8:08pm
We're live at the Lortel Awards! Terminal 5 (waaaaaaaay west side on 56th Street) looks amazing, and were about to begin! Keep checking back for updates as the night progresses! We've already checked out a great gallery of costumes and other ephemera from Off-Broadway's rich history. Even in the mezzanine, everyone (including the mannequins) is dressed to the nines!

8:12pm
And we're off! STOMP is opening the show in style -- a great percussive routine with pushbrooms. And our hosts for the evening: Bryan Batt -- who gets into the act, too! Will Bebe Neuwirth? Sadly, no...

8:16pm
Did you know that 57 Off-Broadway shows have transferred to Broadway, including this year's Pulitzer Prize-winner, NEXT TO NORMAL? This year's show is benefitting the Actors' Fund.

8:19pm
Keith Carradine presents a video season montage, featuring all 79 eligible productions.

8:22pm
Terrence Mann and Laurie Metcalf present the Outstanding Supporting Actor Award to........ADAM JAMES for THE PRIDE. And he says he's "gobsmacked!"

8:26pm
Chad Kimball introduces the first BEST MUSICAL nominee, THE TOXIC AVENGER -- which he calls the best thing to come out of New Jersey since Whitney Houston. (!) Kimball is currently appearing in MEMPHIS on Broadway, also written by the creators of THE TOXIC AVENGER.

8:28pm
Bebe gets in a good zinger about New York Post gossip columnist Michael Riedel, and introduces Kerry Washington (Race) and Patrick Heusinger (Next Fall) present the Outstanding Featured Actress to MARY BETH HURT -- WHEN THE RAIN STOPS FALLING. She says she gets nominated a lot, but never wins...

8:32pm
LaChanze is singing "Waiting for Life" from her first big success, "Once On This Island." She sounds as amazing as she did twenty years ago! And the audience is singing back-up! What fun...

"I won't STOMP, don't ask me... " Co-hosts Bryan Batt and Bebe Neuwirth clown around.

8:37pm
Monica Raymund (Lie to Me, the new play Oliver Parker!) presents the second nominated musical, EVERYDAY RAPTURE. A newly minted hit on Broadway, Off-Broadway first saw it last summer!

8:39pm
J. Bernard Calloway (Memphis) and and Jennifer Laura Thompson (Urinetown, Lend Me a Tenor) give the Outstanding Sound Design Award to FITZ PATTON, WHEN THE RAIN STOPS FALLING.

8:42pm
And the award for Outstanding Scenic Design goes to: DAVID KORINS for WHEN THE RAIN STOPS FALLING -- tonight's third award for Lincoln Center Theater's show!

8:44pm
Melissa Joan Hart (Love, Loss and What I Wore, and known to audience members of a certain age from Nickelodeon's TV show "Clarissa Explains It All") explains all about the third nominated musical, CLICK, CLACK, MOO.

8:47pm
Stephanie March and Tamara Tunie present the award for Outstanding Lighting Design to TYLER MICOLEAU for WHEN THE RAIN STOPS FALLING. Trend much?

8:49pm
Outstanding Costume Design: CLINT RAMOS, SO HELP ME GOD. (He also designed WHEN THE RAIN STOPS FALLING.)

8:52pm
S. Epatha Merkerson (Law & Order) presents video from the fourth nominated musical: Kander & Ebb's THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS.

What a joy to listen to a composer perform his own work... Alan Menken singing tunes from Little Shop of Horrors"

8:55pm
This performer has won more Oscars than any living individual: Alan Menken. Performing a medley from Off-Broadway's LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS. Hard to believe the show opened nearly thirty years ago! He and Ashman wrote it, hoping it would lead to their big break -- of course, the show wound up becoming their big break! The medley includes the title song, "Somewhere That's Green," "Dentist!" (audience clapping along!), "Feed Me," and "Suddenly Seymour." He thus rescues the songs from piano bar hell.

9:03pm
George Forbes, President of the Off-Broadway League and Executive Director of the Lucille Lortel Foundation, thanks the evening's sponsors, including lead sponsors The Lucille Lortel Foundation and TDF. 15 Pulitzer Prize winners began Off-Broadway! George introduces past League Presidents Paul Libin, Barry Grove, and Marc Routh. And now, a moment to honor Off-Broadway veterans who've passed away over the past year. Biggest applause for Dixie Carter, Larry Gelbart, June Havoc, Karl Malden, Frank McCourt, Patrick Swayzie.

