Tonys ratings up; CLO vets among winners

CBS must be delighted that the 63rd annual Tony Awards show posted its best ratings since 2006, and with a CBS star -- Neil Patrick Harris of "How I Met Your Mother" -- as hsot.

The awards ceremony Sudnay posting double-digit percentage gains in viewers and key demographics over last year, according to Nielsen preliminary same-day ratings for June 7. It second in households (4.9/09) and viewers (7.45 million), while averaging a (1.8/05) in adults 25-54 and 1.3/04 in adults 18-49. That's up 11% in households (from 4.4/09) and more than 1 million viewers from 2008.

Alice Ripley/APAnd while we're talking Tonys . . .

Next time you're at a Pittsburgh CLO show, consider this: six CLO vets were 2009 nominees and two won the Tony. Best Actress in a Musical Alice Ripley ("Next to Normal"), left, was in 2005's CLO production of "Tommy," and Tony-winning scenic designer Derek McLane ("33 Variations") did the scenic design for "Copacabana" in 2000.

Other nominees who have contributed to CLO productions were Gavin Creel ("Hair"), Brian d'Arcy James and Sutton Foster ("Shrek The Musical") and choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler ("9 to 5: The Musical").


Posted Jun 08 2009, 12:41 PM by Sharon Eberson
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