[music playing]
- And now a CBS Special Presentation.
Downloaded from YTS.MX
Live from New York City, The 77th Annual Tony Awards,
Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX
with your host, Ariana DeBose.
["THIS PARTY'S FOR YOU" PLAYING]
♪
♪ Maybe you saw a show or acted ♪
♪ in your high school play
♪ And you danced in your room
♪ And dreamed of being on Broadway ♪
♪ Maybe you slept on your friends' couches ♪
♪ Rose at 5:00 AM, tried to crash auditions daily ♪
♪ Charming your way into them
♪ Maybe you drove here from Des Moines ♪
♪ At night, sleeping in your car ♪
♪ Writing your great idea on beer napkins ♪
♪ As you tended bar
♪ Maybe you had to fight
♪ But you're here tonight
♪ You made it through
♪ Learned to get back from each setback ♪
♪ And made your dreams come true ♪
♪ Let's celebrate the journey
♪ And the road that led you here ♪
♪ This party's for you
♪ For the magic you created
♪ And to every show this year
♪ This party's for you
♪ There's no better place to find it ♪
♪ The kind of joy you seek
♪ The kind you find on Broadway ♪
♪ Live and eight days a week
♪ This party's for you
♪ Maybe you saw "Rent" as a kid ♪
♪ And that's how it began
♪ Or an August Wilson play
♪ Turned you into a Broadway stan ♪
♪ From the writers' mind, a world they designed ♪
♪ That creative spark
♪ Grows to 1,500 people sharing stories in the dark! ♪
- All my first time nominees, make some noise!
Now, some of you are internationally known,
but tonight you are being recognized
for your achievements on the Broadway stage.
Some of you, your star is just beginning to rise
and you shine so bright.
All my nominees, make some noise!
Maybe you have been nominated multiple times,
and year after year you continue
to work with brilliance and dedication to your craft.
As many of us move along our journeys,
we learn that film and TV can make you rich,
can make you famous, but theater will make you better.
♪ There's joy in the dreaming
♪ Joy in the hustle
♪ Joy in the struggle
♪ And every aching muscle
♪ In the people who supported you along the way ♪
♪ In putting in the work that got you here today ♪
♪ Receiving recognition for the thing you love to do ♪
♪ To know the folks at home will be inspired by you ♪
♪ So whichever way the wheel of fortune ends up spinning ♪
♪ Here, right now, you're already winning ♪
♪ So let's celebrate each other ♪
♪ And the gift that's yours and mine ♪
♪ This party's for you
♪ We get to be together
♪ And watch each other shine
♪ This party's for you
♪ A show may run a moment
♪ Or a season, or much more
♪ But every night you give your all ♪
♪ And leave it on the floor
♪ This party's for you
♪ This party's for you.
[applause]
- Oh, no, not the Mackie, vintage Bob Mackie, anyone?
Give it up for those 2024 Tony Awards dancers!
I mean, we're nothing without them.
Yes, that opening number was choreographed by myself
and Julius Anthony Rubio.
And a huge thank you to our music team, Tom Kitt, Amanda
Green, and Adam Blackstone.
It's a lot of work that happens in one week.
This is The 77th Annual Tony Awards.
And this party is for you and all of you at home.
Tonight, we honor the achievements
of this ambitious Broadway season.
And there is so much fine work to celebrate.
Overall, there were 36 new productions
and three special events.
And get this, 14 plays and musicals
opened in the last three weeks of April alone.
I mean, y'all, I'm a busy queen.
But y'all exhaust me.
On Broadway, and in theaters across the country,
truth is told on stage every night
and twice on matinee days.
We are in a global moment.
Headlines are frankly terrifying most of the time.
But the theater is a safe place for us all.
And in the most trying of times, art is imperative.
Because art reflects society and provides
context for the very real situations
that we find ourselves in today.
The collective experience can cross boundaries and unite
people from all walks of life.
Now Broadway has a lot to offer right now.
No matter what you are looking for,
I promise you there is a play or a musical that will touch
your heart, speak to how you are feeling, help you cope,
give you courage.
You might even feel motivated to go out into the world
and create change.
Because Lord knows, we need some.
Among this year's nominated shows--
I love stories, familial dramas, anybody?
Stories about people creating art?
I mean, "Eden, paint me like one of your French girls,"
sister, and stories that bring history alive.
On this very stage, you are going
to experience the thrill of seeing the nominated musicals
in person.
And unlike any other show on TV,
it's going to feel like you got the best
seats in a Broadway theater.
The performances, the scene changes,
everything is going to be happening
live, right in front of you.
No VR glasses needed, because we don't do that here.
Let's give the productions and the people who
make the magic happen eight times a week
the recognition that they deserve.
[applause]
All right.
Let's get the show on the road.
Now to present the first award, we have an Oscar nominee
and one of tonight's Tony-nominated producers
of "Jaja's African Hair Braiding," please
welcome Taraji P. Henson!
[applause]
[music playing]
- When I was a child, my aunt and my godmother
took me to see my first Broadway show, "The Wiz."
Yes.
The audience's reaction made me say I want to do that.
I want to touch people's emotions and hearts.
The artists nominated for our first award
brought great emotional depth to their roles.
Here are the nominees for Best Performance by an Actor
in a Leading Role in a Play.
♪ New York!
- William Jackson Harper.
"Uncle Vanya."
- I don't need anything.
I don't love anybody.
Well, you, maybe, are the only person I love.
- Leslie Odom Jr., "Purlie Victorious."
- Tonight my friends, I find, in being Black, a thing
of beauty, a joy, a strength.
- Liev Schreiber.
"Doubt: A Parable."
- Children need warmth, kindness, understanding.
What does she give them?
Rules.
- Jeremy Strong, "An Enemy of the People."
Michael Stuhlbarg, "Patriots."
- When was the last time you saw a politician
you truly respect anywhere?
Never!
[applause]
- And the Tony Award goes to--
Jeremy Strong, "An Enemy of the People"!
[music playing]
- This is the first nomination and Tony win for Jeremy Strong,
who has trained at Yale, The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts,
and Chicago's Steppenwolf Theater Company.
♪
- Man, Oh, man.
Thank you so much.
Thank you to the American Theater Wing.
OK.
I want to thank some people.
