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 "Tonight feels like a
homecoming," said host Audra McDonald. "The
lights are on, we are here, we are back."
The annual awards show was never held in 2020
because of the coronavirus pandemic that shut
down live performances for 18 months.
Many of the big shows, including "Hamilton,"
"The Lion King," and "Wicked" had emotional
reopenings earlier this month marked by tears
and joy both on and off stage. Audiences must be
fully vaccinated and masks are required.
"It's been over a year but the Tonys are here,"
sang "Hamilton" star Leslie Odom Jr, opening the
TV special called "Broadway's Back" that
featured appearances by stars ranging from John
Legend and Jake Gyllenhaal to Chita Rivera and
Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber.
"Moulin Rouge! The Musical," based on the 2001
movie, won 10 awards, including best musical,
and for lead actor Aaron Tveit. [L1N2QS0IB]
Carmen Pavlovic, a co-producer of "Moulin
Rouge!," said every show deserved to get an
award after the punishing last 18 months,
including "the shows that opened, the shows that
closed not to return, the shows that nearly
opened, and of course the shows that paused and
were fortunate enough to be reborn."
"The Inheritance," a portrait of gay life in the
21st century, was named best play and won 2
other Tonys. It also brought an impassioned
appeal from its playwright Matthew Lopez, who is
of Puerto Rican heritage.
"This is the 74th Tony Awards and yet I am only
the first Latinate writer to win in this
category," said Lopez. "This must change. We are
a vibrant community ... We have so many stories
to tell. They are inside of us, aching to come
out."
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 "A Soldier's Play," about the
murder of a black officer on a U.S. army base in
1944," was voted best play revival. Yet it was a
disappointing night for "Slave Play," a
provocative show about race and sexuality that
went into Sunday's ceremony with a leading 12
nominations, but won none of them.
"The table's got to be bigger,"
said Kenny Leon, director of "A Soldier's Play,"
saying Broadway needs to do better to elevate
Black voices.
The anti-racism non-profit Broadway Advocacy
Coalition that fights to make theatre more
diverse, was given an honorary award.
The TV special saw live song and dance
performances from many shows, including "Jagged
Litle Pill," "Ain't Too Proud," "American
Utopia," and Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth,
the original stars of "Wicked."
"A Christmas Carol," a stage adaptation with
music of the Charles Dickens novel, won five
awards, while newcomer Adrienne Warren won best
actress in a musical for playing rock singer
Tina Turner in "Tina - The Tina Turner Musical."
None of the Tony-nominated plays are currently
playing on Broadway or plan to return, after
closing because of the pandemic or finishing
their runs shortly before it broke.
(Editing by Jacqueline Wong)
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