Although COVID-19 brought the 2019-20 Broadway season to an early halt, it didn’t stop tonight’s long-awaited 74th annual Tony Awards and their recognition of excellence in theater. Presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, the recipients, in 22 categories, selected from a limited field of eighteen eligible shows that opened before the pandemic shutdown on March 12, 2020, were announced in an exclusive livestream on Paramount+, hosted by Audra McDonald at Broadway’s Winter Garden Theatre.
Following the livestream awards ceremony, Leslie Odom, Jr. hosted the Broadway’s Back concert live on the CBS television network, featuring songs from the nominated shows and culminating in the presentation of the three Tonys for Best Musical, Best Play, and Best Revival of a Play. The show also featured blockbuster numbers by David Byrne and the cast of American Utopia; John Legend and the cast of Ain’t Too Proud; and a recap finale by Freestyle Love Supreme‘s Lin-Manuel Miranda, James Monroe Iglehart, Christopher Jackson, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Wayne Brady, Anthony Veneziale, Chris Sullivan, Kiala Mullady, Aneesa Folds, Bill Sherman, Arthur Lewis, Tarik Davis, Andrew Bancroft, Ashley P. Flanagan, and Ian Weinberger.
Other notable performers and presenters for the two-part celebration included luminaries Annaleigh Ashford, Kristin Chenoweth, André De Shields, Jake Gyllenhaal, Idina Menzel, Ruthie Ann Miles, Bebe Neuwirth, Kelli O’Hara, Ben Platt, Jeremy Pope, Chita Rivera, Daphne Rubin-Vega, and BD Wong, along with Jon Batiste, Stephanie J. Block, Broadway Inspirational Voices, Tituss Burgess, Darren Criss, Robin de Jesús, Robbie Fairchild, Beanie Feldstein, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jordan Fisher, Santino Fontana, Andrew Garfield, Mandy Gonzalez, Jared Grimes, Josh Groban, Jennifer Holliday, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Ron Cephas Jones, LaChanze, Cyndi Lauper, Norm Lewis, John Lithgow, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Jennifer Nettles, Lynn Nottage, Adam Pascal, Bernadette Peters, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Andrew Rannells, Anthony Rapp, Anika Noni Rose, Lea Salonga, Ali Stroker, Black Thought, Courtney B. Vance, Daniel J. Watts, and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Leading the Tonys with a total of ten awards was Moulin Rouge! The Musical, one of only three nominated musicals. As expected, Aaron Tveit, the sole nominee is his category, took home the honors for Best Lead Actor in a Musical. A Christmas Carol received the most awards for a play, taking the top honors in five categories.
And the winners are:
Best Musical: Jagged Little Pill; Moulin Rouge! The Musical (WINNER); Tina – The Tina Turner Musical
Best Play: Grand Horizons by Beth Wohl; The Inheritance by Matthew López (WINNER); Sea Wall/A Life by Simon Stephens and Nick Payne; Slave Play by Jeremy O. Harris; The Sound Inside by Adam Rapp
Best Revival of a Play: Betrayal by Harold Pinter; Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune by Terrence McNally; A Soldier’s Play by Charles Fuller (WINNER)
Best Direction of a Play: David Cromer, The Sound Inside; Stephen Daldry, The Inheritance (WINNER); Kenny Leon, A Soldier’s Play; Jamie Lloyd, Betrayal; Robert O’Hara, Slave Play
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play: Ian Barford, Linda Vista; Andrew Burnap, The Inheritance (WINNER); Jake Gyllenhaal, Sea Wall/A Life; Tom Hiddleston, Betrayal; Tom Sturridge, Sea Wall/A Life; Blair Underwood, A Soldier’s Play
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play: Joaquina Kalukango, Slave Play; Laura Linney, My Name is Lucy Barton; Audra McDonald, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune; Mary-Louise Parker, The Sound Inside (WINNER)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play: Ato Blankson-Wood, Slave Play; James Cusati-Moyer, Slave Play; David Alan Grier, A Soldier’s Play (WINNER); John Benjamin Hickey, The Inheritance; Paul Hilton, The Inheritance
