Billy Elliot Dances to Tony Awards Gloryv

Billy Elliot The Musical stole the show at the 2009 Tony Awards on Sunday night, winning an astonishing 10 prizes.

The show scooped the prestigious Best Musical award and there were statuettes for writer Lee Hall, director Stephen Daldry and its three young stars David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish.

Elsewhere, acting legend Angela Lansbury made Broadway history by winning her record-equalling fifth Tony.

Lansbury was awarded the Best Featured Actress in a Play prize for her role in Blithe Spirit, bringing her level with five-time Tony winner Julie Harris.

After accepting her award, the 83-year-old star said, "I had no plan to tie Julie Harris' record of five Tony Awards; she is the greatest actress of our time. As for my sixth, don't bet on it - but there are some roles I could still play on Broadway. I would do Off-Broadway, as long as I can keep acting - it's the only thing I know how I do."

There was also an acting award for Marcia Gay Harden for her performance in God of Carnage, which was named Best Play.

Liza Minnelli's production Liza's at The Palace won Best Special Theatrical Event.

Celebrity guests at the bash at Manhattan's Radio City Musical Hall, including Sir Elton John, Jane Fonda and Kevin Spacey, were treated to musical performances of shows currently gracing New York's theatre district.

And there were tributes to Broadway stars who have died in the past year, including Paul Newman, Natasha Richardson, Bea Arthur, Eartha Kitt and theatre impresario Gerald Schoenfeld.

Elton John's Billy Elliot Is Top Tony Nominee

Sir Elton John, get out your tutu. The Rocket Man's musical Billy Elliot, about a British working-class boy's desire to dance, scored an impressive 15 Tony nominations, including best musical, it was announced Tuesday morning.

Billy will compete in the top category with Next to Normal, a brash musical about a mother's nervous breakdown; the pop compendium Rock of Ages; and Shrek the Musical.

Dolly Parton's just-opened 9 to 5 was among those overlooked in the best musical category, though one of its stars, Allison Janney, received a nod in the leading actress race. The lively revival of the '60s tribal rock musical Hair received eight nominations, including best revival.

Among dramas and comedies, the best play nominees are Horton Foote's sly Dividing the Estate, about a money-strapped Texas family; the brittle God of Carnage, starring four Tony nominees (James Gandolfini, Jeff Daniels, Marcia Gay Harden and Hope Davis); Neal LaBute's romantic drama Reasons To Be Pretty, and 33 Variations, which stars the nominated Jane Fonda as a dying musicologist.

Winners will be announced Sunday, June 7th, during a three-hour CBS telecast from Radio City Music Hall.

For a complete list of nominees, click here.