9:13pm
Ally Sheedy and Aasif Mandvi present the award for Outstanding Solo Show to Colman Domingo's A BOY AND HIS SOUL.

9:17pm
Montego Glover (Memphis) looks stunning... And presents the 2010 Lortel Award for Outstanding Choreographer to SUSAN STROMAN, THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS.

9:20pm
We're about halfway there, folks! Zoe Kazan (A Behanding in Spokane) and Michael Urie (Ugly Betty, Lortel nominee for The Temperamentals) present the Outstanding Director Award to... (will David Cromer three-peat? He won the last two years) ... DAVID CROMER, WHEN THE RAIN STOPS FALLING. Sadly, he's not here tonight to accept his award.

9:24pm
Comedian Seth Rudetsky dishes about production snafus during the long run of A CHORUS LINE (which began life Off-Broadway) -- "The Music, the Mirror, and the Mishap." I'm laughing too hard and typing too slowly to keep up...

9:27pm
Jack O'Brien (director of Hairspray, Coast of Utopia) presents the Outstanding Body of Work Award to Lincoln Center Theater. Very classy video presentation, featuring artists who've worked there over the years (then again, EVERYTHING Lincoln Center does is classy...) Both LCT and the Lortel Awards are celebrating their silver anniversary this year. Executive Director Bernard Gersten and Artistic Director André Bishop accept -- and we have our first standing ovation of the night!

9:37pm
From "American Idiot": Michael Esper and Stark Sands present video from YANK!, the fifth nominee for Outstanding Musical.

9:40pm
Hugh Dancy (Lortel nominee for "The Pride," Stark Sands' co-star in "Journey's End") and Saffron Burrows present the award for Outstanding Lead Actress to JUDITH IVEY, THE GLASS MENAGERIE (as Amanda Wingfield). She's wanted to play this role for 40 years.

9:45pm
Anthonie Mackie ("A Behanding in Spokane") and Jennifer Morrison ("House") present the Award for Outstanding Lead Actor to MICHAEL URIE, from THE TEMPERAMENTALS! There is life after Marc St. James and "Ugly Betty..."

Honoree Daryl Roth with son/presenter Jordan Roth.

9:50pm
The Lifetime Achievement Award goes to DARYL ROTH, and is presented by Julie Halston (actor in Roth's Love, Loss & What I Wore), Charles Busch (playwright of work often produced by Roth), and Jordan Roth, Daryl's son/President of Jujamcyn Theatres and a producer in his own right. Jordan gives a lovely, eloquent speech in honor of his mother, and there are sniffles from the peanut gallery. And a standing ovation, of course. Daryl pays homage to Lucille Lortel, who demonstrated to her the perks of having your own theatre.

10:07pm
Lily Rabe ("Steel Magnolias") and Jesse Tyler Ferguson (TV's "Modern Family) -- both will be appearing in Shakespeare in the Park this summer. And they present the award for Outstanding Revival to Roundabout Theatre Company's THE GLASS MENAGERIE.

10:12pm
Anthony LaPaglia and Justin Bartha (co-stars in Broadway's "Lend Me a Tenor") present the award for Outstanding Play to.... (will "When the Rain Stops Falling" sweep?) ...Horton Foote's THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE at Signature Theatre! Nine hours of fantastic drama.

10:20pm
How is it possible that the original production of The Fantasticks opened 50 years ago? It's the longest-running show -- Broadway or Off-Broadway -- ever. The current El Gallo, Edward Watts, sings "Try to Remember." Gorgeous -- I may have to see this show again... again.

10:23pm
The Fantasticks' co-author, Tom Jones (now appearing in the show in a role he originated 50 years ago) reads a heartfelt note from his collaborator Harvey Schmidt, then presents the award for Outstanding Musical to THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS.

10:30pm
That's all, folks! Great hosting job by Bryan Batt and Bebe Neuwirth. See you next year!

The company of "The Scottsboro Boys" celebrates their win for "Outstanding Musical."