I want to thank Greg Noble, Patrick Catullo, Deedee
Gardner, everyone at Seaview and 101 and Plan B. I want
to thank Paul Libin for letting us use your beautiful theater.
It was such an honor doing this play at Circle In The Square.
My brilliant cast, the design team,
and the whole production team that worked on this play, yeah.
I want to thank the ushers and the front of house staff
who see me walking in every day looking like I've just been run
over by a truck and see me walk out looking somehow
even worse with, like, bits of pretzels
and aquavit in my hair.
Linda, thank you for sewing 50,000 buttons back
onto my shirts every night.
Molly Kerns, I couldn't have done this without you.
I think a lot of people in this room share that sentiment.
Sam and Amy, you guys, thank you.
This is just crazy.
Sam, thank you for being everything an actor could hope
for in a director and for bringing new meaning to
the term ice bucket challenge.
Amy, for your masterful work on this play.
The last time I did a play of yours,
I met Emma, my wife, who I now have three beautiful children
with, and now this play.
[music playing]
Real quick, this play is a cry from the heart
and an exhortation to face up to the difficult truths that
are staring us all down right now.
It's been a privilege to give its warning
and its hope to audiences.
This is for my mom and my dad who
are here tonight, somewhere.
Mom, Dad, thank you for allowing me to imagine.
Thank you so much.
[applause]
♪
- And now please welcome Tony Award nominee Danai Gurira.
[applause]
- No matter where I go in the world,
I'm always drawn back to the people, the energy, and
the resilience of this city.
If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.
And so it is no surprise that I am
utterly enchanted by the first nominee for Best Musical.
[applause]
It celebrates a fresh new take on a coming-of-age story
reflecting the teenage years of a budding artist,
while celebrating the concrete jungle
where dreams are made of in this divergent New
York community.
Contagious energy and searing truth
reverberate throughout, bringing you into a true empire
state of mind.
It is therefore my joy to welcome the glorious company
that is "Hell's Kitchen"!
[applause]
["the gospel" playing]
♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah
♪ I said, we're all God's children ♪
♪ Products of the ghetto
♪ Mama cooked the soup
♪ Daddy did the yelling
♪ Uncle was a drunk
♪ Cousin was a felon
♪ And when he got pinched
♪ He told 'em he wasn't telling ♪
♪ Auntie was a cook
♪ Her husband was a crook
♪ 'Cause every job he had
♪ They be payin' him off the books ♪
♪ Ghetto University, knowledge is all it took ♪
♪ In a tenement I was listenin' to the hook ♪
♪ Change gon' come
♪ Spirit of Sam Cooke
♪ And when the feds comin'
♪ Everybody be shook
♪ Now we doing life like Eddie Murphy and Martin ♪
♪ On the chain gang
♪ I was singing into the coffin ♪
♪ Roaches and the rats
♪ Heroin in the cracks
♪ Couldn't blame me
♪ I'm just giving the facts
♪ I'm trying to hit the top
♪ 'Cause the bottom ain't where it's at ♪
♪ Everybody got a path
♪ But you could never go back
♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh
♪ Oh, oh, oh
♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
♪ We are lost and lonely people ♪
♪ And we're looking for a reason ♪
♪ And it's all right
♪ So let's celebrate the dreamers ♪
♪ We embrace the space between us ♪
♪ 'Cause it's all right
♪ We are born on our own
♪ And we die on our own
♪ And we're here to make meaning ♪
♪ Of what happens in between
♪ We could hate, we could love ♪
♪ We could doubt, we could trust ♪
♪ But we're here to make meaning ♪
♪ For as long as we're breathing ♪
♪ It's all right
♪ Wherever you are, it's all right ♪
♪ Whoever are, it's all right
♪ Wherever you are, it's all right ♪
["fallin'" playing]
♪ I keep on fallin'
♪ In and out of love
♪ With you
♪ Sometimes I-- I love you
♪ Sometimes you make me blue
♪ Sometimes I feel good
♪ At times I feel used
♪ Oh, lovin' you, darlin'
♪ Leaves me so confused
♪ I keep on fallin'
♪ In and out of love with you
♪ I never loved someone
♪ The way that I love you
[vocalizing]
♪
[cheers, applause]
["EMPIRE STATE OF MIND" PLAYING]
♪ Grew up in a town
♪ That is famous as a place of movie scenes ♪
♪
♪ Noise is always loud
♪ There are sirens all around
♪ And the streets are mean
♪ If I can make it here
♪ I can make it anywhere
♪ That's what they say
♪ Seeing my face in lights
♪ Or my name on marquees
♪ Found down on Broadway
♪ Even if it ain't all it seems ♪
♪ I got a pocket full of dreams ♪
♪ Baby, I'm from New York
♪ Concrete jungle where dreams are made of ♪
♪ There's nothing you can't do ♪
♪ Now you're in New York
♪ These streets will make you feel brand new ♪
♪ Big lights will inspire you
♪ Here in New York, New York, New York ♪
♪ One hand in the air for the-- ♪
Let me see y'all!
♪ Big dreams all lookin' pretty ♪
♪ No place in the world that can compare ♪
♪ Put your hands in the air
♪ Everybody say yeah, yeah
♪ Yeah, yeah
Are we in New York City tonight?
[cheering]
Are we at the Tony Awards tonight?
[cheering]
Had to do something crazy.
It's my hometown!
[cheering]
- Yeah.
♪ Yeah, I'm out that Brooklyn
♪ Now I'm down at Tribeca
♪ Right next to DeNiro
♪ But I'll be hood forever
♪ I'm the new Sinatra
♪ And since I made it here
♪ I can make it anywhere
♪ Yeah, they love me everywhere ♪
♪ I used to cop in Harlem
♪ Hola, my Dominicanos
♪ Right there up on Broadway
♪ Brought me back to that McDonalds ♪
♪ Took it to my stash spot
♪ 560 State Street
♪ Catch me in the kitchen
♪ Like a Simmons whippin' pastry ♪
♪ Cruisin down 8th Street
♪ Off-white Lexus driving so slow ♪
♪ But BK is from Texas
♪ Me, I'm out that Bed-Stuy
♪ Home of that boy Biggie
♪ Now I live on Billboard
♪ And I brought my boys with me ♪
♪ Say what up to Ty Ty
♪ Still sippin' mai tai
♪ Sittin' courtside Knicks and Nets ♪
♪ Giving me high fives
♪ Yeah, I'll be spiked out
♪ I could trip a referee
♪ Tell by my attitude
♪ That I'm most definitely from ♪
♪ New York
♪ Concrete jungle where dreams are made of ♪
♪ There's nothing you can't do ♪
♪ Now you're in New York
- Can you say, New York City?
