for costuming and choreography. In a more contemporary vein, "Jelly's Last Jam" (George Wolfe's ironic look at early jazzman Jelly Roll Morton) also claimed three Tonys, one for its charismatic hoofer star, Gregory Hines. And the offbeat "Falsettos," which deals uncoyly with homosexual lovers and AIDS, was honored for best musical book and score.

Broadway's dramatic productions also received some acknowledgement. The telecast's host, film star Glenn Close, copped a Tony for her lead turn in Ariel Dorman's political drama, "Death and the Maiden." So did "Boyz N the Hood" actor Larry Fishburne for his featured performance in August Wilson's "Two Trains Running," and Judd Hirsch in the central role of Herb Gardner's "Conversations With My Father."

"Conversations," which had is premiere in Seattle before moving to Broadway, failed to get a Tony for its nominated director, Seattle Repertory Theatre head Daniel Sullivan.

But drama was not the main course of the evening, to be sure. When film actor Michael Douglas introduced the best-play award by noting that dramas often becomes the basis of musicals, you knew where this Tony ceremony's heart lay.

Or maybe Douglas thinks Brian Friel's "Dancing at Lughnasa," a Chekhovian tale of Irish spinster sisters that won as this year's best script, is ripe for the tap-happy chorus-line treatment?

Though the drama category was the weakest it's been in years, the quality of recent musicals gave the Tony broadcast a real lift. Excerpts from the major nominees were performed live on the Gershwin Theatre stage where the ceremony took place, to warm reaction from the audience.

Oddly enough, one of the highlights came from the only best-musical nominee to go home without a single Tony: "Five Guys Named Moe," a revue based on themusic of Louis Jordan. The ebullient cast had everyone in attendance (even Walter Cronkite) trading riffs on the R & B favorite, "Caledonia."

Notable for other reasons was a scene from "Falsettos," with 12-year old actor Jonathan Kaplan singing, "My father's a homo/My mother's not thrilled at all." In an interesting touch of self-censorship, Tony-winning composer-lyricist William Finn told reporters he voluntarily cut another mention of the word homosexual so viewers would know the show "is about lots of things" and not just "homo stuff."

This year's Tony bash was also influenced by the carbonated fizz of emcee Close's personality. Wearing a blue dress that looked like it had fungus growing on it (she later changed into something basic and black), Close displayed a kookiness very unlike her cool screen image.

Though she dutifully delivered all the scripted paeans to live theater, Close's off-the-cuff remarks got pretty loose. Upon receiving her Tony, she blurted, "There is life after Mr. and Mrs. Rich!" - a dig at the powerful New York Times drama critic Frank Rich and his wife, Times theater columnist Alex Witchel. (Both have said unkind things about Close's current Broadway stand.)

Other memorable acceptance moments included Judd Hirsch's poignant handwritten message to his ill, deaf mother, watching from her hospital bed. Then Hirsch went on to effusively thank "Conversations" author Herb Gardner for writing "the play of your life" and "the best play on Broadway."

Translation: Gardner did not get a Tony nomination this year, and the show's partisans are upset about it.

Finally, one of the last speeches was "Dancing at Lughnasa" co-producer Noel Pearson's thanks in the form of a W.B. Yeats poem. The short lyric ended with the lines: "I have spread my dreams under your feet/Tread softly for you tread on my dreams."

Ah, the Irish. It was a graceful touch for an award show that always goes down smoothly - even when, as in this year, it didn't offer many surprises.

Here is a list of the 1992 Tony Award winners:

Play: "Dancing at Lughnasa" Brian Friel.

Musical: "Crazy for You."

Revival: "Guys and Dolls."

Actor in a play: Judd Hirsch "Conversations with My Father."

Actress in a play: Glenn Close "Death and the Maiden."

Actor in a musical: Gregory Hines "Jelly's Last Jam."

Actress in a musical: Faith Prince "Guys and Dolls."

Book for a musical: "Falsettos" William Finn and James Lapine.

Score for a musical: "Falsettos" William Finn, music and lyrics.

Director of a play: Patrick Mason "Dancing at Lughnasa."

Director of a musical: Jerry Zaks "Guys and Dolls."

Featured actor in a play: Larry Fishburne "Two Trains Running."

Featured actress in a play: Brid Brennan, "Dancing at Lughnasa."

Featured actor in a musical: Scott Waara "The Most Happy Fella."

Featured actress in a musical: Tonya Pinkins "Jelly's Last Jam."

Scenic design: Tony Walton "Guys and Dolls."

Costume design: William Ivey Long "Crazy for You."

Lighting design: Jules Fisher "Jelly's Last Jam."

Choreography: Susan Stroman "Crazy for You."

A special Tony Award for continued excellence by a regional theater: The Goodman Theater of Chicago.

A special Tony Award to "The Fantasticks," off-Broadway's longest running show.