1981 Tony Awards
Winners and nominees from the Tony Awards.
1981 Tony Awards
Note: Award winners appear on a red background.
| Category | Nominee | Show |
|---|---|---|
| Best Book of a Musical | Michael Stewart, Mark Bramble | 42nd Street |
| Best Book of a Musical | Monty Norman, Julian More | The Moony Shapiro Songbook |
| Best Book of a Musical | Mary Kyte | Tintypes |
| Best Book of a Musical | Peter Stone | Woman of the Year |
| Best Choreography | Gower Champion | 42nd Street |
| Best Choreography | Roland Petit | Can-Can |
| Best Choreography | Henry le Tan, Donald McKayle, Michael Smuin | Sophisticated Ladies |
| Best Choreography | Graciela Daniele | The Pirates of Penzance |
| Best Costume Design | Theoni V. Aldredge | 42nd Street |
| Best Costume Design | John Bury | Amadeus |
| Best Costume Design | Franca Squarciapino | Can-Can |
| Best Costume Design | Willa Kim | Sophisticated Ladies |
| Best Direction of a Musical | Gower Champion | 42nd Street |
| Best Direction of a Musical | Michael Smuin | Sophisticated Ladies |
| Best Direction of a Musical | Wilford Leach | The Pirates of Penzance |
| Best Direction of a Musical | Robert Moore | Woman of the Year |
| Best Direction of a Play | Peter Coe | A Life |
| Best Direction of a Play | Peter Hall | Amadeus |
| Best Direction of a Play | Marshall W. Mason | Fifth of July |
| Best Direction of a Play | Austin Pendleton | The Little Foxes |
| Best Lighting Design | Tharon Musser | 42nd Street |
| Best Lighting Design | John Bury | Amadeus |
| Best Lighting Design | Dennis Parichy | Fifth of July |
| Best Lighting Design | Jennifer Tipton | Sophisticated Ladies |
| Best Musical | David Merrick | 42nd Street |
| Best Musical | Louise Westergaard, Burton L. Litwin, Manheim Fox, Roger S. Berlind, Sondra Gilman | Sophisticated Ladies |
| Best Musical | Richmond Crinkley, Larry J. Silva, Eve Skina, Joan F. Tobin | Tintypes |
| Best Musical | James M. Nederlander, Stewart F. Lane, Carole J. Shorenstein, Claire Nichtern, David S. Landay, Lawrence Kasha | Woman of the Year |
| Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre | Charles Strouse, David Rogers | Charlie and Algernon |
| Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre | Al Kasha, Joel Hirschhorn | Copperfield |
| Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre | Lance Mulcahy | Shakespeare's Cabaret |
| Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre | Fred Ebb, John Kander | Woman of the Year |
| Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical | Paxton Whitehead | Camelot |
| Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical | Hinton Battle | Sophisticated Ladies |
| Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical | Tony Azito | The Pirates of Penzance |
| Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play | Adam Redfield | A Life |
| Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play | Brian Backer | The Floating Light Bulb |
| Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play | Tom Aldredge | The Little Foxes |
| Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play | Shepperd Strudwick | To Grandmother's House We Go |
| Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical | Martin Vidnovic | Brigadoon |
| Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical | Gregory Hines | Sophisticated Ladies |
| Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical | Kevin Kline | The Pirates of Penzance |
| Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical | George Rose | The Pirates of Penzance |
| Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play | Roy Dotrice | A Life |
| Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play | Ian McKellen | Amadeus |
| Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play | Tim Curry | Amadeus |
| Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play | Jack Weston | The Floating Light Bulb |
| Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical | Wanda Richert | 42nd Street |
| Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical | Phyllis Hyman | Sophisticated Ladies |
| Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical | Lynne Thigpen | Tintypes |
| Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical | Marilyn Cooper | Woman of the Year |
| Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play | Swoosie Kurtz | Fifth of July |
| Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play | Zoe Wanamaker | Piaf |
| Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play | Jessica Tandy | Rose |
| Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play | Maureen Stapleton | The Little Foxes |
| Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical | Meg Bussert | Brigadoon |
| Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical | Chita Rivera | Bring Back Birdie |
| Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical | Linda Ronstadt | The Pirates of Penzance |
| Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical | Lauren Bacall | Woman of the Year |
| Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play | Jane Lapotaire | Piaf |
| Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play | Glenda Jackson | Rose |
| Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play | Elizabeth Taylor | The Little Foxes |
| Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play | Eva Le Gallienne | To Grandmother's House We Go |
| Best Play | Peter Shaffer | Amadeus |
| Best Play | Richard Press, Yale Repertory Theater, Louis Bush Hager Associates, Jay J. Cohen, Athol Fugard | A Lesson From Aloes |
| Best Play | Hugh Leonard, Lester Osterman, Hinks Shimberg, Freydberg-Cutler-Diamond Productions, Freydberg-Cutler-Diamond Productions | A Life |
| Best Play | Richard Horner | A Life |
| Best Play | Roger S. Berlind, Nelle Nugent, The Shubert Organization | Amadeus |
| Best Play | Elizabeth I. McCann | Amadeus |
| Best Play | Robert Lussier | Fifth of July |
| Best Play | Jerry Arrow, Warner Theater Productions, Lanford Wilson | Fifth of July |
| Best Revival | Zev Bufman, The Shubert Organization | Brigadoon |
| Best Revival | MikeMerrick, Don Gregory | Camelot |
| Best Revival | Jon Cultler, Zev Bufman, Donald C. Carter | The Little Foxes |
| Best Revival | The New York Shakespeare Festival, Joseph Papp | The Pirates of Penzance |
| Best Scenic Design | John Bury, John Bury | Amadeus |
| Best Scenic Design | David Mitchell | Can-Can |
| Best Scenic Design | John Lee Beatty | Fifth of July |
| Best Scenic Design | Santo Loquasto | The Suicide |
| Regional Theater Tony Award | Trinity Square Repertory Company | Providence |
| Regional Theater Tony Award | Rhode Island | Trinity Square Repertory Company |
| Special Tony Award | Lena Horne | The Lady and Her Music |
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