Last night was Broadway’s biggest night… The 73rd Annual Tony Awards! Wow, the night was incredible, and the wins are all well deserved. James Corden killed it as host this year. He kicked off the show with an epic opening number in which he made fun of streaming services. Like always, James did not disappoint!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeOy1WKeTRY
At one point, he showed his father taking a phone call in the audience and describing his whereabouts as “some theater thing James is doing.” Later on, he joined last year’s hosts, Josh Groban, and Sara Bareilles, for a spoof version of “Michael in the Bathroom” — a favorite song from the cult Broadway musical “Be More Chill” — the trio joking in a Radio City restroom about their insecurity over the broadcast’s ratings. Former host Neil Patrick Harris was also found in the bathroom which brought many laughs to the audience.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pk9_e4a2EQM
History in the Making
Many highlights made Tony Award history.
It was a big night for “Hadestown,” starring Reeve Carney, Amber Gray, and André De Shields, who leads the way with 14 nominations and scored eight wins. Rachel Chavkin won the Tony for best director of a musical for “Hadestown” as the only female nominated in that category this year and Elaine May won her first-ever Tony Award for best leading actress for her role in “The Waverly Gallery.”
The night also belonged to “Ferryman,” for best play which considers Ireland’s Troubles as refracted through a boisterous household that includes adults and children, plus a baby, a goose and a rabbit. Sam Mendes won as the play’s director, and Rob Howell won two prizes, for its costume and scenic design.
History was made by Ali Stroker as the first actor in a wheelchair ever to win a Tony Award. She took home the award for featured actress in a musical for her role in “Oklahoma!”
At age two, Ali Stroker lost the use of her legs in a car accident; now she is featured as Ado Annie, the lusty young woman who “cain’t say no” in a revival of “Oklahoma!”
Her speech was one of the highlights of the night. She said, “This award is for every kid who is watching tonight who has a disability, who has a limitation or a challenge, who has been waiting to see themselves represented in this arena. You are.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BygwmqaAj5G/
Santino Fontana won Best Performance by an actor in a leading role in a musical for “Tootsie” and Stephanie J. Block won her first Tony award for Best Performance by an actress in a leading role in a musical for “The Cher Show.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BygLXK3hv3y/
The Winners
Best play
“Choir Boy” by Tarell Alvin McCraney
“The Ferryman” by Jez Butterworth *WINNER
“Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus” by Taylor Mac
“Ink” by James Graham
“What the Constitution Means to Me” by Heidi Schreck
https://www.instagram.com/p/Byg1MABBEYa/
Best revival of a musical
“Kiss Me, Kate”
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma!” *WINNER
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bygy_WBhgjX/
Best musical
“Ain’t Too Proud to Beg”
“Beetlejuice”
“Hadestown” *WINNER
“The Prom”
“Tootsie”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Byg3zYxBIk9/
Best revival of a play
Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons”
“The Boys in the Band” by Mart Crowley *WINNER
“Burn This” by Lanford Wilson
“Torch Song” by Harvey Fierstein
“The Waverly Gallery” by Kenneth Lonergan
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bygs3TBBG17/
Best performance by an actor in a leading role in a musical
Brooks Ashmanskas, “The Prom”
Derrick Baskin, “Ain’t Too Proud”
Alex Brightman, “Beetlejuice”
Damon Daunno, “Oklahoma!”
Santino Fontana, “Tootsie” *WINNER
https://www.instagram.com/p/Byg2m3wBM2Z/
Best performance by an actress in a leading role in a musical
Stephanie J. Block, “The Cher Show” *WINNER
Caitlin Kinnunen, “The Prom”
Beth Leavel, “The Prom”
Eva Noblezada, “Hadestown”
Kelli O’Hara, “Kiss Me, Kate”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Byg3FQpBjgj/
Best performance by an actor in a leading role in a play
Paddy Considine, “The Ferryman”
Bryan Cranston, “Network” *WINNER
Jeff Daniels, “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Adam Driver, “Burn This”
Jeremy Pope, “Choir Boy”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Byg0tZbhrBY/
Best performance by an actress in a leading role in a play
Annette Bening, “All My Sons”
Laura Donnelly, “The Ferryman”
Elaine May, “The Waverly Gallery” *WINNER
Janet McTeer, “Bernhardt/Hamlet”
Laurie Metcalf, “Hillary and Clinton”
Heidi Schreck, “What the Constitution Means to Me”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bygl5gLhIVG/
Best book of a musical
“Ain’t Too Proud,” Dominique Morisseau
“Beetlejuice,” Scott Brown and Anthony King
“Hadestown,” Anaïs Mitchell
“The Prom,” Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin
“Tootsie,” Robert Horn *WINNER
https://www.instagram.com/p/BygkPjHhXAg/
Best original score (music and/or lyrics) written for the theater
“Be More Chill,” Joe Iconis
“Beetlejuice,” Eddie Perfect
“Hadestown,” Anaïs Mitchell *WINNER
“The Prom,” Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin
“To Kill a Mockingbird,” Adam Guettel
“Tootsie,” David Yazbek
https://www.instagram.com/p/BygxPI0Bsl4/
Best direction of a musical
Rachel Chavkin, “Hadestown” *WINNER
Scott Ellis, “Tootsie”
Daniel Fish, “Oklahoma!”
