The ceremony opened with a song-and-dance medley performed by
Gwen Verdon,
Paula Kelly,
Helen Gallagher and
Donna McKechnie. The theme was the global reach of Broadway. The "Wide World of Broadway" featured narrations by
Rex Harrison,
Walter Slezak,
Rossano Brazzi,
Yul Brynner and
Peter Ustinov, who brought the viewers to: Vienna:
West Side Story; Tokyo:
The King and I; Milan:
Ciao, Rudy; Paris:
Hello, Dolly!; London:
Show Boat; Zagreb, Yugoslavia:
Man of La Mancha; and Wichita Falls, Texas:
My Fair Lady. Musicals represented: •
Pippin ("Magic To Do"- Ben Vereen and Company) A new series of awards was started this year, termed "Theater Awards '73", renewable annually. This was the fourth time that
Julie Harris won a Tony Award (and her sixth nomination); she won a total of five with a sixth for Lifetime Achievement. ==Winners and nominees==