75th Annual Tony Awards in Review

by Nathaniel R

© Theo Wargo/Getty for Tony Awards Production

Ariana DeBose, fresh off her Oscar win, hosted the Tony Awards with enough theater kid energy to make Anne Hathaway blush. No reviews  will be able to claim (in good faith) that she didn't work her ass off to entertain the audience. She was "on" in every moment, pulling faces, doing little dance moves, singing, and engaging with the celebrity audience. She mentioned the 75th Anniversary several times but in truth the show's Diamond anniversary wasn't any different than any other Tony show; they've always mixed a couple "special" reunion-style performances with showcases for the current musicals (the ones that are still open that is). Even the Sondheim tribute -- which we expected to be epic -- was just one number long: Bernadette Peters singing "Children Will Listen" from Into the Woods. 

Best Speech, Ticket-Boosters, A New "EGOT" winner, and more after the jump...

JOINING THE EGOT RANKS
Jennifer Hudson completed her EGOT last night winning a Tony as one of the producers of Best Musical winner A Strange Loop. Congrats JHud!

Other celebrities who helped produce that show can also add their first Tony to their awards shelf (or another Tony in a couple of cases) though they aren't EGOTs (yet): Alan Cumming, Billy Porter, Mindy Kaling, Ilana Glazer, and RuPaul. 

WHAT'S IT CALLED AGAIN?
Though the experimental play Dana H won two Tony Awards, Best Actress and Best Sound Design, presenters kept getting it wrong. In addition to it's correct title it was also called Donna H and Diana H during the evening. 

BEST "SPECIAL" PERFORMANCE 
In Act One (only on Paramount+) that would the New York Gay Men's Chorus singing "Mame" for Angela Lansbury's Lifetime Achievement Award.  (Sadly the legendary actress wasn't there -- she's 96 years old so we hope she's okay. She usually shows up to things!) During the main show that honor goes to the Spring Awakening reunion performance, which reminded audiences how many stars that show made, proving the springboard for the careers of Jonathan Groff, Lea Michele, John Gallagher Jr, Skylar Astin, and Gideon Glick. Billy Porter's also did a gorgeous  rendition of "On The Street Where You Live" for the In Memoriam.

PERFORMANCE MOST LIKELY TO SHRED VOCAL CHORDS IF SHE'S DOING THAT 8 SHOWS A WEEK
Joaquina Kalukango, who later won Best Actress for Paradise Square, held a note so loudly and so long (with a flourish at the end somehow despite no break for a breath) that we worried for her! The show has been struggling -- of the musicals open on Broadway it had the third lowest attendance last week -- but that powerhouse performance surely sold some tickets. 

PERFORMER WHO OBVIOUSLY HAD THE MOST ROOTING INTEREST FROM THE CROWD
That's Joaquina Kalukango again. The applause was loud and Cynthia Erivo was visibly thrilled by her performance from her seat near the front. Presenter Danielle Brooks was also clearly elated when she won (they had worked together on the TV movie Mahalia). Kalukango isn't well known to the public yet having only made a handful of appearances onscreen (tiny part in One Night in Miami and four episodes of Lovecraft Country among them) but this was her second consecutive Tony run after leading Slave Play in that long ago pre COVID Tony season.

© Robert Deutsch, USA Today

PERFORMANCE MOST LIKELY TO SELL TICKETS
The Tony Awards, unlike the Oscars which weirdly pretend they're not selling anything, have always doubled as a shameless commercial for visiting NYC and taking in a show (or three). But it's unlikely that many of the shows last night got a big boost beyond maybe Company, which is still running and won five statues. There were a lot of solid performances but very few oh-my-god-i-must-see-that revelations.

We'll find out soon enough which shows got an actual boost in ticket sales -- most of the winners will get a small boost at least but there are always closings announced after the Tony Awards. If I had to place bets, I'd guess that Billy Crystal's surprisingly fun audience-participation silliness built around scat singing '... but in Yiddish' to promote Mr Saturday Night will give that show a boost despite no wins for the show. 

MOST LOVE WITHOUT BEING NOMINATED!
Andrew Garfield got a lot of attention, hot off of his Oscar nomination for tick tick BOOM!. Ariana DeBose teased him in one of her numbers and in the year's funniest presenting bit, Nathan Lane had him in stitches while complimenting his tick tick BOOM performances. 