♪ These streets will make you feel brand new ♪
♪ The lights will inspire you
♪ Hear it for New York, New York, New York ♪
- Brooklyn!
New York City and the Tonys tonight!
[cheers, applause]
- Pete Townshend and a performance from "Tommy"
are next.
And later, a special tribute to Chita Rivera.
The "77th Tony Awards."
This is CBS.
- Sponsored by American Express, the official payments
partner of the "Tony Awards."
[music playing, applause]
- Welcome back to the "Tony Awards."
So as a perk of hosting, I get to see every show.
And I have to tell you, the work really
has been incredibly inspiring, so
much so that I've been motivated to write
my very first musical.
[applause]
I know.
Here's the pitch.
Oh, and thank you for clapping.
Wasn't looking for that but, like, thanks.
So here's the pitch.
It's three hours, no intermission,
and it's based on my BAFTA wrap.
[laughter]
No?
Anyway, she liked it, Cynthia.
We got one.
Anywho, here's someone you will definitely
give a warm welcome to, Tony Award
winner Jesse Tyler Ferguson!
[cheers, applause]
- Happy Father's day, Justin.
For a Broadway actor, there is no greater thrill than
your first Tony nomination.
That was me a few years ago, and
that is the case for all the actors
in this category tonight.
[cheers, applause]
Your first Tony nominations--
that's incredible.
Congratulations.
Nothing is better.
One thing is better.
[laughter]
It is really nice to get the Tony award.
But that is-- that is very nice.
But, believe me, it does not change your life.
Believe me, it doesn't.
No, you're just as wonderful as you were before.
OK?
It does make this specific night more fun, though.
And, OK, I've already built this up too much.
All right.
Here are the exceptional nominees for Performance
by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play.
- Will Brill, "Stereophonic."
- There's a whole group--
Alan Watts, Otis Redding, Shel Silverstein, who is a genius.
They all had houseboats.
- Eli Gelb, "Stereophonic."
- You know the four rules of engineering.
- Um, no.
- You need to show up.
You need to pay attention.
You need to tell the truth.
And you need to deal with the consequences.
Right?
- Jim Parsons, "Mother Play."
- I want you to stay out of this house as much as you can.
Take after school programs.
Volunteer.
Go out for school plays.
But stay out of the house.
- Tom Pecinka, "Stereophonic."
- I'm gonna get a glass of asti spumante
and eat ravioli and calm down.
Because I am stoned and you know I'm stoned!
- Corey Stoll, "Appropriate."
- What if that discomfort never ended
or it started as something else or became something else?
What if he had a whole life and a whole set
of opinions he kept from us?
[applause]
- And the Tony Award goes to--
Will Brill, "Stereophonic."
[cheers, applause]
[music playing]
- Will Brill earns his first Tony nomination
and win for his performance as a bassist in a fictional rock
band on the cusp of stardom.
[cheers, applause]
- Oh!
[laughs]
Um, wow, wow, wow.
Thanks, guys.
Wait, can we--
OK, there are six other people in this play.
Can you stand up real quick?
Just stand up.
Look at these guys.
Look at them. Look at them.
[applause]
Wow! Wow!
You guys!
OK.
David Adjmi, and Daniel Aukin, and Justin Craig,
and Will Butler took a real chance on casting a play
with a bunch of nobodies.
And then, all of a sudden, Sue Wagner,
and John Johnson, and Greg Noble were like, you know what?
We could put that on Broadway and that could be a nice thing.
So--
[laughter]
What the heck?
This is really nice.
I just want to say, I wouldn't be here without my therapist,
Rachel Terde and--
[laughter, applause]
--and my-- my bass teacher, Robbie "Seahag" Mangano.
And also, I wouldn't be doing this if Talene
Monahon hadn't told me to.
So thanks, Talene.
I love you guys so much.
Wild.
Thanks.
[cheers, applause]
[music playing]
- Please welcome Tony winner Pete Townshend.
[cheers, applause]
- Thank you.
To beanie or not to beanie--
I decided I'd wear it.
I've been sailing and I'm a bit sunburned and spotty,
and so great to be here.
In 1968, when I first started putting the songs together--
I was 24-- putting the songs together for "Tommy,"
I hoped to do something which would
string a lot of rock songs together and tell a story.
And I didn't really think very deeply about what I was doing.
And I had no idea it would lead me here twice.
Because the last time I was here, I got two Tony Awards.
[cheers, applause]
There's nothing more romantic than that, even for me.
I've been on the romantic--
the upside and the downside of rock and roll.
For me, when Dez and I finished in Chicago with "Tommy,"
where it went up first, and we thought,
what do we want to do next?
We said, we want to come back to Broadway.
Even if we make no money, we want to come back to Broadway.
We're thrilled that the audience is
moved by the humanity of the story
because it is a human story.
It's about good parenting and bad parenting.
And that's really what is the issue for all of us today.
And if theater can touch on any of that,
if it can open any doors for many young girls who
are anxious and thinking about suicide,
and some of them committing suicide, that would be great.
Because we are about to perform for you
with the company of The Who's Tommy," A bit of the show.
[cheers, applause]
["see me, feel me" playing]
♪ See me, feel me,
♪ Touch me, heal me
♪ See me, feel me,
♪ Touch me, heal me
["pinball wizard" playing]
♪
♪ Ever since I was a young boy ♪
♪ I played the silver ball
♪ From Soho down to Brighton
♪ I must've played 'em all
♪ But I ain't seen nothing like him ♪
♪ In any amusement hall
♪ That deaf, dumb, and blind kid ♪
♪ Sure plays a mean pinball
♪
♪ He stands like a statue
♪ Becomes part of the machine
♪ Feeling all the bumpers
♪ Always playin' clean
♪ He plays by intuition
♪ The digit counters fall
♪ That deaf, dumb, and blind kid ♪
♪ Sure plays a mean pinball
♪
♪ He's a pinball wizard
♪ There has to be a twist
♪ A pinball wizard's got
♪ Such a supple wrist
♪ How do you think he does it
♪ I don't know
♪ What makes him so good
♪ He ain't got no distractions ♪
♪ Can't hear those buzzers and bells ♪
♪ Don't see no lights a flashin' ♪
♪ Plays by sense of smell
♪ Always has to replay.
