The musical South Pacific rode a wave of trophies at the Tony Awards with prizes for best musical revival, best direction as well as scenic and sound design.Bartlett Sher accepts the award for best direction of a musical for South Pacific at the 62nd Annual Tony Awards in New York. It was one of six trophies earned by the musical. (Jeff Christensen/Associated Press)

Comedian Whoopi Goldberg, resplendent in a ruffled black gown which showcased her legs, hosted the awards Sunday night in New York. The awards honour the best of Broadway.

Bartlett Sher accepted the best direction-musical prize for South Pacific, which also won for costume and lighting design, and Paulo Szot won best leading actor in a musical.

Not far behind was August: Osage County. The Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Tracy Letts examines the bitter feuding in an Oklahoma family with a stubborn matriarch at its helm.

The first trophy handed out went to the play's Randi Reed, who won in the category of best actress in a featured role in a play.

It would signal a night of treasures for August: Osage County which also won best play, best direction of a play (Anna D. Shapiro) in addition to a leading actress trophy for Deanna Dunagan.

"They did an amazing thing. They decided to produce an American play on Broadway with theatre actors," said Shapiro.

Dunagan, who portrays the family matriarch, was flustered: "This whole year has been entirely unexpected and astonishing ... After 34 years in regional theatre, I never thought about [The Tonys]."

Meanwhile, In the Heights captured four major awards including best musical.Deanna Dunagan poses backstage with her award for best performance by a leading actress in a play for her role in August: Osage County. (Stuart Ramson/Associated Press)

Lin-Manuel Miranda had the crowd on their feet when he finished a lyrical, rhyming acceptance speech for best original score for In the Heights — a celebration of Latin immigrant experiences in Manhattan.

The 28-year-old is also the star of the show, which had led with 13 nominations going in.

The musical also captured the choreography prize (Andy Blankenbuehler) and one for orchestrations (Alex Lacamoire and Bill Sherman).

Other winners at the 62nd annual Tony Awards:

• Book-Musical: Passing Strange.
• Revival-Play: Boeing-Boeing.
• Leading Actress in a Musical: Patti LuPone, Gypsy.
• Best Actress in a Musical: Laura Benanti, Gypsy.
• Best Actor in a Musical: Boyd Gaines, Gypsy.
• Leading Actor in a Play: Mark Rylance, Boeing-Boeing.
• Best Featured Actor-Play: Jim Norton, The Seafarer.
• Costume Design-Play: Katrina Lindsay, Les Liaisons Dangereuses.
• Lighting Design-Play: Kevin Adams, The 39 Steps.
• Sound Design-Play: Mic Pool, The 39 Steps.
• Lifetime Achievement Award: Stephen Sondheim.

Trophies are awarded in 26 categories, voted on by the 795 members of the theatrical community.