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“The Outsiders”, a gritty adaptation of the classic young adult novel, became the essence of a Broadway insider on Sunday, winning the Tony Award for best new musical on a night when theater history was made for women as Broadway directors and score writers.
The musical, an adaptation of the beloved S. E. Hinton novel, is about rival gangs of haves and have-nots in 1960s Oklahoma. The win means Angelina Jolie, a producer, has landed her first Tony, too.
“Stereophonic”, the play about a Fleetwood Mac-like band recording an album over a turbulent and life-changing year, won best new play. It was written by David Adjmi, with songs by former Arcade Fire member Will Butler.
“Oh, no. My agent gave me a beta-blocker, but it’s not working”, Adjmi said. He added the play took 11 years to manifest.
“This was a very hard journey to get up here”, he said. “We need to fund the arts in America.”
Two special guests electrified the crowd – Jay-Z and Hillary Rodham Clinton. The latter, a producer of “Suffs”, presented the show.
“I have stood on a lot of stages, but this is very special”, Clinton said. “I know a little bit about how hard it is to make change.”
In the first musical presentation, Alicia Keys appeared at a piano as the cast of her semi-autobiographical musical, “Hell’s Kitchen”, presented a medley of songs. She began singing her and Jay-Z’s 2009 smash before leaving the stage to join the rapper live on some interior steps to wild applause.
Later, newcomer Maleah Joi Moon won best leading actress for “Hell’s Kitchen”, brushing aside a challenge from veteran Kelli O’Hara. The 21-year-old New Jersey native, who plays a role loosely based on Keys’ life, dedicated her award to her parents.
Danya Taymor – whose aunt is Julie Taymor, the first woman to win a Tony Award for directing a musical – became the 11th woman to win the award, for “The Outsiders.”
“Thank you to the great women who have lifted me up”, she said.
Then Shaina Taub, only the second woman in Broadway history to write, compose and star in a Broadway musical, won for best score. Taub, the force behind “Suffs”, had already won for best book earlier in the night. Her musical is about the heroic final years of the fight to allow women to vote, leading to the passage of the 19th Amendment.