♪ An never tilts at all
♪ That deaf, dumb, and blind kid ♪
♪ Sure plays a mean pinball
♪
♪ Ball!
♪ Aw!
[cheering]
♪
♪ Ha, ha
♪
♪ Even at my favorite table
♪ He can beat my best
♪ The kids all lead him in
♪ And he just does the rest
♪ He's got crazy flipper fingers ♪
♪ Never seen him fall
♪ That deaf, dumb, and blind kid ♪
♪ Sure plays a mean pinball
♪
[cheers, applause]
[music playing]
- The company of "Merrily We Roll Along" is next.
And later, more nominated performances.
The "77th Tony Awards."
This is CBS.
[music playing]
- And now, Taylor Tomlinson and Tony winning
producer Wendell Pierce.
[applause]
- Thank you.
I performed on stage for the first time in a children's play
at the University of New Orleans.
[cheering]
Yes.
And when the play ended, I heard that applause
and I knew I was hooked.
Introducing young people to the arts
ensures the future of the theater.
- The 15th annual Jimmy Awards, produced by the Broadway League
Foundation, recognizes talented high school
students around the country.
[cheers, applause]
102 contestants will compete for the awards
in New York on June 24.
- Now, many past winners have landed roles on Broadway
and have been nominated for Tony Awards.
So maybe one day some of these--
this year's finalists might find themselves nominated
like these next artists.
- Here are the nominees for Best Performance by an Actress
in a Featured Role in a Play.
- Quincy Tyler Bernstine, "Doubt: A Parable."
- His father beat the hell out of him over that wine.
- He shouldn't do that.
- You don't tell my husband what to do.
You just stand back.
- Juliana Canfield, "Stereophonic."
- That's all we are to you, just things in poses.
We're, you know, shapes, things you can squish and sink into.
- Celia Keenan-Bolger, "Mother Play."
- I will cut off my arm before I let
my brother feel unaccepted.
There is nothing filthy about my brother.
- Sarah Pidgeon, "Stereophonic."
- We need to reframe this whole way of thinking about what
to do with the album.
Because it is not falling on my shoulders,
because I won't let it.
- Kara Young, "Purlie Victorious."
- And since Henrietta's husband Harris--
- Horace.
- --Horace was already dead from heart trouble--
- Gunshot wounds!
- His heart stopped beating, didn't it?
[laughter, applause]
- And the Tony Award goes to--
Kara Young.
[cheers, applause]
[music playing]
- This is the third consecutive year that Kara Young has earned
a nomination in this category.
Tonight she scores her first Tony win.
[cheers, applause]
♪
- Happy Father's Day.
Happy Father's Day, Daddy!
[giggles]
Oh, my goodness.
Wow.
Thank you to the American Theater Wing.
Thank you to the Broadway League.
Thank you to my team--
Sam, Liana, Perry.
Thank you to ID.
Thank you so much.
Thank you to every single person
who has ever championed me to make this moment a reality.
Thank you to my ancestors--
my ancestors, the women who I come from,
the people who I come from.
My great grandmother, Hazel Baptiste,
made it a point to come to "Purlie Victorious" two
weeks before she transitioned.
Thank you to my mother.
My mother went back to school with two children
and got two master's degrees from an Ivy League institution.
And to my father who put my mother through school
and made it a priority--
a priority to do that.
Thank you so much, Dad, for taking us to school every day,
Mom, for taking me to dance class, back to this one,
then to a party, then back to the class.
I--
[laughter, applause]
To my brother, Clay Young, your strength and resilience
inspires me daily.
To my partner, Biko Eisen-Martin,
who I love so much, who is my spirit mate,
to this incredible cast of "Purlie,"
this incredible cast--
Leslie-- Leslie, you make everything possible.
You inspire me so much.
You hold so much and you hold like it's weightless.
Kenny Leon--
[applause]
--you meticulously crafted this play.
I don't see anybody else doing this the way that you did it.
You are singular, and important, and thank you.
To Heather, Vanessa, Billy, Bill, JO, Noah P, Noah R--
uh, uh, help me out--
Willa-- Willa, Brandy, Donald, and Melvin--
I think I said everybody, didn't I?
And to the great Ossie Davis--
[cheers, applause]
--who just posthumously elevated the American theater
yet again, 62 years later--
oh my goodness, I--
and to the great Ruby Dee, Ruby Dee, Ruby Dee, Ruby Dee--
it says, please wrap it up. Sorry.
I'm sorry.
Please, please, please, let me-- let me have this.
Ruby Dee, the legendary--
the legendary Ruby Dee who originated this role,
the great Luttie Bell Gussie Mae Jenkins, who said,
I'm taking a chance on my life and I'm gonna go,
and I'm gonna go because I have some life left.
I have a lot of life left in me.
And she deserved it, and we all do.
Thank you.
This is to the vibration--
the vibration of the liberation for humanity.
Thank you.
[cheers, applause]
[music playing]
- There's this feeling of, like,
bringing "Merrily" back to Broadway after over 40 years.
And it feels like a really exciting
responsibility and a gift.
- And just to be able to sing a song like old friends,
and just not really have to try for the emotion, just
to be able to just, like, turn and look at the two of them,
like, standing together.
- What a special thing we have in these roles
and in sharing this show.
It's just thrilling.
