The 56th Annual Tony Awards ceremony was held at Radio City Music Hall on June 2, 2002 and broadcast by CBS. "The First Ten" awards ceremony was telecast on PBS television. The event was co-hosted by Bernadette Peters and Gregory Hines. With her win as a producer of Thoroughly Modern Millie, Whoopi Goldberg became the 10th person to become an EGOT winner.

The ceremony

The show opened with a tribute to Richard Rodgers, featuring a medley of his songs performed by Marvin Hamlisch, Harry Connick Jr., Michele Lee, Mos Def, Lea Salonga, Peter Gallagher, John Raitt, Bernadette Peters, Gregory Hines, and the company of Oklahoma! A Broadway/New York song medley was performed by Bernadette Peters and Gregory Hines. Presentations from nominated musicals: The First Ten awards were presented prior to the full ceremony and broadcast on PBS. The awards presented were: Best Direction of a Play, Direction of a Musical, Book of a Musical, Original Score, Choreography, Costume Design, Lighting Design and Scenic Design. There were also interviews and "rehearsal and performance clips from the nominated shows." The broadcast won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program; the director was Glenn Weiss.

Eligibility

Shows that opened on Broadway during the 2001–02 season before May 2, 2002 are eligible.

Winners and nominees

Winners are in bold

Special awards

Source: TheaterMania

Multiple nominations and awards

These productions had multiple nominations: The following productions received multiple awards.