MOST NAME-CHECKED
Producer Chris Harper was shouted out over and over again in acceptance speeches, in a recurring gag, thanks to Patti LuPone's viral rant earlier this theater season when an audience member dared to talk back to her in a Q & A after the show and said "I pay your salary". Patti's infamous response. "Bullshit. Chris Harper pays my salary."

BEST SPEECHES
Death to the listing of names as a full acceptance speech! It's the dull bane of every awards show, with too many winners not treating it like a necessary evil but like their whole goddamn raison d'etre. The best speeches always combine a few key thank yous (important but if you list too many its meaningless and becomes white noise) with some kind of inspiring message, authentic emotion, and/or good humor.

Best Speech: Dierdre O'Connell, the semi-surprise winner of Best Actress in a Play for her long-since closed experimental play Dana H.

I would love this little prize to be a token for every person who is wondering, 'Should I be trying to make something that could work on Broadway or that could win me a Tony Award? Or should I be making the weird art that is haunting me, that frightens me, that I don't know how to make, that I don't know if anyone in the whole world will understand?' Please let me standing here be a little sign to you from the universe to make the weird art."

Runners up: Michael R Jackson the "big, black and queer ass" force behind A Strange Loop started like an amazing speech was coming but the orchestra threatening to cut him off (ARGH) threw him off and the speech while endearing was rushed and chaotic rather than impactful. Boo to orchestras trying to cut off actual speeches. Orchestras should only do that if someone is just listing names. If they're actually giving speeches, just let them talk!

Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Take Me Out) wrung a couple of laughs from the crowd and told a fun story about working at a Time Square gift shop when he was young, watching actors heading to their shows and hoping it would be him someday. 

COMPLETE LIST OF WINNERS

The Lehman Trilogy, an original play, and Company, the Sondheim revival, were the Tony favourites each winning 5 statues including in their top categories Best Play and Best Musical Revival. In a little twist, A Strange Loop and SIX split the "top" new musical categories (Best Musical and Best Score) but both only won one additional Tony with the Michael Jackson jukebox musical MJ and Company taking the bulk of the wins for musicals. 

* show is already closed

BEST MUSICAL

• Girl from the North Country (7 nominations, 1 win) - closes June 19th
• MJ (10 nominations, 4 wins)
• Mr Saturday Night (5 nominations, no wins)
• Paradise Square (10 nominations, 1 win)
• SIX (8 nominations, 2 wins)
• ★ A Strange Loop (11 nominations, 2 wins) 

BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL

• Caroline or Change* (3 nominations)
• ★ Company (9 nominations. 5 wins)
• The Music Man (6 nominations)

BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL

• Girl from the North Country, Conor McPherson
• MJ, Lynn Nottage
• Mr Saturday Night, Billy Crystal, Lowell Ganz, and Babaloo Mandel
• Paradise Square, Christina Anderson, Craig Lucas, and Larry Kirwan
• ★ A Strange Loop, Michael R Jackson

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE 

• Flying Over Sunset*, Tom Kitt & Michael Korie
• Mr Saturday Night, Jason Robert Browne & Amanda Green
• Paradise Square, Jason Howland, Nathan Tysen & Masi Asare
• ★ SIX, Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss
• A Strange Loop, Michael R Jackson

Toby Marlow became the first non-binary winner.

BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

• Sharon D Clark, Caroline or Change* (1st show. 1st nomination)
• Carmen Cusack, Flying Over Sunset* (2nd show. 2nd nomination)
• Sutton Foster, Music Man (12th show. 7th nomination. 2 previous wins)
• ★ Joaquina Kalukango, Paradise Square (5th show. 2nd nomination. 1st win)
• Mare Winningham, Girl From the North Country (3rd show. 2nd nomination)

BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL 

• Billy Crystal, Mr Saturday Night (2nd show. 1st nomination)
• ★ Myles Frost, MJ (1st show. 1st nomination. 1st win)
• Hugh Jackman, The Music Man (5th show. 2nd nomination. 1 previous win and 1 special award) 
• Rob McClure, Mrs Doubtfire* (8th show. 2nd nomination)
• Jaquel Spivey, A Strange Loop (1st show. 1st nomination)

Oscar voters aren't the only voters who love biographical performances. This is three Tonys in a row where one of the lead acting musical trophies has gone to someone mimicking a pop star: 73rd Tonys: Stephanie J Block Best Actress for playing Cher; 74th Tony Awards: Adrienne Warren Best Actress for playing Tina Turner; 75th Tony Awards: Myles Frost Best Actor for playing Michael Jackson. Who's next at the 76th Tony Awards? 

