It was a great night for British talent in New York, with the Broadway adaptation of the Lehman Trilogy winning Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor in a Play. “This play was written as an anthem in New York City, but like the Lehman brothers themselves, our play began thousands of miles away,” said playwright Ben Power, who adapted the play from the Italian novelist and playwright. author Stefano Massini. His version made its debut at the National Theater in London in 2018. The play’s director, Sam Mendes, received the second Tony Award, using his speech to herald “a season of such uncontrollable creativity and diversity” and thanking his colleagues for “keeping this show alive in some very dark days”. . Simon Russell Bill was also named best actor in a play, saying he felt like a “little sheep” who won over his two would-be co-stars, Adrian Leicester and Adam Godley. The Lehman Trilogy also won for stage design and theatrical lighting. The Broadway transfer of Company, which started in the West End of London, was named the best musical revival. Patti LuPone, who won the Olivier Award for the role, surpassed L Morgan Lee of A Strange Loop, who was the first openly trans actress to be nominated for Tony for Best Actress in a Musical. LuPone thanked “all the people for Covid’s safety” and, in a reference to a viral video of an anti-mask attendee screaming that she was paying her salary, thanked producer Chris Harper for “paying my salary”. Matt Doyle was also named Best Actor in a Musical for Company, which also won Best Stage Design and Musical Direction. The creator of the musical, Stephen Sondheim, who died last year, appeared in the In Memoriam section of the ceremony. A Strange Loop playwright Michael R Jackson. Photo: Angela Weiss / AFP / Getty Images The Pulitzer Prize-winning musical A Strange Loop emerged as the best musical, leading the night with 11 nominations. Its author, Michael R Jackson, also won the best book. “I’m so speechless, I should have written a speech,” he joked before stressing the importance of not only representation but “doing the best job we can.” The show tells the story of a black queer man who writes for a musical about a black queer man. Michael Jackson MJ’s musical won Myles Frost for Best Musical Role as well as lighting, sound design and choreography. Joaqu .n Kalucango was also named the best protagonist in a Paradise Square musical. She thanked her parents who “sacrificed everything” and “all the anonymous parents who suffered”. West Side Story Oscar winner Ariana DeBose was the hostess and described the ceremony as “the first Tony Awards since Broadway returned to its groove”. A more diverse season than ever, with works by seven black playwrights, DeBose joked that “the great way of white becomes more of a nickname than a guide.” Award winner Tony Myles Frost and MJ cast appear on stage. Photo: CBS Photo Archive / CBS / Getty Images Phylicia Rashad, who was the first black actress to win Best Actress in a Supporting Role for A Raisin in the Sun in 2004, won the Best Actress Award for her role in Skeleton Crew. Richard Greenberg’s Take Me Out won the best play revival, while Modern Family star Jesse Tyler Ferguson was named Best Actor in a Leading Role, beating co-stars Jesse Williams and Michael O’Brien. Deirdre O’Connell was named best actress in a play for Dana H, a drama that saw the soundtrack of the mime by playwright Lucas Hnath describe in detail a terrifying true abduction story. The show also won for sound design in a play. The British musical Six, in which Henry VIII’s spouses give a pop concert, won the best original music (music and lyrics) for Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, who first created it when they were students at Cambridge University. Six costume designer Gabriella Slade also won in her category. Tony winner Joaquina Kalukango (R) hugs presenter Danielle Brooks (L) as she receives the award for her role in Paradise Square. Photo: Brendan McDermid / Reuters Angela Lansbury was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award for her long and historic career on stage. The 96-year-old had previously won five Tony Awards, for shows such as Gypsy, Sweeney Todd and Blithe Spirit. He could not attend, but the musical tribute was performed by the New York City gay choir. Last year ‘s Tony Awards were influenced by the truncated season, with only a select few shows. This year, 34 productions could be proposed and 29 of them managed to score at least one nod. The pandemic continues to affect Broadway tickets, with the 2021-2022 season hovering around $ 845 million (68 688 million), compared to the all-time high of $ 1.8 billion in 2018-2019. Attendees sitting in the orchestra this year were not required to wear masks, but the PCR test was mandatory. Those sitting farther away from the stage had to wear masks for the entire duration.
