Composer Jerry Herman to receive lifetime achievement award at Tonys

Jerry Herman, the U.S. composer of Hello, Dolly! and Mame, willbe honoured forlifetime achievement at the Tony Awards ceremony on June 7.

Herman previously won Tonys for Hello, Dolly! in 1964 and for La Cage aux Folles in 1984.

Another special Tony will go to Shirley Herz, a press agent on and Off Broadway for more than 50 years. Her clients have included the legendary singer and dancer Josephine Baker and playwright Edward Albee.

Broadway actress Phyllis Newman will also receive a special Tony award. In 1995, Newman, a breast cancer survivor, founded the Phyllis Newman Women's Health Initiative of the Actors Fund for women in the entertainment industry who are facing serious medical conditions. For the past 12 years, shehas hosted its offshoot, the annual Nothing Like a Dame benefit galas that have raised more than $3.5 million US.

The Signature Theatre of Arlington, Va., is slated for the Tony award given each year to one the U.S.'s leading regional theatres. The prize comes with a cheque for $25,000 US.

The 2009 Tony Award nominations will be announced on Tuesday.