While the sun has set on the award's season of the silver screen, the biggest night for the Great White Way is just around the corner. The 2016 Tony Awards will air live on Sunday June 12th, and promises to be entertaining. Why do less people talk about and discuss these awards? Besides the obvious lack of reach that Broadway has based purely on the fact that it is located in a singular place, there is no public controversy. No hashtag, no loud plea for diversity, no cry of Tony's So White.
The diversity of this year's Tony awards is unprecedented and stands in stark contrast to the issues surrounding the Oscars and the white-washing of Hollywood in the past year, this awards show could be a rebuttal by an industry. Broadway still has a ways to go, but this is certainly a start.
Thanks to the prolific Hamilton, which racked up a record-breaking 16 nominations, minorities will be getting the attention they deserve. The ground-breaking musical consists of a cast of almost entirely minority actors, and many of them earned nominations. Another hit, Shuffle Along, features minorities, and grabbed 10 nominations. The star revival of Color Purple earned some nods as well, and the Best Actress will likely come from this production. With all that diversity, it is very likely that all acting awards in musicals will be won by minorities-- African American, Asian American and Hispanic were all nominated. And that is just talking about the musicals. Eclipsed earned four nominations as an all-black, all-female play. In categories across plays and musicals, around 40 nominations were given to primarily minority productions. Compare that to the goose egg minorities received at the Oscars this year. The industry has something to celebrate.
So how does Broadway do it right? First off, they actually cast roles based on race. This may initially sound bad or like common sense, but considering all of the drama with Hollywood as of late, it is a breath of fresh air. The 2015 smash revival of The King and I won Best Revival of a Musical, and provided a nod to Ken Watanabe and a win for Ruthie Ann Miles. That was just last year.
Broadway consistently offers fleshed-out and leading roles for minorities. And they actually cast minorities to play those roles. They also cast minorities in non-typical roles. 2014 showed African Americans in both Les Mis's Eponine and Aladdin's Genie (James Monroe Iglehart won as well), who were not originally envisioned in that manner. Diversity has been present in many year's past, as well; in 2013, both lead acting in musical prizes went to African Americans. Audra McDonald has racked up six awards over her illustrious career. The diversity gap is still large, but the people have cried and Broadway is responding.
While there is still white-washing, and Broadway has its issues, it is important to acknowledge that at least one facet of the entertainment industry is working towards diversity. Hollywood should take note. Together, the booming industries can take the strides toward diversity that need to be taken.
