“Hate will never win”, James Corden said. “It’s important that the show go on”.
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James Corden joked during his opening monologue on Sunday night that the Tony Awards are “like the Oscars, but with diversity”. “It is so diverse, Donald Trump has threatened to build a wall around this theater”.
Miranda spoke with ET on the red carpet before the ceremony, where he spoke about the tragedy, and explained that the horrific events made this year’s Tony Awards “more important than ever”.
While “Hamilton” had reaped a record 16 nominations, it fell just short of the record of 12 wins by “The Producers” set in 2001.
Odom, Jr. delivered a moving and grateful speech to his fellow cast members in Hamilton.
“I confess, we all laughed, but who’s laughing now?”
“We’re calling Hamilton the cultural equivalent of the Super Bowl”, said a spokesman for the ticket resale website StubHub, referring to the annual American football championship.
The craft and technical categories recognizing plays were more widely dispersed: The Humans won best scenic design, Eclipsed won best costume design and Long Day’s Journey Into Night won best lighting design. Also on hand was alum Blair Underwood, who presented the Carnegie Mellon/Tony Award honor for Excellence in Theatre Education. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the star and creator of “Hamilton” – expected to be the night’s big victor – tweeted a rainbow-colored heart with “Orlando” written beneath it. Unfortunately, for the star-studded “Shuffle Along” cast, including Pittsburgher Billy Porter, this was the year of “Hamilton”. “It can not be killed or swept aside… now fill the world with music, love, and pride”.
Featured Actor in a Musical: Daveed Diggs won for playing the duel roles of the Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson. She nudges me towards promise by degrees. Eliza tells her story.
For its 70th birthday, the Tonys will boast appearances by powerhouse stars including Barbra Streisand, Cate Blanchett and Oprah Winfrey, who may collect an award as a “Color Purple” producer. “Lin gave us a gift”.
It recounts the life of the colorful first US Treasury secretary, Alexander Hamilton, fatally shot in a pistol duel with rival and then vice president Aaron Burr in 1804.
Instead, what the show became-with its joyous Carpool Karaoke; the rousing, gun-less Hamilton performance; Cynthia Erivo and the Color Purple cast lifting us to ecstasy-was a handsome distraction, a reminder of the transporting joy of musical theater, its big, silly, earnest, wonderful bombast.
Best Play: “The Humans” by Stephan Karan. She held off strong competition from Megan Hilty – CMU, again – in the farce “Noises Off!”.
Belgian import Ivo Van Hove took Best Director for his production of “A View From the Bridge”, which won Best Play Revival.
“I urge you Orlando to be strong”, said Frank Langella, accepting the award for best actor in a play – “The Father” – originally written in French which came to NY from Europe.
But the organizers said in a mid-morning statement that the show would go on.
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“There are so many names I wrote down today to thank, but I hope they will forgive me if I bring in a dose of true reality: what happened today in Orlando”, Langella said onstage, as his voice shook with emotion.
