NEW YORK – Kimberly Akimbo, a musical about a teenager who ages in reverse, and British playwright Tom Stoppard’s autobiographical Leopoldstadt were among the winners on Sunday as the Tony Awards went on despite the Writers Guild of America strike.
The three-hour telecast on CBS was hosted by Tony- and Academy Award-winner Ariana DeBose.
Held for the first time at the United Palace in Washington Heights in northern Manhattan, it leaned heavily on musical performances from the nominated shows and other numbers, including a dance performance in tribute to the recipients of the 2023 lifetime achievement awards, Joel Grey and John Kander.
English director Patrick Marber, who won Best Direction of a Play for Leopoldstadt, was among several winners who used their acceptance speeches to express support for the strike.
Marber, 58, said that the evening was going well without writers because “actors are great improvisers and, yeah, it’s fun. I wouldn’t like it to become a trend, but I’m not surprised”.
Kimberly Akimbo won Best Musical, beating splashier, higher-budget productions such as New York, New York and Some Like It Hot.
American actress Victoria Clark picked up her second Tony Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for her role as the title character in Kimberly Akimbo. The 63-year-old won her first Tony in 2005 for The Light In The Piazza.
Best Play winner Leopoldstadt, which also won the 2020 Olivier Award in London for Best New Play, follows the experiences of a Jewish-Viennese family over 50 years.
Sean Hayes won Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play for playing American TV personality Oscar Levant in Good Night, Oscar.
J. Harrison Ghee and Alex Newell made Tony Awards history as the first two openly non-binary actors to win. Ghee won Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for Some Like It Hot, and Newell won for Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical for the portrayal of brassy Lulu in Shucked.
Ghee said: “When I saw the script, I saw an opportunity to be an inspiration, to be that representation, to be someone who could be a part of people’s lives where they could see themselves and grow and learn and live and expand, and it’s not something I take lightly. It’s something that I cherish and it’s a dream come true, truly.”
Jodie Comer won Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Play for playing brilliant barrister Tessa in the one-woman tour-de-force Prima Facie.
Michael Arden won for Best Direction of a Musical for the revival of Parade, while Topdog/Underdog won the Tony for Best Revival of a Play.
During a pre-show hosted by actors Julianne Hough and Skylar Astin and streamed on the free platform Pluto TV, Tonys were awarded mostly in technical categories.
The pre-show included the award for Best Regional Theatre, which went to the Pasadena Playhouse in California, and the Isabelle Stevenson Award, which went to American director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell. REUTERS
