The time is now my friends and it’s truly Broadway’s Biggest Night as the 75th Annual Tony Awards winners were recently given their trophies for excellence in theatre. I don’t think I have to state the obvious but this pandemic was a hard hit to the world of Broadway shows. Live theatre was put on hold back in March of 2020 and wouldn’t return until September of 2021 which is about 18 months dark. Let’s remember that this is more than the shows and the actors playing all the roles. It’s the musicians, its the stagehards and the assorted front of house staff and all those behind the scenes. The pandemic created COVID safety teams which I even participated in once the re-opening happened and when that return was in play, it was a wonderful thing to behold. So I casually watched the broadcast to catch the announcements and will be watching in full tomorrow since its a slower day for me. The main host of the show was Ariana DeBose and here now are your winners for the 75th Annual Tony Awards.

** The Design Categories **

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

** The Direction Categories **

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 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

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: Tom Kitt, Lyrics: Michael Korie)
Mr. Saturday Night (Music: Jason Robert Brown, Lyrics: Amanda Green)
Paradise Square (Music: Jason Howland, Lyrics: Nathan Tysen & Masi Asare)
WINNER – Six: The Musical (Music and Lyrics: Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss)
A Strange Loop (Music & Lyrics: Michael R. Jackson)

** Performance Category **

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”
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 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 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 Play:
Clyde’s – Lynn Nottage
Hangmen – Martin McDonagh
WINNER – The Lehman Trilogy – Stefano Massini and Ben Power
The Minutes – Tracy Letts
Skeleton Crew – Dominique Morisseau

Best Musical:
Girl From the North Country
MJ
Mr Saturday Night
Paradise Square
Six
WINNER – A Strange Loop

In Memorium: Sidney Poitier, Jay Binder, Leslie Bricusse, Eugene Osborne Smith, Leonard Soloway, Sally Kellerman, Alan Hall, Maurice Murphy, Alvin Deutsch, Gary McAvay, Rae Allen, William Hurt, Tony Walton, Arlene Dahl, Vinny Sainato, Marilyn Bergman, Donald Pippin, Jonathan Reynolds, Terry Teachout, Bruce Pomohac, Peter Scolari, Hollis Resnik, Harvey Evans, Craig Jacobs, Barbara Maier Gustern, Robert Morse, Joan Didion and Stephen Sondheim

Piercing Ken Thoughts: Overall I have to say that I was happy with the winners for the shows that took home the Tony. I managed to see a lot of the show after all and greatly enjoyed the musical performances from “MJ”, “Six” and especially “Girl From The North Country” since I was fortunate to be able to see that show a few times doing that Broadway work I mentioned up above. Oh and on that topic, it was awesome to find the legendary Patti LuPone thanking these teams and then the presenters of another award who did the same. Congratulations to all the winners and wishing them the best in continuing to entertain the masses going forward. What did you readers think about the broadcast? Did you tune in and I wonder which Broadway show you would be interested in seeing in the near future. I should make mention that shows like “Girl From The North Country” will end this week while “Tina – The Tina Turner Musical”, “Dear Evan Hansen” and “Come From Away” have all recently announced their final performance dates so if any of these interest you it would be smart to get on the stick before you can’t. Alright my friends, time to drop the curtain on this one I will see you again soon. Please stay safe out there.

Official: https://www.tonyawards.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheTonyAwards
Official Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/75th_Tony_Awards