BEST FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

• Jeanette Bayardelle, Girl from the North Country  (3rd show. 1st nomination)
• Shoshana Bean, Mr Saturday Night (5th show. 1st nomination)
• Jayne Houdyshell, The Music Man  (12th show. 5th nomination. 1 previous win)
• L Morgan Lee, A Strange Loop  (1st show. 1st nomination)
• ★ Patti LuPone, Company (27th show. 8th nomination. 3rd win)
• Jennifer Simard, Company (7th show, 2nd nomination)

L Morgan Lee got a lot of attention as the first openly trans nominee, but nobody was ever going to beat living legend LuPone taking on one of the most iconic of all musical showstoppers "Ladies Who Lunch". 

BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

• ★ Matt Doyle, Company (5th show. 1st nomination)
• Sidney DuPont, Paradise Square (2nd show. 1st nomination)
• Jared Grimes, Funny Girl (4th show. 1st nomination)
• John-Andrew Morrison, A Strange Loop (1st show. 1st nomination)
• AJ Shively, Paradise Square  (3rd show. 1st nomination)

BEST DIRECTION, MUSICAL

• ★ Company, Marianne Elliott (5th show. 6th nomination. 4th win)
• Girl from the North Country, Conor McPherson (4th show. 5th nomination)
• MJ, Chrisopher Wheeldon (3rd show. 2nd nomination in this category)
• Six, Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage
• A Strange Loop, Steven Brackett

BEST SCENIC DESIGN, MUSICAL

• ★ Company
• Flying Over Sunset
• MJ
• Paradise Square 
• A Strange Loop

BEST COSTUME DESIGN, MUSICAL 

• Caroline or Change
• Diana the Musical
• MJ
• The Music Man
• Paradise Square
• ★ Six

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN, MUSICAL

• Company
• Flying Over Sunset
• ★ MJ
• Paradise Square
• Six
• A Strange Loop

BEST SOUND DESIGN, MUSICAL

• Company
• Girl from the North Country
• ★ MJ
• Six
• A Strange Loop

BEST ORCHESTRATIONS

• Company
• ★ Girl from North Country
• MJ
• Six
• A Strange Loop 

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY 

• for colored girls
• ★ MJ
• The Music Man
• Paradise Square
• Six

BEST PLAY

• Clyde's* (5 nominations, no wins)
• Hangmen (5 nominations, no wins) -- Closes June 18th
• ★ The Lehman Trilogy* (8 noms, 5 wins)
• The Minutes (1 nomination, no wins) -  Closes July 24th
• Skeleton Crew* (3 nominations, 1 win)

Despite closing way back in January The Lehman Trilogy practically swept, losing only one of its categories (Sound Design). In other words, those who saw it, were obsessed / remembered it vividly.

BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY

• American Buffalo  (4 nominations, no wins) -- Closes July 10th
• for colored girls...* (7 nominations, no wins)
• How I Learned to Drive* (3 nominations, no wins)
• ★ Take Me Out* (4 nominations, 2 wins)
• Trouble in Mind* (4 nominations, no wins)

BEST ACTRESS, PLAY

• Gabby Beans, The Skin of Our Teeth*  (1st show. 1st nomination)
• LaChanze, Trouble in Mind*  (10th show. 4th nomination. 1 previous win)
• Ruth Negga, Macbeth  (1st show1st nomination)
• ★ Deirdre O’Connell, Dana H.*  (3rd show. 1st nomination)
• Mary-Louise Parker, How I Learned to Drive*  (9th show. 5th nomination. 2 previous wins) 

BEST ACTOR, PLAY

• ★ Simon Russell Beale, The Lehman Trilogy*  (3rd show. 2nd nomination)
• Adam Godley, The Lehman Trilogy*  (3rd show. 2nd nomination)
• Adrian Lester, The Lehman Trilogy*  (1st show. 1st nomination)
• David Morse, How I Learned to Drive  (4th show. 2nd nomination)
• Sam Rockwell, American Buffalo (3rd show. 1st nomination)
• Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Lackawanna Blues*  (8th show. 3rd nomination. 1 previous win)
• David Threfall, Hangmen  (3rd show. 2nd nomination)

