Brits Sophie Okonedo and Mark Rylance win at the Tony Awards

British stars Sophie Okonedo and Mark Rylance have been honoured at the Tony Awards in New York.

Okonedo won the best featured actress in a play award, for A Raisin In The Sun where she starred opposite Denzel Washington.

She said: "I am loving it on Broadway", thanking producer Scott Rudin for believing that a "Jewish, Nigerian Brit" could play the iconic role of Ruth Younger. The show also won best play revival.

Rylance received his third Tony, best featured actor in a play, for his role playing the countess Olivia in Twelfth Night.

The actor, who previously won for Jerusalem and Boeing-Boeing, was also nominated for best lead actor honours for his evil title character in Richard III.

Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston picked up the best lead actor trophy for his Broadway debut as former President Lyndon B. Johnson in Robert Schenkkan's All the Way, which also was crowned best play.

The ceremony was hosted by Hugh Jackman who kicked off the show with a bounce, hopping up and down like a kangaroo during his opening number, and later joined the cast of the musical After Midnight for a rendition of It Don't Mean a Thing (If it Ain't Got that Swing).

Audra McDonald became Tony's most decorated actress winning her sixth Tony for portraying Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill, putting her ahead of five-time winners Angela Lansbury and the late Julie Harris for the most competitive wins by an actress. Among those she thanked were her parents for not medicating their hyperactive child.

A Gentlemen's Guide To Love and Murder, in which a poor man comically eliminates the eight heirs ahead of him for a title, won the best musical award. It had opened rather quietly but had a steady increase in interest, peaking with its huge win over Disney's Aladdin and the built-in love of Carole King songs from Beautiful - The Carole King Musical.

"The little engine that could, did," said an ecstatic lead producer Joey Parnes. The show nabbed a total of four wins, including best book of a musical.

Neil Patrick Harris took home best actor in a musical for Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and also performed a song from the show wearing a wig and miniskirt, and giving a lapdance to an audience member.

Jessie Mueller beat some strong Broadway veterans in Sutton Foster, Idina Menzel and Kelli O'Hara to take home the best actress in a musical Tony for playing the title character in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.

Kenny Leon won his first Tony for directing the revival of A Raisin In The Sun.

James Monroe Iglehart, who plays the manic Genie in Aladdin, won for best featured actor in a musical and could barely contain his glee as he thanked a long list of people that included God and his wife.

Some 870 Tony voters - members of professional groups such as the Wing, the League, Actors' Equity Association, the Dramatists Guild and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society - decided the final 26 competitive awards.

Wicked, which is celebrating a decade on Broadway, had its current Glinda and Elphaba sing For Good, and there were songs from two shows that have yet to arrive: Sting performed from his musical The Last Ship and Jennifer Hudson sang from Finding Neverland, the musical about Peter Pan.

This year, Broadway producers have a reason to party. The season's box offices hit a record total gross of 1.27 billion dollars (£755m) - up from 1.13 billion (£672m) the previous season - and attendance was up 5.6% to 12.2 million.

Full list of winners:

Actor in a Featured Role in a Play: Mark Rylance, Twelfth Night

Actor in Featured Role in a Musical: James Monroe Iglehart, Aladdin

Actor in a Leading Role in a Play: Bryan Cranston, All the Way

Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical: Neil Patrick Harris, Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Actress in a Featured Role in a Play: Sophie Okonedo, A Raisin in the Sun

Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical: Lena Hall, Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Actress in a Leading Role in a Play: Audra McDonald, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill

Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical: Jessie Mueller, Beautiful--The Carole King Musical

Best Direction of a Play: Kenny Leon, A Raisin in the Sun

Best Direction of a Musical: Darko Tresnjak, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder

Best Choreography: Warren Carlyle, After Midnight

Best Orchestrations: Jason Robert Brown, The Bridges of Madison County

Best Scenic Design of a Play: Beowulf Boritt, Act One

Best Scenic Design of a Musical: Christopher Barreca, Rocky

Best Costume Design of a Play: Jenny Tiramani, Twelfth Night

Best Costume Design of a Musical: Linda Cho, A Gentlemen's Guide to Love and Murder

Best Lighting Design of a Play: Natasha Katz, The Glass Menagerie

Best Lighting Design of a Musical: Kevin Adams, Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Best Sound Design of a Play: Steve Canyon Kennedy, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill

Best Sound Design of a Musical: Brian Ronan, Beautiful--The Carole King Musical

Best Play: All the Way

Best Musical: A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder

Best Book of a Musical: A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder

Best Revival of a Play: A Raisin in the Sun

Best Revival of a Musical: Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Isabelle Stevenson Award: Rosie O'Donnell