Daily News from New York, New York • 230

20 DAILY NEVS Monday, June 3, 1991 extra Aflways tme foir Fwewmhs amidl sftair cflaosti fl? 'txf- 'ff By PATRICIA O'HAIRi Daily News btrf" Wnter WITHOUT FAIL, Every year the Tony Awards, Broadway's night to shine all over the country, has generated some controversy. That's true of most awards shows, but since I 4 i iA if 'KM i UN i i ous year, he was cast as a presenter. When the moment came around for him to do his job, he used the time to make a political statement and caused the TV show's producer, Joe Cates, to storm onstage (during a commercial break) to denounce Silver's action. Other years, the arguments centered on the nominations, though one year, the network sponsoring the show had the stars from its various TV series acting as presenters, and noses were raised high in the air to sniff at that. But the theater has nurtured many a performer who has moved on to film or TV.

Whoopi Goldberg had her first success on the stage here; so did TV's "Columbo," Peter Falk. and the snoop from "Murder She Wrote," Angela Lansbury. Madonna, who took time off from singing to do a dramatic role in David Mamet's "Speed-The-Plow" in 1988, even appeared on the TV show that year, though she was not a winner; Elizabeth Taylor also had a nomination in 1981 for "The Little Fox- UZ LOCK Lena Home, Elizabeth Taylor and Ben Vereen in 1981 PICTURE THIS: Madonna (r.) appeared on the same stage with Angola Lansbury during 1988 Tony Awards. the Tonys are given out here, for shows that are for the most part born and bred in New York and we're talking theatrical types here, too emotions usually run high. Last year, Ron Silver was the cause of the flap.

Because he'd won for his role in "Speed-The-Plow" the previ- a year of FROM COVER have dropped significantly. To keep viewers interested the presenters included such celebrities as Carol Channing, Michael Crawford, Tyne Daly, Whoopi Goldberg, Audrey Hepburn, Ftaul Julia, Shirley Mac La ine, Robert Morse, Anthony Quinn, Lily Tomlin, To-pol and Denzel Washington. Julie Andrews sang a medley of songs from the two Ixrner and Loewe shows she did on Broadway, "My Fair Lady" and "C'amelot." Bobby Morse, who won a Tony last year for "Trti," the one-man play based on the life of Truman Capote, performed "I Believe in You," from the 1JX32 hit "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." There were also excerpts from the four Tony-nominated 7 conibiweirsy ott ceDefoottfoini es" (she didn't win). AI Pacino and Dustin Hoffman have been on view here often, live and in person, and Pacino was a Tony winner twice for "Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?" (1969) and "The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel" (1977). Bette Midler took a special award in 1974, and went on to Country's Good," "Shadow-lands" and "Six Degrees of Separation." Though the telecast has always included excerpts from the musicals, scenes from plays were an innovation of the last four years.

It has often been the case, however, that the excerpts conveyed little of the tone or content of the play. The season turned out more interesting than many expected. Last summer there was great concern that the biggest event of the season the importation of "Miss Saigon," a musical with a $35 million ad musicals, "Miss Saigon," "Once on This Island," "The Secret Garden" and "The Will Rogers Follies." This year there were no excerpts from the nominated plays, "Lost in Yonkers," "Our bigger though maybe not better things; Cher was on hand to hand out a Tony back in 1982. She was working that year in "Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean." This year, Joan Collins and Audrey Hepburn both participated. And not a catty word from either.

Alas! vance might not happen. Principles are principles, but $35 million is $35 million. To no one's surprise, compromises were made, and "Miss Saigon" opened. Despite the amount of interesting theater the season yielded, it was sobering for the Tony attendees filing into the Minskoff, at 45th St. and Broadway, to note that four out of the six theaters on 45th traditionally Broadway's busiest street, are dark.

The Minskoff itself has had no tenant since "Black and Blue" closed in February. YoP.ers"; fJ'i'R Tonys cap The following is a partial list of the winners in last night's 1991 Tony Awards: LADING ACTORPLAY: Nigel Hawthorne, "Shadowlands" LtADINQ ACTRESSPLAY: Mercedes Ruehl FEATURED ACTORMUSICAL: Hinton BtJttlo, "Miss Saigon" FEATURED ACTRESS MUSICAL: Daisy Eaftin, 'The Secret Garden" DIRECTIONPLAY: Jerry Zaks. "Six Degrees of Separation" DIRECTIONMUSICAL Tommy Tune, "The Will Rogers Follies" BOOK OF A MUSICAL: "The Secret Garden" ORIGINAL SCORE: "The Will Rogers Follies" FEATURED ACTORPLAY: Kevin Spacey, "Lost In Yonkers" FEATURED ACTRESSPLAY: Irene Worth, "Lost in Yonkers" REVIVAL: "Fiddler on the Roof SCENIC DESIGN: Heidi Landosman, "The Secret Garden" LIGHTING DESIGN: Jules Fisher, "The Will Rogers Follies" COSTUME DESIGN. Willa Kim, "The Will Rogers CHOREOGRAPHY; Tommy Tune, The Will Rojjors Follies'' SPECIAL AWARD i ne I l. imwmi imu i whim I4HIW.HI.

Wl jil-Wli, inwin 1 11... i ZJJ'-l r.U.. i. BROADWAY FRONT-RUNNERS rclockwise from above): lree Worth. Featured Actr-ess" play tor "Lostirt L-Uoirwoln and cait members of the.