NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — “People, stop texting me!” Kecia Lewis begged with comic exasperation. The veteran Broadway performer had just won her first Tony Award in a 40-year career for the Alicia Keys musical “Hell’s Kitchen,” and was trying to read her acceptance speech on her phone. But she got distracted by those annoying congratulatory texts.
However, Lewis soon had the laughing audience in tears, describing how she had wanted to give up many times over those four decades, but received enough encouragement from the right people to keep going. Many award winners encourage others to pursue their dreams, but Lewis, in a speech that was one of the best of the evening, gave a blunt command: “Don’t. To give. Upwards!”
The Tonys are often the most entertaining awards shows, with Broadway performers showcasing their best work. Sunday’s show was no exception, with performances supplemented by special appearances from the likes of Jay-Z and Hillary Clinton.
As always, the Tonys crowned both veterans (Jonathan Groff, Best Actor in a Musical) and newcomers (Maleah Joi Moon, Best Actress in a Musical), and had the added factor of making history for women: female directors accounted for seven of the ten films. directorial nods, including four of the top five musical nominees. Danya Taymor won for directing “The Outsiders,” the second woman in her family to do so after her aunt, “The Lion King” director Julie Taymor.
David Adjmi’s critically acclaimed “Stereophonic,” about a rock band trying to make a hit album and stay together, was crowned best piece, as expected. But the final prize of the evening shocked people, causing people to scream in amazement. “The Outsiders,” based on the classic young adult novel, beat “Hell’s Kitchen” for best musical. There’s nothing like a last-minute nail-biter to send the crowd buzzing into the night.
Some key moments of the evening:
The audience at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater, a new venue for the Tonys, rose to their feet with the first musical excerpt of the evening, from “Hell’s Kitchen” — a jolt of joyful energy. A medley of songs introduced the show’s stars – including Lewis, who sang with young sensation Moon – before a piano rolled onto the stage with Keys herself, who sang and sang her and Jay-Z’s 2009 hit ‘Empire State of Mind’ traded with Moon. The crowd REALLY went crazy when Keys walked off stage, left the venue and joined Jay-Z himself as he knocked on the steps in the theater’s grand lobby. “I had to do something crazy,” Keys explained halfway through the song. “It’s my hometown!”
The HBO hit “Succession” just keeps on giving. No fewer than three of the stars have recently given star performances. On Sunday it was Jeremy Strong’s turn for Tony glory. The actor, who played troubled media scion Kendall Roy on TV, took home his first Tony as best actor in a play for the revival of Henrik Ibsen’s 1882 “An Enemy of the People.” And while Kendall certainly wouldn’t have done, Strong would thank the unsung, unseen heroes of Broadway – “the ushers and the front desk staff, who see me come in every day as if I’d just been run over by a truck,” he said, “and somehow way out looks even worse.”
Daniel Radcliffe may have made his name and fame as Harry Potter on the silver screen, but he is now an established stage actor. On Sunday, he won his first Tony in five Broadway shows, for best actor in the revival of “Merrily We Roll Along,” the Stephen Sondheim-George Furth musical that travels back in time. “This is one of the best experiences of my life,” Radcliffe said. Speaking about his apparent kinship with castmates Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez, with whom he performed “Old Friends” during the broadcast, he noted, “I don’t really have to act on this show, I just have to watch you and feel everything I want to feel. I will never have it this good again.” Groff cried in the audience.
Then it was Radcliffe’s turn to cry when Groff was named best actor in a musical (“Merrily” also won best musical revival). Groff – beloved on Broadway and previously nominated for “Spring Awakening” and “Hamilton” – told the audience that he watched the Tonys as a child in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He paid tribute to his parents in the audience: “Thank you for letting me dress up as Mary Poppins when I was three,” he said. “Thank you for letting me re-enact scenes from ‘I Love Lucy’ on my 10th birthday. Thank you for always letting my freak flag fly without ever making me feel weird about it.
Like Groff, Moon was thinking about family when she won best actress in a musical for “Hell’s Kitchen,” in a close race with veteran Kelli O’Hara. The 21-year-old, who plays a role loosely based on Keys, dedicated her award “to my parents… Dad, you worked all your life. Mom, you came to America when you were seventeen and you’ve survived ever since. ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ is about a 17-year-old on the brink of a dream. I can’t imagine how many dreams have been postponed, how many sacrifices you have made to give me the life I have today. So tonight I just hope you can just celebrate.”
Hillary Clinton may have been a U.S. Senator, Secretary of State and First Lady, but she’s also a true theater nerd — one of the reasons she was greeted with one of the warmest standing ovations of the evening. But she now acted as producer, introducing “Suffs,” Shaina Taub’s musical about the early 20th century suffragists. “I kind of know how hard it is to make change,” Clinton told the crowd with a wink. She added: “Now it’s an election year and we need to be reminded how important it is to vote.” Earlier in the evening, Taub, only the second woman in Broadway history to write, compose and star in a musical, won for both best score and best book, making a similar call. “If you’re inspired by the story of ‘Suffs,’ make sure you and everyone you know is registered to vote,” she urged.
Danya Taymor — niece of Julie, the first woman to win a Tony for directing a musical — became the sixth woman to win the honor, for “The Outsiders,” an adaptation of SE Hinton’s novel, in which she delivered an extraordinary performance puts down. fight scene that is part drama, part dance and all explosive power. Taymor delivered a message “to all the young artists who want to create,” telling them that “what some may consider a weakness or a liability in you might be your superpower.” Don’t be afraid to trust your feelings.”
During the afterparty, more life lessons were offered while enjoying drinks and small snacks. The crowd poured out of the Koch Theater and across Lincoln Center Plaza, where a glittering disco ball was installed above the famous fountain. At David Geffen Hall, home of the New York Philharmonic, guests dined on risotto with lobster, corn and asparagus; spiced mushrooms with pancetta; grilled shrimp and steak. Most of all, they interacted, and Lewis, carrying her Tony, was a major draw. In an interview, she reflected on the time when she had considered quitting acting, about eight years ago: “One of my friends said, ‘What are you going to do, are you going to drive a bus?’ You won’t be happy. ”She said she drove for Uber and Lyft for a while. Finally, she got her break. Lewis, who plays a strict but influential piano teacher and mentor, says she speaks with fans after shows who often bring up their own stories about mentors. “They all talk about their aunt, grandmother, cousin, piano teacher, singing coach, gym teacher. And I always say, ‘Go thank them. Thank them.'”
