“A Strange Loop” and “The Lehman Trilogy” triumphed at the 75th Tony Awards on Sunday night, which marked the first ceremony celebrating musicals and plays that opened after the COVID-19 pandemic brought the theater industry to a halt.
Returning to Radio City Music Hall in New York City after last year’s heavily delayed show, Broadway’s biggest night was officially back in full force with a glittering display of razzle dazzle. The four-hour broadcast aired live coast-to-coast across Paramount+ and CBS with “West Side Story” star and newly minted Oscar winner Ariana DeBose at the helm as host.
“What a season it’s been,” Debose said at the start of the ceremony after a high-energy performance that pulled from classic Broadway shows of years past. “For many of you it’s been a roller coaster – starts, stops, dramatic twists and turns.”
Michael R. Jackson’s autobiographical meta musical, “A Strange Loop,” which follows a Black queer composer writing a show about a Black queer composer, lead the pack with 11 nominations heading into the night. Ultimately, the show took home two of the most prestigious trophies in the Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical categories.
“I wrote it at a time when I didn’t know what I was going to do with my life,” Jackson said on stage in his acceptance speech. “I didn’t know I was going to move forward. I felt unseen. I felt unheard. I felt misunderstood, and I just wanted to create a little bit of a life raft for myself as a Black gay man.”
The award is the just the latest honor for Jackson, who previously won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for drama. While the show’s star Jaquel Spivey, who made his Broadway debut in the production, was expected to win the Best Acting prize, Myles Frost of “MJ: Musical” took home the honor in a surprise win.
Casts from the five other nominated musicals ― “Girl from the North Country,” “MJ: The Musical” “Mr. Saturday Night,” “Paradise Square” and “Six” ― also performed at the ceremony, in addition to stars from “The Music Man” and the gender-swapped “Company.” The latter won Best Revival of a Musical and dual trophies in the acting categories for Patti Lupone and Matt Doyle among other awards.
As for the plays, “The Lehman Trilogy,” a multi-generational tale about the rise and fall of the financial firm bearing the same name, secured the prize for Best Play, as well as trophies for director Sam Mendes and actor Simon Russell Beale. The gay baseball drama “Take Me Out” nabbed the award for Best Revival of a Play, while Jesse Tyler Ferguson was honored for his featured role in the show over his co-stars Jesse Williams and Michael Oberholtzer.
The original cast of “Spring Awakening” also took the stage to reunite for a performance, following the release of their recent HBO documentary. Additionally, Bernadette Peters delivered a stirring tribute to the legendary musical theater composer Stephen Sondheim, who died in November, while five-time Tony winner Angela Lansbury was honored with a lifetime achievement award early on in the telecast.
Check out the full list of nominees and winners below.
Best Play
”Clyde’s,” by Lynn Nottage
“Hangmen,” by Martin McDonagh
WINNER: “The Lehman Trilogy,” by Stefano Massini and Ben Power
“The Minutes,” by Tracy Letts
“Skeleton Crew,” by Dominique Morisseau
Best Musical
“Girl From The North Country”
“MJ”
“Mr. Saturday Night”
“Paradise Square”
“SIX: The Musical”
WINNER: “A Strange Loop”
Best Revival of a Play
“American Buffalo”
“for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf”
How I Learned to Drive”
WINNER: “Take Me Out”
“Trouble in Mind”
Best Revival of a Musical
“Caroline, or Change”
WINNER: “Company”
“The Music Man”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Billy Crystal, “Mr. Saturday Night”
WINNER: Myles Frost, “MJ”
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”
WINNER: Joaquina Kalukango, “Paradise Square”
Mare Winningham, “Girl From The North Country”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
WINNER: Simon Russell Beale, “The Lehman Trilogy”
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”
WINNER: Deirdre O’Connell, “Dana H.”
Mary-Louise Parker, “How I Learned to Drive”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
WINNER: Matt Doyle, “Company”
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”
WINNER: Patti LuPone, “Company”
Jennifer Simard, “Company”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Alfie Allen, “Hangmen”
Chuck Cooper, “Trouble in Mind”
WINNER: Jesse Tyler Ferguson, “Take Me Out”
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”
WINNER: Phylicia Rashad, “Skeleton Crew”
Julie White, “POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive”
Kara Young, “Clyde’s”
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
WINNER: “A Strange Loop,” Michael R. Jackson
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
“Flying Over Sunset,” Music by Tom Kitt, Lyrics by Michael Korie
“Mr. Saturday Night,” Music by Jason Robert Brown, Lyrics by Amanda Green
“Paradise Square,” Music by Jason Howland, Lyrics by Nathan Tysen and Masi Asare
WINNER: “SIX: The Musical,” Music and Lyrics by Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss
“A Strange Loop, “Music and Lyrics by Michael R. Jackson
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”
WINNER: Sam Mendes, “The Lehman Trilogy”
Neil Pepe, “American Buffalo”
Les Waters, “Dana H.”
Best Direction of a Musical
Stephen Brackett, “A Strange Loop”
WINNER: Marianne Elliott, “Company”
Conor McPherson, “Girl From The North Country”
Lucy Moss & Jamie Armitage, “SIX: The Musical”
Christopher Wheeldon, “MJ”
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”
WINNER: Es Devlin, “The Lehman Trilogy”
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”
WINNER: Bunny Christie, “Company”
Arnulfo Maldonado, “A Strange Loop”
Derek McLane and Peter Nigrini, “MJ”
Allen Moyer, “Paradise Square”
Best Costume Design of a Play
WINNER: Montana Levi Blanco, “The Skin of Our Teeth”
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”
WINNER: Gabriella Slade, “SIX: The Musical”
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”
WINNER: Jon Clark, “The Lehman Trilogy”
Jane Cox, “Macbeth”
Yi Zhao, “The Skin of Our Teeth”
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Neil Austin, “Company”
Tim Deiling, “SIX: The Musical”
Donald Holder, “Paradise Square”
WINNER: Natasha Katz, “MJ”
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”
WINNER: Mikhail Fiksel, “Dana H.”
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”
WINNER: Gareth Owen, “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”
WINNER: Christopher Wheeldon, “MJ”
Best Orchestrations
David Cullen, “Company”
Tom Curran, “SIX: The Musical”
WINNER: Simon Hale, “Girl From The North Country”
Jason Michael Webb and David Holcenberg, “MJ”
Charlie Rosen, “A Strange Loop”