The early acting winners were Take Me Out Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Company Pati Lupone, who won for their supporting roles. Phylicia Rashad won Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Skeleton Crew Project. Take Me Out won the best play revival. The four-hour celebration of Broadway’s best from the 2021-2022 season began with Darren Criss and Julianne Hough hosting the Tony Awards: Act One at Paramount +, with awards presented to members of the creative and design team. Criss and Hough opened that hour-long show by singing and dancing on stage at Radio City Music Hall with a song written by Criss. In Act One, Len Cariou presented this year’s special Lifetime Achievement Award in the theater to five-time Tony winner Angela Lansbury. While Lansbury was not present, the New York City gay choir made a special tribute to her. After the first hour, Michael Jackson’s musical MJ, which entered the night as the second most nominated production with 10 nominations, had won three awards. Meanwhile, the eight-time nominees The Lehman Trilogy and SIX: The Musical have won two awards. Ariana DeBose kicked off the main Tony Awards ceremony at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT with a high energy musical number that has celebrated its last 75 years on Broadway. Singing “this is the round of applause” to those who worked on these productions, DeBose highlighted a number of well-known musicals, including Cabaret, The Wiz, Aladdin, Pippin, Chicago, Sound of Music, Rent, Hamilton, A Chorus Line, Company and West Side Story, dancing even in a small portion of “America”, which she played in her Oscar-winning role in the West Side Story film adaptation. DeBose wore a white bodysuit as she sang and danced throughout the scene, opening her show with a silver MJ-inspired vest and white hat and ending it with a white tuxedo. He then delivered a monologue celebrating the “steps towards integration” that took place on Broadway. “I’m so proud that theater is more reflected in the community that loves it and in that way has gained new performers, new creatives, new fans,” DeBose said. “He has shown us stories that have expanded our world and opened our hearts and minds. And while we have not solved all our problems, I feel that the phrase “Great White Way” becomes more of a nickname than a guide on how to do it. DeBose also highlighted the different candidates for the year, including Lynn Nottage, L. Morgan Lee and Toby Marlow. Returning to the stage a few minutes later, DeBose also highlighted the role of swings, understudies and other stand-by performers who “have played a vital role in keeping Broadway performances open in recent months”. “I could go on and on because a show is presented by a lot of people and not just by people you know and love,” he said. “I’m very passionate about it because I was a student.” Swings and deficiencies played a crucial role last season amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, coming to the fore when the stars fell ill. And, with this year’s ceremony serving as the first large-scale Tony Awards after the pandemic (a smaller awards show was held last fall in honor of the pandemic-abbreviated 2019-2020 season as the halls just reopened after dark for longer from one year), some winners and presenters took time to reflect on the uncertain last two years. The director of the company Marianne Elliott, who won the best musical direction, dedicated her award to people who are fighting for the survival of the live theater, which, as she said, seemed to be in danger. The ceremony also honored the late Stephen Sondheim, in part with the play “Children Will Listen” by Bernadette Peters. And Eliot was just one of the winners of the Gender Awareness Company that chose him. Elliott thanked Sondheim “for trusting me to tell his story in a different way and to put a woman in front and in the center”. Meanwhile, veteran Hollywood director Sam Mendes won Best Director for his play in the Lehman Trilogy. The Pulitzer Prize-winning musical A Strange Loop leads this year’s nominees with 11 nods. Other top candidates are Paradise Square (10 noms each). Company (nine names); for girls of color who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf and the girl from the north country (seven coins each) The Music Man and The Skin of Our Teeth (six coins each). and Clyde’s, Hangmen and Mr. Saturday Night (five coins each). The 75th Annual Tony Awards will feature performances by nominees for the musical A Strange Loop, Company, Girl From the North Country, MJ, Mr. Saturday Night, The Music Man, Paradise Square and SIX. In addition, there will be a reunion performance by the original cast members of the 2007 Tony Award-winning musical Spring Awakening. Both Bernadette Peters and Billy Porter will appear. The following is a complete list of this year’s entries, which will be