Even without a musical steamroller such as “Hamilton, ” Sunday night’s 71st Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York City still…
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Even without a musical steamroller such as “Hamilton, ” Sunday night’s 71st Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York City still made headlines.
From Kevin Spacey’s musical ventures to Bette Midler’s wacky acceptance filibuster, here are five of the most buzzed-about moments from the ceremony.
The iconic singer and actress, who made a Broadway comeback in the “Hello, Dolly!” revival, took home the penultimate award for lead actress in a musical (her first-ever competitive Tony Award win) . Even though Midler did not perform a song from the equally legendary musical, she still managed to hijack the spotlight with an epic filibuster of an acceptance speech that clocked in at approximately 4 minutes and 15 seconds.
“I’d like to thank all the Tony voters, many of whom I’ ve actually dated, ” Midler cracked.
When the orchestra cut in mid-oration in a classic attempt to play her off stage, Midler didn’t miss a beat.
“Shut that crap off, ” she quipped. And they did.
Announcing the nominees for best musical revival (which “Hello, Dolly!” won) , “The Late Show” host lobbed some barbed digs at the president.
Having made his Broadway debut 35 years ago and snagging a Tony of his own in 1991, Spacey is certainly no stranger to the stage. He is, however, somewhat of a stranger to the art of song and dance. But that didn’t stop him from singing and dancing his way through the broadcast’s first 10 minutes in a medley of parody numbers based on current Broadway musicals.
“Dear Evan Hansen, ” the gritty new musical by Benj Pasek, Justin Paul and Steven Levenson, picked up six awards, including the coveted Tony for best new musical and best leading actor, which went to 23-year-old Ben Platt for his performance in the show’s titular role.
“To all young people watching at home, don’ t waste any time trying to be like anybody but yourself, because the things that make you strange are the things that make you powerful, ” Platt said while accepting the award.
“Thank you so much, how was that show?” Spacey asked the audience before the final number. He brought out Patti LuPone to perform a rendition of “The Curtain Falls, ” which was written for the entertainer Bobby Darin, whom Spacey portrayed in 2004’s “Beyond the Sea.”
“As they say in this biz, that’s all there is, there isn’ t any more, ” the pair sang, while the rest of the evening’s winners swayed in unison behind them.
