‚Dear Evan Hansen‘ wins early awards and Cynthia Nixon took home her second Tony.
NEW YORK — How to wow Broadway lovers and keep Tony audiences glued to the screen in the post Hamilton era? Well, start out by lining up the big stars.
For the 71st Tony awards Sunday night, broadcast from Radio City Music Hall, host Kevin Spacey got a helping hand from Stephen Colbert — dressed like a groundhog — Whoopi Goldberg, emerging from a closet, and Billy Crystal, who offered a pep talk via remote feed.
In an early nod to Dear Evan Hansen, a heavily favored musical about adolescent anxiety, peer pressure and social media, Spacey emerged on stage dressed like a character from the show sporting an arm cast marked #HOST.
The revival of Hello, Dolly!, starring the divine Bette Midler, was a heavy favorite going into the night — much speculation revolved around whether Midler would perform the show’s signature song — and scored early, winning best costume design for a musical and best performance for a featured actor in a musical for Gavin Creel.
Cynthia Nixon won featured actress for the revival of Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes, about greed and betrayal in a Southern family with shrinking prospects. Nixon alternated the top female roles in the play, Regina, the villainous manipulator, and Birdie, the delicate alcoholic.
Best score went to Dear Evan Hansen, which opened in December to rapturous reviews, instantaneous Tony predictions, and a score from theater darlings Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (they won an Oscar for City of Stars from La Land) .
In a surprise win for Oslo, a hit drama that draws drama and emotion from secret peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians, Michael Aronov took home the best featured actor in a play, beating out the heavily favored Danny DeVito for The Price .
James Earl Jones was awarded a lifetime achievement award and joked, “So this is a big deal, huh? If you say so.” He rattled off thank yous: “I want to thank the NYPD for assisting us with backstage doors every night. Finally I want to thank my wife, Cece, for being such a wonderful companion in my life and my work and being the greatest co-producer of our son Flynn and for being so dazzling on the red carpet.”
The other early winners were a mixed bag. Best lighting design of a play went to Indecent, a Broadway play about a Broadway play, an early 20th-century Yiddish drama, God of Vengeance, with a lesbian kiss scene that so scandalized the public it was shut down by the police. Best scenic design for a Musical went to Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, an offbeat pop opera, about Russian aristocrats in the early 19th century starring Josh Groban.
On the red carpet before the show, Ben Platt, nominee for leading actor in a musical for Dear Evan, was humble about the show’s recognition. “I think we all believed in it and saw there was some potential in it. … But I certainly couldn’ t see this spectacular evening happening.”
Lea Salonga introduced Sunday night’s performance from the revival of Miss Saigon featuring leading actress in a musical nominee Eva Noblezada, who is in the role that Salonga originated. Salonga won for her turn at the role of Kim. It’s a “massive dream come true, ” Noblezada said of Salonga’s appearance at the Tonys.
“I’ m thrilled, ” Salonga said about her assignment on Sunday night. “I’ m actually excited to see all the musical nominees tonight.”
“We’ re just so grateful that we got it right for the people whose stories that we are telling, ” said Irene Sankoff, who is nominated for book of a musical with her co-writer David Hein. Their musical, Come From Away, focuses on the events of Sept. 11,2001, in Gander, Newfoundland, the town that had to take care of passengers and crew of 38 planes that were diverted to Gander’s airstrip.
Dave Malloy created the musical Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, nominated in multiple categories. The story, revolving around a portion of Tolstoy’s War and Peace, serves as a reminder, he said, that there is a difference between Russian culture and these political times. “For me as an artist, I’ ve always been so drawn to Russian culture. I just think Russia is so rich in its music and in its literature. Ever since, I’ ve been in college, my favorite composers have been Russian composers. My favorite literature is Russian literature so I feel like it’s a great time to be reminding people that there is that culture.”
Contributing: Maeve McDermott in New York, Lorena Blas in Virginia