[music playing]
♪ How did you get to be here
♪ What was the moment
♪ How did you get to be here
♪ How does it start to go
♪ Does it slip away slow
♪ So you never even notice it's happening ♪
♪ 1968
["old friends" playing]
♪ Hey, old friend
♪ Are you OK, old friend
♪ What do you say, old friend
♪ Are we or are we unique
♪ Time goes by
♪ Everything else keeps changing ♪
♪ You and I
♪ We get continued next week
♪ Most friends fade
♪ Or they don't make the grade ♪
♪ New ones are quickly made
♪ And in a pinch, sure, they'll do ♪
♪ But us, old friend
♪ What's to discuss, old friend ♪
♪ Here's to us
♪ Who's like us
♪ Damn few
♪ So, old friend
♪ Fill me in slow, old friend
♪ Start from hello, old friend ♪
♪ I want the when, where, and how ♪
♪ Old friends do
♪ Tend to become old habits
♪ Never knew
♪ How much I missed you till now ♪
♪ Most friends fade
♪ Or they don't make the grade ♪
♪ New ones are quickly made
♪ Some of them worth something too ♪
♪ But us old friends
♪ What's to discuss, old friends ♪
♪ Tell you something
♪ Good friends point out your lies ♪
♪ Whereas old friends live and let live ♪
♪ Good friends like an advice
♪ Whereas old friends love and forgive ♪
♪ And old friends let you go your own way ♪
♪ Help you find your own way
♪ Let you off when you're wrong ♪
♪ If you're wrong
♪ When you're wrong
♪ Right or wrong, the point is ♪
♪ Old friends shouldn't care if you're wrong ♪
♪ Should but not for too long
♪ What's too long ♪ If you're wrong
♪ When you're wrong
[arguing]
- There is no other side.
There is only your way and the wrong way!
- Hey!
♪ Old friends
♪ How do we stay old friends
♪ Who is to say, old friends
♪ How an old friendship survives ♪
♪ One day chums having a laugh a minute ♪
♪ One day comes and there a part of your lives ♪
♪ New friends pour through the revolving door ♪
♪ Maybe there's one that's more ♪
- Stop.
♪ If you find one, that'll do
♪ But us old friends
♪ What's to discuss, old friends ♪
♪ Here's to us
♪ Who's like us
♪ Most friends fade
♪ Or they don't make the grade ♪
♪ New ones are quickly made
♪ Perfect as long as they're new ♪
♪ But us old friends
♪ What's to discuss, old friends ♪
♪ Here's to us
♪ Who is like us
♪ Damn few
[cheers, applause]
[upbeat music]
- Coming up, more of Broadway's biggest stars.
And next, a performance of "Water for Elephants"
on the "77th Tony Awards."
This is CBS.
[cheers, applause]
[music playing]
♪
- Welcome back to the "Tony Awards."
This season, Broadway has been doing the work
to become even more reflective of society, from the artists we
see on stage, to the folks backstage,
to the artisans, the creative teams,
and everyone who puts on a show for the diverse audiences who
enjoy it.
I am very proud to say that the majority of tonight's
nominated directors are women--
[cheers, applause]
--including four out of five in the Best Musical category.
Yes.
Come on, women in the sequel, work!
Speaking of-- to present the awards for direction,
please welcome my sisters, Tony nominee
Ashley Park, and Tony Award winner Renée Elise Goldsberry!
[cheers, applause]
[music playing]
- Great directors instill in us the belief
that we can take on any role.
- I mean, my gosh, Renée, thanks to the influence
of forward thinking directors, you won a Tony playing
historical Angelica Schuyler.
- And you were nominated--
- --for playing a girl whose last name is--
- --Wieners.
[laughter]
- Some of our most influential directors
have not only inspired us to realize our potential.
- They've also changed our lives.
- Here are the nominees for Best Direction of a Play.
- Daniel Aukin, "Stereophonic."
Anne Kauffman, "Mary Jane."
Kenny Leon, "Purlie Victorious."
Lila Neugebauer, "Appropriate."
Whitney White, "Jaja's African Hair Braiding."
[applause]
- The American Theater Wing's Tony Award goes to--
Daniel Aukin.
- "Stereophonic."
[cheers, applause]
[music playing]
- This is New York-based director Daniel Aukin's first
Tony nomination and win.
- Here's some words I wrote.
A room inside a room inside a room.
So I'm standing at the back of the theater
and a silence falls.
People are leaning forward in their seats, witness
to this love letter to the joy and the pain of people
making something together, in a space that
dances between what is shown and what
we should not be seeing.
David Adjmi's demonically diamond writing,
in harmony with Will Butler's incandescent songwriting
and a rock star cast, vibrates to its own special frequency.
I can't hold it all in words and--
but I can feel it.
Wait.
Are they acting now?
What just happened?
None of this happens the way it needed to
with Adam-- without Adam Greenfield
and Playwrights Horizons.
[cheers, applause]
"Stereophonic" fam, you know who you are.
Thank you.
Thank you to our incredible producers, to Derek and Emma
for never stopping believing.
Thank you, American Theater Wing.
Finally-- sorry, Ryan, you got there first--
in the play, Diana says, it's the best thing
that ever happened to me.
[laughter]
As far as my life making theater,
I've more than an inkling of what she's talking about.
Ivy and Hazel, I'll see you at the party.
[cheers, applause]
[music playing]
♪
- And now, here are the nominees for Best
Direction of a Musical.
- Maria Friedman, "Merrily We Roll Along."
Michael Greif, "Hell's Kitchen."
Lee Silverman, "Suffs."
Jessica Stone, "Water for Elephants."
Danya Taymor, "The Outsiders."
[cheers, applause]
- And the Tony Award goes to Danya Taymor, "The Outsiders."
[cheers, applause]
[music playing]
- Tonight marks Danya Taymor's first nomination and win.
This Duke University grad is the niece of Tony winning
director Julie Taymor.
- Woo!
Woo!
OK!
Wow.
[cheers, applause]
Thank you very much.
I can't walk in heels, so there's that.
OK.
[sighs] Thank you.
It is an honor of a lifetime to be
among this group of directors, especially
the group of women directors--
a record number this year.
[cheers, applause]
Directing "The Outsiders" changed my life.
Thank you to my brothers in creation and collaboration--
Adam Rapp, Justin Levine, Rick and Jeff Kuperman, Jon Clay,
Zach Chance.
Thank you for trusting me.
Thank you to The Araca Group, Matthew
Rego, all of our producers.
To the relentlessly courageous and curious
cast of "The Outsiders" who are here-- who are here tonight--
Skye, Josh, Brody, and everybody in the whole company,
it is an honor to be your director and your collaborator.
To the sickest design team in the land,
thank you for creating the ultimate memory playground--
raw, gritty, elemental, and powered by bodies.
Thank you to my family--
Mom, Dad, Ari, Gabe, I love you.
