Ladies and gentlemen, last night was the most anticipated and prestigious night for Broadway folk: the 70th annual American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards. As a theatre-lover, I sat down at 5:30 p.m. to start watching the livestream of the red carpet before the show aired at 8 p.m. I’m pretty sure I only got up to go to the bathroom twice, but otherwise, I did not move until the broadcast was over around 11:20 p.m. Here are some of the highlights of this wonderful awards show.
First of all, the live stream online started with remarks expressing condolences about the shootings in Orlando, Florida that happened earlier that day. The hosts, Karen Olivo and Jordan Roth to name a few, dedicated the night to the victims and families touched by the shootings. Roth remarked about the shootings with a quote from the musical "Rent," “the opposite of war isn’t peace; it’s creation.”
But, in the true style of theatre, the show must go on. Many familiar faces were interviewed on their way into the Tonys on the red carpet, including who people were calling the “man of the hour”, Lin-Manuel Miranda. Everyone was dressed to the nines and ready to enjoy a night honoring the year’s achievements in theatre.
When the show started, James Corden, the acclaimed host of the "Late Late Show" and this year’s host of the Tonys, mentioned again the dedication to the families of the Orlando shooting victims. Throughout the night, attendees could be seen wearing silver ribbons to honor those who were lost.
And who better was there to introduce James Corden than the cast of the record-breaking, 16-Tony-Nomination musical, "Hamilton?" They sang him in, and then he started the opening number: a tribute to all the young thespians who think that they can be up on that stage just like the stars. It was a message to everyone out there who adores the theatre that you can do anything you wish…peppered with hilarious odes to famous Broadway numbers, performed with Corden leading them all.
And then it was time for awards. Taking home the award for Best Play, "The Humans" faired admirably, as they won four out of the six nominations they received. "The Color Purple" took Best Revival of a Musical, as well as Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for Cynthia Erivo. But of course, nothing compares to the much-anticipated win of a total of 11 awards for "Hamilton." Unfortunately, they were just shy of breaking the record for the most Tonys won, which is still held by "The Producers" (2001), with a total of 12 wins.
There were gorgeous performances by all of the nominated musicals, especially "Waitress," with music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles and starring Jessie Mueller. Both women performed, “She Used To Be Mine” and were absolutely fantastic. Cynthia Erivo earned a standing ovation for her performance and the cast of the revival of "Spring Awakening," which features incorporation of American Sign Language and double-casting some of the roles with hearing and deaf/hard-of-hearing actors, entertained with “The Bitch of Living”.
Again, perhaps the most notable performance was- surprise –"Hamilton." Performing the number “Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)”, the cast decided to omit something in particular from the performance: their muskets. Because of the tragedy in Orlando, the cast decided to drop the prop they used in this one particular song. The choreography remained the same; the ensemble moved as though they held guns, yet they were invisible. The image was definitely noticeable, and created a slightly haunting affect. Because the guns were so central to the choreography, it made the message stronger to those watching.
The star-studded night continued with appearances by the beloved former host, Neil Patrick Harris, as well as Oprah Winfrey. James Corden pulled out an inhaler in order to be able to announce that Barbara Streisand would be presenting the award for Best Musical. Which obviously went to "Hamilton." The Tonys closed with yet another performance by the cast, featuring the winner for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical, Renee Elise Goldsberry and winner for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical, Leslie Odom Jr., singing “The Schuyler Sisters.”
All in all, a beautiful yet somber night for the Tony Awards as the suddenness of the Orlando shootings was felt by all. The show did a wonderful job exemplifying the love and acceptance that Broadway is known for and using theatre as a platform for social justice. The overwhelming sense of community gave reassurance in a time of such senseless cruelty. James Corden called theatre “the purest art form” and tonight it shone with that purity. To quote Lin-Manuel Miranda’s stunning sonnet for his acceptance speech, “Love is love is love is love is love is love is love/ Cannot be killed or swept aside.”
*All the videos from the 70th Annual Tony Awards can be found at this link to the CBS YouTube page. Enjoy!*