BEST FEATURED ACTRESS, PLAY

• Uzo Aduba, Clyde’s  (3rd show. 1st nomination)
• Rachel Dratch, POTUS  (2nd show. 1st nomination)
• Kenita R Miller, for colored girls...  (5th show. 1st nomination)
• ★ Phylicia Rashad, Skeleton Crew  (11th show. 3rd nomination. 2nd win)
• Julie White, POTUS (9th show. 4th nomination, 1 previous win)
• Kara Young, Clydes  (1st show. 1st nomination)

BEST FEATURED ACTOR, PLAY

• Alfie Allen, Hangmen (1st show. 1st nomination)
• Chuck Cooper, Trouble in Mind* (17th show. 2nd nomination. 1 previous win) 
• ★ Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Take Me Out (4th show. 1st nomination. 1st win)
• Ron Cephas Jones, Clyde's* (4th show. 1st nomination)
• Michael Oberholtzer, Take Me Out (2nd show. 1st nomination)
• Jesse Williams, Take Me Out (first show. 1st nomination)

BEST DIRECTION, PLAY 

• American Buffalo, Neil Pepe
• Dana H., Les Waters
• for colored girls, Camille A Brown
• ★ The Lehman Trilogy, Sam Mendes (20th show. 3rd nomination for directing. 2nd win for directing)
• Skin of Our Teeth, Lileana Blain-Cruz

BEST SCENIC DESIGN, PLAY

• American Buffalo
• Hangmen
• ★ The Lehman Trilogy
• POTUS
• Skeleton Crew
• The Skin of Our Teeth

BEST COSTUME DESIGN, PLAY 

• Clyde's
• for colored girls...
• Plaza Suite
• ★ The Skin of our Teeth
• Trouble in Mind

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN, PLAY

• for colored girls...
• Hangmen
• ★ The Lehman Trilogy
• Macbeth
• Skin of Our Teeth 

BEST SOUND DESIGN, PLAY

• for colored girls...
• ★ Dana H.
• The Lehman Trilogy
• Macbeth
• The Skin of Our Teeth

Comments

[Dan H]

"Orchestras should [play people off] if someone is just listing names. If they're actually giving speeches, just let them talk!"

Brilliant suggestion. This should be told to every nominee of every show: "you get your X number of seconds, but after that we play you off. If you just start naming names, we will play you off early. If you're giving a real speech, we will, at our discretion, give you more than the normal X number of seconds...." Anything beyond four names in a row, should be considered grounds for playing people off.

[Pam]

The Tonys are always my favorite award show because people seem super happy to be there. It's like a very large, happy, family reunion. My takeaways in no particular order:

Lots of great shout-outs for understudies, swings, and COVID safety folks.

Ariana Debose is a freaking star.

Joaquina Kalukango is an emerging, freaking star.

Billy Porter's rendition of On the Street Where You live was wonderful.

Bebe Neuwirth looked beautiful and she knows how to read a teleprompter.

Six has a very good score, so glad for Toby and Lucy, but the show itself is so...underwhelming.

Hugh and Sutton have been better in other things.

The Lehman Trilogy is very very good; all three actors should have shared the award. Hopefully, NTLive will add the pro-shot UK production to its streaming for-rent collection.

I'm even more devastated that my performances of A Strange Loop and Paradise Square were cancelled due to COVID given their wins last night.

[Edward L.]

Thanks so much for this, Nathaniel. Even though I don't live in New York (or even in the US), even though I don't know nearly as much about theatre as I (like to think I) do about movies, and even though this is primarily a movie site, I always really enjoy your theatre coverage. It makes me feel I'm there. And I love that you're as passionate about it as you are about actressexuality and the Oscars!

And totally agree about speeches with names in. Very few memorable speeches have lots of names reeled off!

[Peggy Sue]

Oh, wow, I saw Lehman Trilogy like 8 years ago in Barcelona. Clearly Brodaway is not up to speed with drama plays.

Very happy for Simon Russell Beale and Deirdre O'Connell. I remember searching her on IMDB after one single episode of The Affair - a show with great female performances. I hope she gets a prestige role now in a HBO show or something.

I don't understand the honorary award to Lansbury. Is like giving the Honorary Oscar to Meryl. Rosemary Harris, Jane Alexander or Estelle Parsons have never won.

[Tyler]

Congrats, Patti! You've now tied Glenn Close with three Tony wins! All of hers were in Lead, though.