Thank you to the great women who have lifted me up--
Beverly Jenkins, Nina Essman, Angelina Jolie,
and Susie Hinton--
[cheers, applause]
--Susie Hinton, who, at 16 years old, wrote from her guts
with such unstinting courage and honesty.
And to all the young artists out there who want to create--
what some may perceive as a weakness or a liability in you
might just be your superpower.
Don't be afraid to trust your gut.
Artistic risk yields rewards.
Thank you so much.
[cheers, applause]
- Please welcome a Tony nominee and producer
of the upcoming musical "The Lost Boys," Patrick Wilson.
[applause]
- My second professional theatrical
role was Billy Bigelow in the national tour of "Carousel."
You didn't see it, come on.
Long time ago.
Performing on the road is a little like running away
to join the circus, you know, that spellbinding form
of traveling entertainment with aerial acrobats
and exotic characters.
And I've often wondered what their lives were
like after they packed up their tent
and just disappeared into the night.
Well, thanks to our next incredibly moving
nominated musical, we all get to find out eight times a week.
Please welcome the company of "Water for Elephants."
[cheers, applause]
["ANYWHERE/ANOTHER TRAIN" PLAYING]
♪
♪ This train is bound for anywhere ♪
♪ Don't care much where we end up ♪
- Get ready to haul out!
♪ I'm free
♪ A free pair of hands
♪ --of everything that I see
♪ Our little circus serendipity ♪
♪ Don't stop to think or feel
♪ Next stop, Utica!
♪ Focus on what is real
♪ I hear it's beautiful this time of the year ♪
♪ With fields of suckers
♪ Unreal as it seems to be
♪ As far as the eye can see
♪ That patch of Earth
♪ Those people you loved, they're gone ♪
♪ Move on
♪ Rise up and above the ground ♪
♪ Whole country's on the run
♪ Anywhere, anywhere, anywhere ♪
♪ You'll find what you found
♪ Anywhere, anywhere, anywhere ♪
♪ Gotta find another train
♪ This train is bound for anywhere ♪
♪ This train is bound for
♪ Welcome to the circus!
♪ I've been hanging by a thread ♪
♪ By a wish upon a star
♪ That the road that I've been forced on ♪
♪ Doesn't go too far
♪ Just far enough to get me past ♪
♪ Each day as it comes
♪ Ain't it so, ain't it so
♪ For the road don't make you young ♪
♪ Ain't it so, ain't it so
♪ The road don't make you young ♪
♪ No, you don't get any prettier ♪
♪ When you're toiling in the sun ♪
♪ Ain't it so, ain't it so
♪ The road don't make you
- Come on.
Furl the jib, you picaroon.
Look alive!
Pull it, shake it, break it.
Again!
Pull it, shake it, break it.
Again!
♪ There's only one road in this godforsaken life ♪
♪ Pull it, shake it, break it, again ♪
♪ It widens before it plummets ♪
♪ From a God forsaken night
♪ But you're gonna have to walk it ♪
♪ So you might as well have fun ♪
♪ Spend that dollar in your pocket ♪
♪ While there's holler in your lungs ♪
♪ See Benzini Brothers Circus
♪ For a one night only run
♪ Ain't it so
♪ The road don't make you young ♪
♪ Ain't it so
♪ The road don't make you young ♪
♪ Ain't it so
♪ The road don't make you young ♪
♪ Live a life worth living
♪ When they say it can't be done ♪
♪ Ain't it so
♪ The road don't make you young ♪
[overlapping singing]
♪ Step right up
♪ Come on in
♪ Come and see
♪ Step right up
♪ Come on in
[overlapping singing]
♪
♪ The road don't make you
- Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Benzini Brothers Most
Spectacular Show on Earth!
[cheers, applause]
[upbeat music]
- Coming up, Nicole Scherzinger performs a tribute
to the colleagues we've lost.
And next, a performance from "Illinoise"
on the "77th Tony Awards."
This is CBS.
Sponsored by Copilot for Microsoft 365.
[music playing]
- Please welcome Anthony Ramos and Tony
Award winner Ben Platt.
[cheers, applause]
- Broadway Bridges is The Broadway League's program
with the goal of giving every high school
student in New York City the opportunity
to see a Broadway show.
To date-- yes.
yes.
[applause]
To date, more than 120,000 young
people have done just that.
- For $10, students receive a thrill they will never forget--
seeing fearless performances like the work
of these outstanding artists who enlivened this season.
Here are the nominees for Best Performance
by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical.
- Roger Bart, "Back to the Future, The Musical."
Joshua Boone, "The Outsiders."
Brandon Victor Dixon, "Hell's Kitchen."
Sky Lakota-Lynch, "The Outsiders."
Daniel Radcliffe, "Merrily We Go Along."
Steven Skybell, "Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club."
- And the Tony Award goes to Charley Kringas
himself, Daniel Radcliffe.
[cheers, applause]
- Daniel Radcliffe cited Broadway
as the first place he could truly be an actor
and not just Harry Potter.
Tonight marks his first Tony nomination and win.
- Thank you.
Thank you so much.
OK.
I'm gonna just talk fast and try not to cry.
Thank you so much to The Broadway
League and the American Theater Wing
for this unbelievable honor.
Thank you to our producers--
Sonia, David, Patrick, and Jeff-- for making all of
this happen.
Thank you to Stephen Sondheim and George Furth for writing
this unbelievable show, and these incredible songs
that are just a gift to get to sing every night.
Thank you to Maria, our director,
for knowing the show like the back of your hand,
and for guiding us through it so, so beautifully.
And also just-- this has been one of the best
experiences of my life.
Thank you for thinking of me for this.
This has just-- it's been unbelievable.
Thank you so much to our cast, everybody on that stage.
It is an honor to be on stage with you every single night.
And to-- yeah.
I will just-- I will miss it so much.
Speaking of missing things--
Jonathan, Lindsay, I will miss you so much.
I don't really have to act in this show.
I just have to look at you and I feel everything
that I want to feel.
I will never have it this good again.
Thank you.
Thank you to our crew, the band, the stage management
team, everybody who makes the show happen every day
at the Hudson Theater.
You make it a dream to come to work.
Thank you so, so much.
Thank you to Sue Latimer, my agent, who has been with me
literally my entire life.
That's not a joke.
