NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) – The 75th Annual Tony Awards celebrated the best in theater and Broadway’s full-time return to the Great White Way Sunday night (June 12) at Radio City Music Hall.
COVID-19 wasn’t at the forefront of this year’s awards; in fact, it was barely mentioned even as this was Broadway’s first entire season since 2020. The awards were warm, spotlighted the shows and talent (where it belongs), and host Ariana DeBose was funny, honest, and welcoming, plus she sat on Andrew Garfield‘s lap.
She kept it light when talking about racial disparities within Broadway, “I feel the Great White Way is becoming more of a nickname, as opposed to a how-to guide,” she said. DeBose also noted that two Broadway theaters are renamed for Black pioneers – James Earl Jones and Lena Horne. She also touched on the efforts of those who often don’t see the spotlight – understudies, swings, and standby actors. Can she host everything?
Beloved late composer Stephen Sondheim‘s (gender-swapped) Company took home five Tony awards, including Best Musical Revival. The Lehman Trilogy captured Best New Play.
Company takes on a single person’s inner turmoil regarding commitment; the first iteration featured a 35-year-old bachelor. The revival flips it with the spotlight being on a bachelorette and the sexes of previous couples swapped around. Marianne Elliott was the first of the night to make Tony Awards history as the first woman to win three Tony’s for directing, the latest for Company. In her speech, she thanked Sondheim for allowing a woman to be put “front and center.”
The Lehman Trilogy follows western capitalism and other political subjects by following one family into the financial crash of 2008. Sam Mendes won for Best Direction of a Play. Take Me Out for Best Play Revival, and Modern Family star Jesse Tyler Ferguson won for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his work in it.
Michael R. Jackson‘s A Strange Loop, a sexually open play about being black and queer, took home the Best New Musical crown – as voters went with a lesser-known, controversial black voice. Jackson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama is about a Black gay man writing a show about a Black gay man.
A Strange Loop beat MJ, a biographical musical of the King of Pop’s biggest hits, for the top prize, although the other Jackson musical took home four Tony Awards, including for Best Choreography.
22-year-old Maryland native Myles Frost left the night with the award for Best Lead Actor in a Musical for playing Michael Jackson, becoming the youngest solo winner in that category. “Mom, I made it!” he said as Jackson’s children, Paris and Prince Jackson, looked on from the audience.
The always elegant and poised Phylicia Rashad won for Best Featured Actress in a Play for Skeleton Crew, Dominique Morisseau‘s play about blue-collar job insecurity set in a Detroit auto stamping plant. “It’s wonderful to present humanity in all it’s fullness,” she said.
Jennifer Hudson achieved EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) status, as she is listed as one of a number of co-producers of A Strange Loop. She’s the 17th performer to achieve EGOT status, and only the second Black woman.
The telecast had performances from this year’s Tony Award-nominated musicals, including A Strange Loop, Company, Girl from the North Country, MJ, Mr. Saturday Night, Music Man, Paradise Square and Six.
Sondheim was honored by Bernadette Peters singing his song “Children Will Listen.” Angela Lansbury was honored with a lifetime achievement Tony.
Best Play
“Clyde’s,” Lynn Nottage
“Hangmen,” Martin McDonagh
“The Lehman Trilogy,” Stefano Massini and Ben Power *WINNER
“The Minutes,” Tracy Letts
“Skeleton Crew,” Dominique Morrisseau
Best Musical
“Girl From the North Country”
“MJ”
“Mr. Saturday Night”
“Paradise Square”
“SIX: The Musical”
“A Strange Loop” *WINNER
Best Revival of a Play
“American Buffalo”
“for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf”
“How I Learned to Drive”
“Take Me Out” *WINNER
“Trouble in Mind”
Best Revival of a Musical
“Caroline, or Change”
“Company” *WINNER
“The Music Man”
Best Book of a Musical
“Girl From The North Country,” Conor McPherson
“MJ,” Lynn Nottage
“Mr. Saturday Night,” Billy Crystal, Lowell Ganz & Babaloo Mandel
“Paradise Square,” Christina Anderson, Craig Lucas & Larry Kirwan
“A Strange Loop,” Michael R. Jackson *WINNER
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
“Flying Over Sunset,” Music: Tom Kitt, Lyrics: Michael Korie
“Mr. Saturday Night,” Music: Jason Robert Brown, Lyrics: Amanda Green
“Paradise Square,” Music: Jason Howland, Lyrics: Nathan Tysen & Masi Asare
“SIX: The Musical,” Music and Lyrics: Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss *WINNER
“A Strange Loop,” Music and Lyrics: Michael R. Jackson
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Simon Russell Beale, “The Lehman Trilogy” *WINNER
Adam Godley, “The Lehman Trilogy”