[Peggy Sue]

6 years, sorry. I add two years to everything after the pandemic.

If it's not for acting it shouldn't be an EGOT-EGOT.

[brookesboy]

Loved the show. Ariana is a star. The performances on the whole were remarkable. Lots of great speeches. Everyone looked incredible. It was a true celebration of live performance being back in the mainstream after two years of paltry offerings. I really do need to get my ass to NYC to see The Music Man.

Chris Harper will be getting important calls this week!

[Finbar McBride]

@Peggy Sue

Rosemary Harris won the 1966 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for The Lion in Winter.

Jane Alexander won the 1969 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for The Great White Hope. She bested Diane Keaton in Play It Again, Sam.

You are correct that Estelle Parsons lost on each of her five Tony nominations.

[brookesboy]

Finbar--I am a huge Diane Keaton fan. And I never knew she had a Tony nomination! Thank you!

[Ryan T.]

Ariana did great. I see some people didn't like her energy, but I think it worked marvelously here. She's so charming and confident. She should host again next year TBH. Or maybe Andrew Garfield? That'd be fun.

Matt Doyle! His win made me the happiest. Been a fan for more than a decade or so. I also generally like the "spread the wealth" mentality but also glad that my two fave shows, A STRANGE LOOP and SIX did get the "top" musical awards so to speak even if they didn't get many more after that.

All in all, a good show. It's refreshing for an awards show to actually CELEBRATE the nominees and industry.

[G.Shaq]

ok so I loved the show.

My favourite award shows are those that 1) don't apologize for the art they are celebrating 2) where you learn something new about the art 3) and when you are somehow moved by at least one event, good or bad. We were served this year.

DeBose was so over the top, but God bless her. The opening number was mumbled (Neil Patrick Harris was more polished that way), but her hosting picked up momentum as the night wore. By the time she gave the Six actress props for stepping in 12 hours before the show, she had the audience in the palm of her hands.
The audience was thrilled to be there. The mood was joyous.
Patti Lupone - iconic. Who else can create a meme, reference it, use it, have others use it in your presence, and have us STILL wanting more?!
Sutton Foster - so you bring her out to NO solo? That's a blow to Gay Rights.
Matt Doyle - so adorbs. I used to casually watch his performances on Youtube at 54 below and think, this guys is gonna hit one day.
J.Hud - congrats! But...a deserved EGOT? #SorryNotSorry
MJ - no matter how brilliant I think his oeuvre is, the allegations will forever be a blocker to my consumption. Some things I can't set aside
Lea Michelle is working hard to restore her reputation. I don't know how I feel about it yet, but if it bring me more Groeffsauce, so be it.
Andrew Garfield - the reciprocal love is infectious.
Joaquina Kalukango - the earth stopped. That performance compounded the win ten-fold. I don't know if the show directors did it intentionally but THAT'S how you produce a show.

[Score and Cinematography]

Omg I love the Tonys. So joyous and inclusive and diverse and celebratory - full of performances and great speeches.

[Owl]

Wow that song by Joaquina Kalukango was epic. I saw her onstage as Nettie in "The Color Purple" with Cynthia Erivo, Danielle Brooks and the Shug Avery of Jennifer Holiday. My wife and I were trying to get tickets when Heather Headley was playing Shug, but Jennifer Holiday who later took over was also a delightful presence but maybe a little scary). That production was truly wonderful but I don't remember Joaquina much from that show. But now I don't think I can ever forget her with that song. That dramatic commitment, just wow.

Glad for the wins of "Girl from the North Country" which I saw at the Public Theater first a few years back and the love for "The Lehman Trilogy"!

[Peggy Sue]

@Finbar

Yes, that was poorly written. And I missed Dana Ivey!

[Mike Johnson]

The Anne Hathaway comparison is perfection when it comes to Ariana. When they relax into their star power, they are terrific. But they both have moments when they become too cloying and disingenuous that a good director can edit, but a live awards show can't. Still, when she relaxed, Ariana was electric.

"Company" is one of my favorite musicals of all time and Raul Esparza remains one of the sexiest men alive for his gorgeous performance of Bobby. No man, including James Bond, has made a suit look so good. Love the revival wins.

Also loved O'Connell's win. She was so good opposite the brilliant Mary Kay Place in one of the great recent indies, "Diane."

I agree whole heartedly in the statement that this was truly an awards show that celebrated its form. Hopefully, other awards shows will follow suit.