[laughs] Sandy Binion, my dresser,
you dressed me on "Equus."
Oh, no, you didn't dress me-- we met on "Equus"
and then you dressed me on everything since.
None of this would have been half as much fun without you.
Thank you so much.
My singing teacher, Mark Meylan,
is the only reason I sound any good in the show.
Thank you, Mark.
My mom and dad are here somewhere.
Happy Father's Day, Dad.
I love you both so much.
Thank you for playing Sondheim in the car and just,
you know, loving me.
And-- and my love, Erin, you and our son
are the best thing that has ever happened to me.
I love you so much.
Thank you so much. Thank you, everyone.
Thank you, everybody. Have a great, great night.
I will wrap it up.
[cheers, applause]
[music playing]
- And now, here are the nominees for Best Performance
by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical.
- Shoshana Bean, "Hell's" Kitchen.
Amber Iman, "Lempicka."
Nikki M. James, "Suffs."
Leslie Rodriguez.
Kritzer, "Monty Python's Spamalot."
Kecia Lewis, "Hell's Kitchen."
Lindsay Mendez, "Merrily We Roll Along."
Bebe Neuwirth, "Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club."
- And the Tony Award goes to--
Kecia Lewis.
[cheers, applause]
[music playing]
- Throughout her career, Kecia Lewis
has played powerful women on stage, television, and film.
Tonight, this Broadway veteran takes
home her first Tony Award.
♪
- Lord, my phone.
Open.
OK.
[laughter]
People, stop texting me.
Jesus.
[laughter]
First, I would like to thank you, God, my first,
my last, my everything.
Thank you to the American Theater Wing, and The Broadway
League, and every one of the fierce, fabulous, female
thespians in this category.
[cheers, applause]
I'd like to thank the entire cast on-stage and off-stage,
the crew, the front and back of house staff
at the Shubert Theater for being who they are,
and their hard work and support to make our show the joy
that it is.
I'd like to thank our creative team--
Alicia Keys, Michael Greif, Christopher Diaz, Camille A.
Brown, and all of our designers for their hard work
and dedication as generals in leading the charge of our show.
I'd like to thank my manager and friend of 15 years, Jed
Abrahams, for truly seeing me and being
my champion in an industry that is extremely challenging
and often did not see me.
Also, I thank Barrett Bischoff for his friendship
and hard work.
Thank you to my ENT and friend, Dr. Linda Dahl--
[cheers, applause]
--who keeps this voce alive and well,
and my vocal coach, Marlon Saunders.
I'd like to thank those people in my life
who wouldn't let me give up.
Being in this business 40 years,
I wanted to give up many times.
Gabriela Diaz Gonsalves, Lisa Vidal,
Daniel Koa Beaty, and my long time friends,
Adriane, Lenox, and LaChanze.
[applause]
I'd like to thank my spiritual families over the years
for their training and loving me just for me, without having
me even open my mouth and sing a note, particularly
pastors Martin and Gail Watson, Reverend
Darlene Palmer, and Dr. Hart Ramsey
and Hunger Church Atlanta.
To my family, Aunt Ruth, who indulged me but still laughs
about me standing in the mirror as a kid, watching myself
cry to see if I looked like a wonderful actress--
[laughter]
--my parents, the late John Henry Lewis and Betty Mae
Lewis, and my heart that walks outside of my body,
my son, Simon Nyami Evans.
Lastly, 40 years ago yesterday, I
walked into the Imperial Theater
to begin my Broadway career at 18 years old.
I have had so many amazing experiences and
some heartbreaking ones too.
I took a short break from show business
and raised a son as a single parent while
trying to build a career.
This moment is the one I dreamed
of for most of those 40 years.
So I say to everyone who can hear my voice, don't give up.
[cheers, applause]
Thank you.
[music playing]
- Please welcome Emmy winning choreographer Julianne Hough.
[applause]
- My entire life I have told stories
through dance, which I believe is
the purest form of expression.
Sometimes when I don't have the words
to articulate what I'm feeling, I can
use my body as my language.
Dance really is the universal language,
which is why I completely connected
with this next nominee for Best Musical.
I was moved, as all of you were, clearly--
I was moved by the unique, transcendent experience
that is joyful, heartbreaking, cathartic, and healing.
It's about the importance of sharing your story
and working through your pain, both for yourself
and for the ones around you, so you can allow
yourself to love and be loved.
Please welcome the company of "Illinoise."
[cheers, applause]
["THE PREDATORY WASP OF PALISADES IS OUT TO GET
US" PLAYING]
♪ Thinking outrageously, I write in cursive ♪
♪ I hide in my bed with the lights on the floor ♪
♪ Wearing three layers of coats and leg warmers ♪
♪ I see my own breath on the face of the door ♪
♪ Oh, I am not quite sleeping
♪ Oh, I am fast in bed
♪ There on the wall in the bedroom, creeping ♪
♪ I see the wasp with her wings outstretched ♪
♪
♪ Oh, great sights upon this state ♪
♪ Hallelu--
♪ Wonders bright and
♪ Rivers, lake, hallelu--
♪ We were in love
♪ Palisades, Palisades
♪ River, Lake, hallelu--
♪ We were in love
♪ Palisades, Palisades
♪ I can wait
♪ Hallelu--
♪ I can't explain
♪ Th state that I'm in
♪ The state of my heart
♪ He was my best friend
♪ Into the car
♪ From the back seat
♪ Oh, admiration and falling asleep ♪
♪ All of my powers
♪ Day after day
♪ I can tell you
♪ We swaggered and swayed
♪ My friend is gone
♪ He ran away
♪ Now I can tell you
♪ I love him each day
♪ Though we have sparred
♪ Wrestled and raged
♪ I can tell you
♪ I love him each day
♪ Terrible sting and terrible storm ♪
♪ I
♪
♪ Can tell you
♪
[cheers, applause]
- Next, a performance from Eddie
Redmayne and the company of Cabaret
on the "77th Tony Awards."
Visit AmericanTheaterWing.org to donate right now.
For a limited time, donations will
be matched dollar for dollar.
This is CBS.
[applause]
- We are back at the "Tony Awards"
with the company of the record breaking "Stereophonic."
- What string?
- There's a string.
- Let's put one down.
Roll tape.
- We're rolling.
- Let's take it from the top.