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play: Jane Alexander, Grand Horizons; Chalia La Tour, Slave Play; Annie McNamara, Slave Play; Lois Smith, The Inheritance (WINNER); Cora Vander Broek, Linda Vista
Best Scenic Design of a Play: Bob Crowley, The Inheritance; Soutra Gilmour, Betrayal; Rob Howell, A Christmas Carol (WINNER); Derek McLane, A Soldier’s Play; Clint Ramos, Slave Play
Best Costume Design of a Play: Dede Ayite, Slave Play; Dede Ayite, A Soldier’s Play; Bob Crowley, The Inheritance; Rob Howell, A Christmas Carol (WINNER); Clint Ramos, The Rose Tattoo
Best Sound Design of a Play: Paul Arditti and Christopher Reid, The Inheritance; Simon Baker, A Christmas Carol (WINNER); Lindsay Jones, Slave Play; Daniel Kluger, Sea Wall/A Life; Daniel Kluger, The Sound Inside
Best Lighting Design of a Play: Jiyoun Chang, Slave Play; Jon Clark, The Inheritance; Heather Gilbert, The Sound Inside; Allen Lee Hughes, A Soldier’s Play; Hugh Vanstone, A Christmas Carol (WINNER)
Best Director of a Musical: Phyllida Lloyd, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical; Diane Paulus, Jagged Little Pill; Alex Timbers, Moulin Rouge! The Musical (WINNER)
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical: Aaron Tveit, Moulin Rouge! The Musical (WINNER)
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical: Karen Olivo, Moulin Rouge! The Musical; Elizabeth Stanley, Jagged Little Pill; Adrienne Warren, Tina – The Tina Turner Musical (WINNER)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical: Danny Burstein, Moulin Rouge! The Musical (WINNER); Derek Klena, Jagged Little Pill; Sean Allan Krill, Jagged Little Pill; Sahr Ngaujah, Moulin Rouge! The Musical; Daniel J. Watts, Tina – The Tina Turner Musical
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical: Kathryn Gallagher, Jagged Little Pill; Celia Rose Gooding, Jagged Little Pill; Robyn Hurder, Moulin Rouge! The Musical; Lauren Patten, Jagged Little Pill (WINNER); Myra Lucretia Taylor, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Best Book of a Musical: Jagged Little Pill by Diablo Cody (WINNER); Moulin Rouge! The Musical by John Logan; Tina – The Tina Turner Musical by Katori Hall, Frank Ketelaar, and Kees Prins
Best Scenic Design of a Musical: Riccardo Hernández and Lucy Mackinnon, Jagged Little Pill; Derek McLane, Moulin Rouge! The Musical (WINNER); Mark Thompson and Jeff Sugg, Tina – The Tina Turner Musical
Best Costume Design of a Musical: Emily Rebholz, Jagged Little Pill; Mark Thompson, Tina – The Tina Turner Musical; Catherine Zuber, Moulin Rouge! The Musical (WINNER)
Best Lighting Design of a Musical: Bruno Poet, Tina – The Tina Turner Musical; Justin Townsend, Jagged Little Pill; Justin Townsend, Moulin Rouge! The Musical (WINNER)
Best Sound Design of a Musical: Jonathan Deans, Jagged Little Pill; Peter Hylenski, Moulin Rouge! The Musical (WINNER); Nevin Steinberg, Tina – The Tina Turner Musical
Best Choreography: Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Jagged Little Pill; Sonya Tayeh, Moulin Rouge! The Musical (WINNER);Anthony Van Laast, Tina – The Tina Turner Musical
Best Original Score: A Christmas Carol by Christopher Nightingale (WINNER); The Inheritance by Paul Englishby; The Rose Tattoo by Fitz Patton and Jason Michael Webb; Slave Play by Lindsay Jones; The Sound Inside by Daniel Kluger
Best Orchestration: Tom Kitt, Jagged Little Pill; Katie Kresek, Charlie Rosen, Matt Stine, and Justin Levine, Moulin Rouge! The Musical (WINNER); Ethan Popp, Tina – The Tina Turner Musical.
In addition to the awards presented tonight, special honors were previously announced in the following categories:
Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre: Graciela Daniele
Special Tony Award: The Broadway Advocacy Coalition; David Byrne’s American Utopia; and Freestyle Love Supreme
Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award: Julie Halston
Excellence in the Theatre: Fred Gallo; Irene Gandy; Beverly Jenkins; and New Federal Theatre, Woodie King Jr., Founder.
Congratulations to the winners and all the nominees!
