A British playwright's nine-hour epic trilogy scooped seven awards at this year's Tony awards on New York's Broadway.

Tom Stoppard's The Coast of Utopia was named best play, and came second in the winner's list only to the new American rock musical Spring Awakening about the sexual longing of 19th century German teenagers, which captured a record total of eight Tonys.

The previous record was six, held by Death of A Salesman and History Boys.

Stoppard's trilogy about 19th century Russian intellectuals saw awards for its director Jack O'Brien and two of the featured players in its large cast - Briton Jennifer Ehle and Billy Crudup.

Utopia also swept the play technical awards, winning prizes for sets, costumes and lighting.

Stoppard, 69, said: "I feel a bit nostalgic actually because this year it's 40 years since I first came here with a play, and I'm sentimental enough to want to start by thanking the New York theatre for having me, for good times and good friends.

"It was a different planet in 1967, the Broadway theatre. It had a little ashtray clamped to the back of every seat and the author got ten per cent of the gross."

He paid tribute to director Jack O'Brien.

Later, Stoppard said: "I would be more than happy to have equalled the playwright of Death of a Salesman and a contemporary of mine Alan Bennett."

The award was Stoppard's fourth best-play Tony, having previously won for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (1968), Travesties (1976) and The Real Thing (1984).

"Jack has directed me three times of the four times I've been at the Lincoln Centre. I want to say 'You can't imagine what I owe him' but if you've seen the Coast of Utopia, you can imagine what I owe him. Thank you Jack, thanks a lot."

Producer Andre Bishop said: "We want to thank the great Tom Stoppard for writing a wonderful, wonderful play and the magnificent Jack O'Brien for directing it so beautifully."

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