Des McAnuff, “Ain’t Too Proud”
Casey Nicholaw, “The Prom”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bygpa7RBHy4/
Best direction of a play
Rupert Goold, “Ink”
Sam Mendes, “The Ferryman” *WINNER
Bartlett Sher, “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Ivo van Hove, “Network”
George C. Wolfe, “Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BygvHzih0vl/
Best performance by an actor in a featured role in a musical
André De Shields, “Hadestown” *WINNER
Andy Grotelueschen, “Tootsie”
Patrick Page, “Hadestown”
Jeremy Pope, “Ain’t Too Proud”
Ephraim Sykes, “Ain’t Too Proud”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BygnvsoB-Y6/
Best performance by an actress in a featured role in a musical
Lilli Cooper, “Tootsie”
Amber Gray, “Hadestown”
Sarah Stiles, “Tootsie”
Ali Stroker, “Oklahoma!” *WINNER
Mary Testa, “Oklahoma!”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BygrTI-h7gh/
Best performance by an actor in a featured role in a play
Bertie Carvel, “Ink” *WINNER
Robin De Jesús, “The Boys in the Band”
Gideon Glick, “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Brandon Uranowitz, “Burn This”
Benjamin Walker, “All My Sons”
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByglmiNB_l4/
Best performance by an actress in a featured role in a play
Fionnula Flanagan, “The Ferryman”
Celia Keenan-Bolger, “To Kill a Mockingbird” *WINNER
Kristine Nielsen, “Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus”
Julie White, “Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus”
Ruth Wilson, “King Lear”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BygkY_-hIkA/
Best choreography
Camille A. Brown, “Choir Boy”
Warren Carlyle, “Kiss Me, Kate”
Denis Jones, “Tootsie”
David Neumann, “Hadestown”
Sergio Trujillo, “Ain’t Too Proud” *WINNER
https://www.instagram.com/p/BygkHkshhwk/
Best orchestrations
Michael Chorney and Todd Sickafoose, “Hadestown” *WINNER
Larry Hochman, “Kiss Me, Kate”
Daniel Kluger, “Oklahoma!”
Simon Hale, “Tootsie”
Harold Wheeler, “Ain’t Too Proud”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bygji53Bdtv/
Best scenic design of a musical
Robert Brill and Peter Nigrini, ‘Ain’t Too Proud”
Peter England, “King Kong”
Rachel Hauck, “Hadestown” *WINNER
Laura Jellinek, “Oklahoma!”
David Korins, “Beetlejuice”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BygiWGAB-VW/
Best scenic design of a play
Miriam Buether, “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Bunny Christie, “Ink”
Rob Howell, “The Ferryman” *WINNER
Santo Loquasto, “Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus”
Jan Versweyveld, “Network”
Best costume design of a musical
Michael Krass, “Hadestown”
William Ivey Long, “Beetlejuice”
William Ivey Long, “Tootsie”
Bob Mackie, “The Cher Show” *WINNER
Paul Tazewell, “Ain’t Too Proud”
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByghtdjB2WU/
Best costume design of a play
Rob Howell, “The Ferryman” *WINNER
Toni-Leslie James, “Bernhardt/Hamlet”
Clint Ramos, “Torch Song”
Ann Roth, “Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus”
Ann Roth, “To Kill a Mockingbird”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Byge1a6B_5k/
Best sound design of a musical
Peter Hylenski, “Beetlejuice”
Peter Hylenski, “King Kong”
Steve Canyon Kennedy, “Ain’t Too Proud”
Drew Levy, “Oklahoma!”
Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz, “Hadestown” *WINNER
https://www.instagram.com/p/BygitqxhOEg/
Best sound design of a play
Adam Cork, “Ink”
Scott Lehrer, “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Fitz Patton, “Choir Boy” *WINNER
Nick Powell, “The Ferryman”
Eric Sleichim, “Network”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BygfyoIBNoq/
Best lighting design of a musical
Kevin Adams, “The Cher Show”
Howell Binkley, “Ain’t Too Proud”
Bradley King, “Hadestown” *WINNER
Peter Mumford, “King Kong”
Kenneth Posner and Peter Nigrini, “Beetlejuice”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BygjM9xBfWD/
Best lighting design of a play
Neil Austin, “Ink” *WINNER
Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer, “Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus”
Peter Mumford, “The Ferryman”
Jennifer Tipton, “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Jan Versweyveld and Tal Yarden, “Network”
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByggP2gBO66/
Congratulations to all the winners on their well deserved Tony. Don’t forget to buy your tickets to all of Broadway’s Tony Nominated shows before the ticket price gets more costly!