“Happy Endings,” a romantic comedy about a pair of androids who fall in love, may have won the Tony Award for best new musical on Sunday.
Its star, Darren Criss, had just won the award for best actor in a musical minutes earlier. He also hosted the Tonys pre-opening show.
The Tony Award for best new play went to Target, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' drama about a successful black family that exposes hypocrisy and oppression during a snowy party.
It caps a banner year for Jacobs-Jenkins, who, in addition to two consecutive Tony Award wins (his “Appropriate” was named best revival of a play in 2024), won a Pulitzer Prize for his play “The Goal.”
Jacobs-Jenkins becomes the first black playwright to win Best New Play since August Wilson won the award in 1987 for Fences.
He urged Tony audiences to support regional theaters, a goal that was nurtured in Chicago.
Kara Young, the first black actress to be nominated for a Tony Award four years in a row, became the first black person to win two Tony Awards in a row, and the lead actress won the trophy for her work in the play “Target.”
Young thanked her parents, Jacobs-Jenkins, the cast and director Phylicia Rashad.
“The theatre is a sacred place that we must honour and cherish, and it unites us,” she said.
Sunset Boulevard, starring Nicole Scherzinger as a fallen screen idol desperate to regain her fame, was named best musical revival, giving composer Andrew Lloyd Webber his first competitive Tony Award since the original show won in 1995.
The current version is a simplified, minimalistic production.
Sarah Snook won the award for Best Actress in a Play for her tireless work in The Picture of Dorian Gray, in which she played all 26 roles.
“I don't feel alone for one night when I'm doing this show,” Snook said, dismissing the idea of making her play a one-woman show.
“There are so many people on stage and behind the scenes who make it work.”
Downtown Cabaret star Cole Escola won best actor in a play for his portrayal of the deranged, depressed and overly ahistorical version of Mary Todd Lincoln in Oh, Mary!, beating out Hollywood stars George Clooney and Daniel Dae Kim.
Sam Pinkleton won best director for Oh Mary! and thanked Escola, saying he taught him, “Do what you love, not what you think people want to see.”
Francis Ju won best actor in a play for his work in the revival of Yellow Face. He said he got his tuxedo from another Asian actor who wanted him to wear it to the Tonys.
“I am here only because of the support and inspiration of generations of wonderful, worthy Asian artists who came before me,” he said.
“For those who don't feel seen,” he added. “I see you.”
Jack Malone won best actor in a musical for the British import Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical, playing a woman in every performance. He hoped his win could be a powerful tool for transgender rights.
“Eureka Day,” Jonathan Spector’s social satire about well-intentioned liberals debating vaccination policy in a school, won best revival of a play. It debuted off-Broadway in 2019.
The original cast of “Hamilton,” including creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, took a victory lap dressed in black to celebrate the show's 10th anniversary on Broadway, performing a medley of musicals “My Shot,” “Skyler's Sisters,” “History Is Watching You” and “The Room Where It Happens.”
First-time host Cynthia Erivo began the show from her dressing room at Radio City Music Hall, unsure of what number she would perform, as the stage manager urged her to take the stage.
As she made her way through the backstage maze, she encountered various people offering advice until she reached Oprah Winfrey, who advised, “The only thing you have to do is just be yourself.”
Erivo then appeared on stage in a red sparkly dress with white panels, lifting her hips, and began to slowly perform the original song Sometimes All You Need Is a Song, written by Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.
At first, Erivo performed alone, with just a pianist, but soon her soaring voice was joined by dozens of members of the Broadway Inspirational Voices choir, all dressed in white, making her look like a mighty strawberry in a bowl of whipped cream.
In her opening comments, she singled out first-time nominees Louis McCartney, Sadie Sink, Escola and “an up-and-comer who I think you're going to be hearing a lot about, George Clooney.”
She noted that the 2024-25 season had grossed $1.9 billion (£1.46 billion), making it the highest-grossing season ever and a signal that Broadway was finally emerging from its COVID-19 blues.
“Broadway is officially back,” Erivo said.
“Unless we run out of Descendants actors,” a reference to the appearance of former co-stars Snook and Kieran Culkin this season, and Jeremy Strong last season.
She and Sara Bareilles duetted in a touching tribute section, singing “The Sun Will Come Out” from the novel Annie and paying tribute to its composer, Charles Strouse, as well as George Wendt, Richard Chamberlain, Athol Fugard, Joan Plowright, Quincy Jones, Linda Lavin, James Earl Jones and Gavin Creel.
Erivo was a gracious host, appearing at one point on the second mezzanine to remark that everyone was enjoying the view from the theater's balconies—except, perhaps, Abraham Lincoln.
She later joked with Winfrey, asking her to check under her chair, where she found a gift bag containing a toy car.
“You're getting a car!” Erivo croaked.
The awards for best book and best score went to “Possibly a Happy Ending,” a romantic comedy about androids with lyrics by Hugh Park and music by Will Aronson.
Its director Michael Arden won – “Happy Pride!” he said – and the film also won for best scenic design for a musical.
Justin Peck and Patricia Delgado won for their choreography of Buena Vista Social Club, with Peck noting that a song from the famous original album was played at their wedding. The musical is inspired by Wim Wenders' Oscar-nominated 1999 documentary about the making of the Cuban album.
The award for Best Costume Design in a Play went to Marg Hornwell for The Picture of Dorian Gray, and the Best Musical went to Death Becomes Her, won by Paul Tazewell in the same year he became the first black man to win an Oscar for costume design for Wicked.
“I have clothed many of you,” he said from the podium.
Harvey Fierstein, a four-time Tony Award winner for Torch Song Trilogy and Kinky Boots, was honored with the Tony Lifetime Achievement Award and was emotional during his acceptance speech: “There's nothing like being basked in the applause of a bow, but when I take my bow, I bow to the audience with gratitude, knowing that without them, I'd be lip-syncing in front of my bedroom mirror.”
“And so I dedicate this award to the people in the dark.”
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