updated as the winners are announced live. Best game of ClydeAuthor: Lynn Nottage Producers: Second Stage Theater, Carole Rothman, Khady Kamara ExecutionersAuthor: Martin McDonagh Producers: Robert Fox, Jean Doumanian, Elizabeth I. McCann, Craig Balsam, Atlantic Theater Company, Jon B. Platt, Len Blavatnik, Richard Fishman, John Gore Organization, Stephanie P. McClelland, David Mirvish, The Shubert Organization , Jamie deRoy / Sandy Robertson, Patrick Myles / Alexander ‘Sandy’ Marshall, M. Kilburg Reedy / Excelsior Entertainment, Playful Productions, The Royal Court Theater The Lehman trilogyAuthor: Stefano Massini, Ben Power Producers: National Theater, Neal Street Productions, Barry Diller, David Geffen, Kash Bennett, Lisa Burger, Caro Newling, Ambassador Theater Group, Stephanie P. McClelland, Annapurna Theater, Delman Whitney, Craig Balsam / Heni / John Yonover, Fiery Angel / Seth A. Goldstein, Starry Night Entertainment, Gavin Kalin Productions, Paul & Selina Burdell / Bill Damaschke, 42nd.club/Phil & Claire Kenny, CatWenJam Productions, Amanda Dubois, Glass Half Full Productions, Dede Harris / Linda B. Rubin, Kallish Weinstein Creative, Kors Le Pere Theatricals LLC, James L. Nederlander, No Guarantees, Mark Pigott KBE, KStJ, Playing Field, Catherine Schreiber / Adam Zell, Tulchin Bartner Productions, Richard Winkler / Alan Shorr / Dawn Smalberg, The Shubert Organization, Independent Presenters Network, John Gore Organization, Sue Wagner, John Johnson, Jillian Robbins The minutesAuthor: Tracy Letts Producers: Jeffrey Richards, Rebecca Gold, Carl Moellenberg, Spencer Ross, Louise Gund, Elizabeth Armstrong, Blakeman Entertainment, HornosBerger, Across the River Productions, Stewart F. Lane / Bonnie Comley / Leah Lane, Johayne Baronle Dobbs, Robert Flicker, Jacob Soroken Porter, The Shubert Organization, Steppenwolf Theater Company Skeleton CrewAuthor: Dominique Morisseau Producers: Manhattan Theater Club, Lynne Meadow, Barry Grove Best Musical Girl from the North CountryProducers: Tristan Baker & Charlie Parsons for Runaway Entertainment, Steven Lappin, Sony Music Entertainment / Sony ATV, David Mirvish, Len Blavatnik, The Dodgers, Eric & Marsi Gardiner, Dianne Roberts, John Gore Organization, Nederlander Presentations, Inc., Tommy Mottola , Independent Presenters Network, Rod Kaats, Diana DiMenna, Mary Beth O’Connor, Barbara H. Freitag, Patrick Catullo, Aaron Lustbader, The Old Vic, Matthew Warchus, Kate Varah, Georgia Gatti, The Public Theater, Oskar Eustis, Patrick Willingham , Mandy Hackett MJProducers: Lia Vollack, John Branca, John McClain, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment, Roy Furman, Cue to Cue Productions, James L. Nederlander, Kumiko Yoshii, Naoya Kinoshita, Latitude Link, Candy Spelling, Stephen C. Byrd, John Gore Organization, Sandy Robertson, Ed Walson, Peter W. May, CJ ENM, Martin Bandier, Michael Cassel Group, Albert Nocciolino, Playful Productions, Ken Schur, Willette & Manny Klausner, Doug Morris, Michael David, Estate of Michael Jackson Mr. Saturday nightProducers: James L. Nederlander, Face Productions, Inc., Hunter Arnold, Michael Cohl, TEG Dainty, Candy Spelling, Steve Traxler, Marc David Levine, Caiola Productions, Crossroads Live, Jamie deRoy, Roy Furman, Arny Granat, Grove Entertainment, John Gore Organization, Wolf Gutterman, Van Kaplan, Larry Magid, Peter May, Carl Moellenberg, Beth W. Newburger, Albert Nocciolino, Eva Price, Iris Smith, The Shubert Organization, Howard Tenenbaum, Barry and Fran Weissler Paradise SquareProducers: Garth H. Drabinsky, Peter LeDonne, Jeffrey A. Sine, Matthew C. Blank, Joe Crowley, RSR Finance LLC, Hunter & Mariana Milborne, Len Blavatnik, Joseph Coffey, Sherry Wright & Craig Haffner, Bernard Abrams, James Scrivanich Rick Chad, Arthur M. Kraus, Broadway & Beyond Theatricals, Brian Luborsky, Gilbert & Elisa Palter, The Shubert Organization, Terry Schnuck, Urban One, Inc., Robert Wolf, Richard Stursberg, Mark W. Everson, Sanjay Govil, Jeremiah J Harris , Amabel James, Sheila C. Johnson, Dennis Mehiel, Louise H. & John G. Beard, Henry R. Muñoz, III & Kyle Ferari Muñoz, Walter Swett, Zachary Florence, Berkeley Repertory Theater SIXTH: The MusicalProducers: Kenny Wax, Wendy & Andy Barnes, George Stiles, Kevin McCollum, Chicago Shakespeare Theater A strange nooseProducers: Barbara Whitman, Pasek, Paul & Stafford, Hunter Arnold, Marcia Goldberg, Alex Levy & James Achilles, Osh Ashruf, A Choir Full Productions, Don Cheadle & Bridgid Coulter Cheadle, Paul Oakley Stovall, Jimmy Wilson, Annapurna Theater, Robyn Colles , Creative Partners Productions, Robyn Gottesdiener, Kayla Greenspan, Grove Entertainment, Kuhn, Lewis & Scott, Frank Marshall, Maximum Effort Productions Inc., Joey Monda, Richard Mumby, Phenomenal Media & Meena Harris, Marc Platt & Debra Martin Chase, Laurie Tisch , Yonge Street Theatricals, Dodge Hall Productions / JJ Malley, Cody Renard Richard, …
