The event was hosted by Ariana DeBose, who opened with a medley of musical theatre hits. The Oscar-winning actress told the crowd that she was honored to serve as emcee on a night recognizing rising diversity in theatre.
British artists were among the night’s biggest winners at the Tony Awards, as Jennifer Hudson achieved EGOT status and the ceremony’s first non-binary award was announced.
EGOT status refers to actors who have won all four major entertainment prizes – an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and a Tony – with Hudson receiving her honor as a producer for A Strange Loop, which won the award for best musical.
Sir Sam Mendes and Marianne Elliott dominated the direction categories at the 75th Tony Awards, presented at Radio City Music Hall in New York, while veteran actor Simon Russell Beale won the prize for outstanding leading actor in a play.
Toby Marlow made history as the first non-binary recipient of a Tony Award for best original score (music and/or lyrics) composed for the theatre, for the historical comedy musical Six, co-created by Lucy Moss and Toby Marlow.
Huge Jackman, Jessica Chastain, Samuel L. Jackson, and Cynthia Erivo were present at the occasion.
Opening with a medley of songs from popular musicals such as Chicago, Hamilton, and West Side Story, Oscar-winning actress and host Ariana DeBose stated that she was honored to serve as a presenter on a night honoring the increased inclusion of marginalized groups in theatre.
“I am extremely honored to host the first Tony Awards since Broadway regained its swing… I am very pleased that theatre is becoming more representative of its adoring community “She explained to the audience.
Even though we haven’t solved all of our challenges, I feel as though the term “Great White Way” is becoming more of a nickname than a how-to manual.
Beale, who was won best actor for his portrayal in The Lehman Trilogy – directed by Mendes – stated that the award was an “enormous honor” but that he felt “sheepish” for beating out his British co-stars.
He stated, “We all did the same amount of effort.”
The Lehman Trilogy is a three-act drama by Italian novelist and playwright Stefano Massini that depicts the arrival of three immigrant brothers in the United States.
Mendes won the best director of a play for his efforts in the production, which also won the Tony for best play, while Marianne Elliott won her third Tony for directing Company, the best musical. During her winning speech, she remembered the late composer Stephen Sondheim.
“Thank you most of all to Stephen Sondheim for entrusting me to retell his narrative freshly and to put a woman in the forefront,” Elliott added.
A Strange Loop, written by Michael R. Jackson, received the final award of the evening for best musical. Jackson also won the prize for best book of a musical.
Jackson wore a long pink kaftan over his formal attire and began writing about his path as a young, gay black guy when he was 23 years old.
“Never accept anything less than your very best,” he advised.
Hudson got her first Tony for producing the musical, following her 2006 Oscar for best-supporting actress in Dreamgirls and her 2021 Emmy for producing Baba Yaga.
In 2009, she received the Grammy for best R&B album, and in 2017, she won the Grammy for best musical theatre album.
Only 16 other stars, including Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, Rita Moreno, John Legend, and Whoopi Goldberg, have achieved EGOT status, which recognizes performers who have won all four major entertainment prizes – an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and a Tony.
Jesse Taylor Ferguson won the prize for outstanding featured actor in a play for his performance in Take Me Out, while Broadway veteran Patti LuPone won for her work in Company.