Adrian Lester, “The Lehman Trilogy”
David Morse, “How I Learned to Drive”
Sam Rockwell, “American Buffalo”
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, “Lackawanna Blues”
David Threlfall, “Hangmen”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Gabby Beans, “The Skin of Our Teeth”
LaChanze, “Trouble in Mind”
Ruth Negga, “Macbeth”
Deirdre O’Connell, “Dana H.” *WINNER
Mary-Louise Parker, “How I Learned to Drive”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Billy Crystal, “Mr. Saturday Night”
Myles Frost, “MJ” *WINNER
Hugh Jackman, “The Music Man”
Rob McClure, “Mrs. Doubtfire”
Jaquel Spivey, “A Strange Loop”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Sharon D Clarke, “Caroline, or Change”
Carmen Cusack, “Flying Over Sunset”
Sutton Foster, “The Music Man”
Joaquina Kalukango, “Paradise Square” *WINNER
Mare Winningham, “Girl From The North Country”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Alfie Allen, “Hangmen”
Chuck Cooper, “Trouble in Mind”
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, “Take Me Out” *WINNER
Ron Cephas Jones, “Clyde’s”
Michael Oberholtzer, “Take Me Out”
Jesse Williams, “Take Me Out”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Uzo Aduba, “Clyde’s”
Rachel Dratch, “POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive”
Kenita R. Miller, “for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf”
Phylicia Rashad, “Skeleton Crew” *WINNER
Julie White, “POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive”
Kara Young, “Clyde’s”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Matt Doyle, “Company” *WINNER
Sidney DuPont, “Paradise Square”
Jared Grimes, “Funny Girl”
John-Andrew Morrison, “A Strange Loop”
A.J. Shively, “Paradise Square”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Jeannette Bayardelle, “Girl From The North Country”
Shoshana Bean, “Mr. Saturday Night”
Jayne Houdyshell, “The Music Man”
L Morgan Lee, “A Strange Loop”
Patti LuPone, “Company” *WINNER
Jennifer Simard, “Company”
Best Scenic Design of a Play
Beowulf Boritt, “POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive”
Michael Carnahan and Nicholas Hussong, “Skeleton Crew”
Es Devlin, “The Lehman Trilogy” *WINNER
Anna Fleischle, “Hangmen”
Scott Pask, “American Buffalo”
Adam Rigg, “The Skin of Our Teeth”
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Beowulf Boritt and 59 Productions, “Flying Over Sunset”
Bunny Christie, “Company” *WINNER
Arnulfo Maldonado, “A Strange Loop”
Derek McLane and Peter Nigrini, “MJ”
Allen Moyer, “Paradise Square”
Best Costume Design of a Play
Montana Levi Blanco, “The Skin of Our Teeth” *WINNER
Sarafina Bush, “for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf”
Emilio Sosa, “Trouble in Mind”
Jane Greenwood, “Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite”
Jennifer Moeller, “Clyde’s”
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Fly Davis, “Caroline, or Change”
Toni-Leslie James, “Paradise Square”
William Ivey Long, “Diana, The Musical”
Santo Loquasto, “The Music Man”
Gabriella Slade, “SIX: The Musical” *WINNER
Paul Tazewell, “MJ”
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Joshua Carr, “Hangmen”
Jiyoun Chang, “for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf”
Jon Clark, “The Lehman Trilogy” *WINNER
Jane Cox, “Macbeth”
Yi Zhao, “The Skin of Our Teeth”
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Neil Austin, “Company”
Tim Deiling, “SIX: The Musical”l
Donald Holder, “Paradise Square”
Natasha Katz, “MJ” *WINNER
Bradley King, “Flying Over Sunset”
Jen Schriever, “A Strange Loop”
Best Sound Design of a Play
Justin Ellington, “for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf”
Mikhail Fiksel, “Dana H.” *WINNER
Palmer Hefferan, “The Skin of Our Teeth”
Nick Powell and Dominic Bilkey, “The Lehman Trilogy”
Mikaal Sulaiman, “Macbeth”
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Simon Baker, “Girl From The North Country”
Paul Gatehouse, “SIX: The Musical”
Ian Dickinson for Autograph, “Company”
Drew Levy, “A Strange Loop”
Gareth Owen, “MJ” *WINNER
Best Direction of a Play
Lileana Blain-Cruz, “The Skin of Our Teeth”
Camille A. Brown, “for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf”
Sam Mendes, “The Lehman Trilogy” *WINNER
Neil Pepe, “American Buffalo”
Les Waters, “Dana H.”
Best Direction of a Musical
Stephen Brackett, “A Strange Loop”
Marianne Elliott, “Company” *WINNER
Conor McPherson, “Girl From The North Country”
Lucy Moss & Jamie Armitage, “SIX: The Musical”
Christopher Wheeldon, “MJ”
Best Choreography
Camille A. Brown, “for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf”
Warren Carlyle, “The Music Man”
Carrie-Anne Ingrouille, “SIX: The Musical”
Bill T. Jones, “Paradise Square”
Christopher Wheeldon, “MJ” *WINNER
Best Orchestrations
David Cullen, “Company”
Tom Curran, “SIX: The Musical”
Simon Hale, “Girl From The North Country” *WINNER
Jason Michael Webb and David Holcenberg, “MJ”
Charlie Rosen, “A Strange Loop”
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