"Masquerade," take 37.
["masquerade" playing]
♪ Got my ticket to the masquerade ♪
♪ Sold this soul and the money paid ♪
♪ I've been hearing so long
♪ That that's where you have gone ♪
♪ So I grabbed my bag and I'm on my way ♪
♪ Old man told me that I shouldn't go ♪
♪ There are things I couldn't know ♪
♪ I said, you may be wise
♪ But you haven't seen her eyes ♪
♪ So he shook his hand
♪ And I hit the road
♪
♪ I'll see you when I get there ♪
♪ I'm gonna see you when I get there ♪
♪ I'll see you when I get there ♪
♪ I'm gonna see you when I get there ♪
♪ I'll see you when I get there ♪
♪ I'm gonna see you when I get there ♪
♪ I'll see you when I get there ♪
♪ I'm gonna see you when I get there ♪
[cheers, applause]
- Please welcome Utkarsh Ambudkar.
[music playing]
[applause]
- Oh, boy.
He's back, baby.
The company of "Stereophonic," ladies and gentlemen,
nominated for 13 Tony Awards.
[cheers, applause]
They've set a new record for the most
nominated play in Broadway history, not to mention--
yeah, you could give it up--
it's definitely a record for a play
about people making a record.
It's also nominated for this next award,
Best Original Score.
Here are all of the nominated composers.
- "Days of Wine and Roses," music and lyrics, Adam Guettel.
"Here Lies Love," music, David Byrne and Fatboy Slim.
Lyrics, David Byrne.
"The Outsiders," music and lyrics,
Jamestown Revival, Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance,
and Justin Levine.
"Stereophonic," music and lyrics, Will Butler.
"Suffs," music and lyrics, Shaina Taub.
[applause]
The American Theater Wing's Tony Award goes to "Suffs,"
music and lyrics by Shaina Taub.
[cheers, applause]
- Composer Shaina Taub earned the first two Tony nominations
of her career for "Suffs."
[cheers, applause]
- Oh, my god.
Oh.
I-- Lee, I love you!
I have-- I've had the--
I've had the absurd good fortune
to already be up here tonight.
And I know I talk fast.
And my mentor, Elizabeth Swados,
used to say I could run auctions
because I talk so fast.
But I want to talk about her and mentorship.
Elizabeth Swados, I walked into her class in 2007 in college
and I wrote my first song.
And I met my husband, and she changed my life.
And the mentors, the songwriters
in this industry that care about the future of the craft.
Jeanine Tesori stood up here and said,
you had to see it to be it.
Yes, Jeanine, and I saw it so I could be it.
Thank you, Jeanine.
Thank you, Lynn Ahrens.
Thank you, Liz Swados.
And to all of the theater kids out there
watching, especially the loud little girls, go for it.
[cheers, applause]
You can do it.
You are powerful. You are valuable.
You are strong.
If you doubt yourself, it's OK.
I doubt myself all the time, but you can do it.
I am rooting for you.
And, you know, the epigraph on my script
is a quote from the Talmud.
You are not obligated to complete the work,
but neither are you free to abandon it.
This is a hard year in our country
and I just hope that we can remember that when we organize,
when we come together, we are capable of making
real change and progress in this country
for equality and justice.
And so I hope we can all do that together.
And thank you to the "Suffs." Thank you to my cast.
This is absolutely insane.
Oh my goodness. Thank you.
I love theater. I love you all.
Thank you so much.
[cheers, applause]
[music playing]
- What I love about this production of "Cabaret"
is that it extends beyond the bounds of the musical itself.
- We always had this idea that once
you cross the threshold of the building, that you wouldn't
feel like you were in a theater space,
that you would step into a club.
- Every single sense is--
is stimulated, is enlivened.
- It's the party at the end of the world.
And also, it's still such an extraordinarily revolutionary
piece of political theater.
- Please welcome the company of "Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club."
[drum roll]
["wilkommen" playing]
♪
♪ Wilkommen, bienvenue, welcome ♪
♪ Fremde, étranger, stranger
♪ Gl cklich zu sehen
♪ Je suis enchanté
♪ Happy to see you
♪ Bleibe, rest, stay
♪ Wilkommen, bienvenue, welcome ♪
♪ Im Cabaret, au Cabaret, to Cabaret ♪
Meine Damen und Herren, mesdames
et messieurs, ladies and gentlemen,
leave your troubles outside.
For we-- we have no troubles here.
For here, life is beautiful!
♪ Wilkommen, bienvenue, welcome ♪
♪ Im Caberet, au Caberet, to Caberet ♪
- I now present the toast of Mayfair, Fraulein Sally Bowles!
- Hello, darlings!
Hey!
Muah!
- Woo!
- Hi, my love.
How are you?
Yes.
- Bliebe, reste, stay!
♪ Wilkommen, bienvenue, welcome ♪
♪ Im Cabaret, au Caberet
♪ Wilkommen, bienvenue, welcome ♪
- This way or this way?
♪ Fremde, etreger, stranger
- Oh, hello, stranger.
♪ Gl cklich zu sehen, Je suis enchanté ♪
♪ Happy to see you
♪ Bliebe, reste, stay
♪ Wir sagen
♪ Wilkommen, bienvenue, welcome ♪
♪ Fremde, étranger, stranger
♪ Gl cklich zu sehen, je suis enchanté ♪
♪ Happy to see you
♪ Bliebe, reste, stay
♪ Wir sagen
♪ Wilkommen, bienvenue, welcome ♪
♪ Im Caberet, au Caberet,
♪ To Cabaret
[cheers, applause]
[music playing]
- Still to come, Jennifer Hudson, Cynthia
Erivo, and Angelina Jolie.
And next, our special tribute to Chita Rivera
on the "77th Tony Awards."
This is CBS.
Sponsored by Progressive Insurance.
Save when you bundle auto, home, or motorcycle insurance.
Visit progressive.com.
[music playing]
- Welcome back to the Tony Awards.
So I had the pleasure of putting on my producer hat
and presenting an official Broadway
contract to these next gentlemen
on stage at their show.
From "Gutenberg the Musical," Please
welcome first time Tony nominees
Doug Simon and Bud Davenport.
[music playing]
- Oh, wow.
- OK. Here we go.
- Oh, my gosh.
I've always wanted to play Radio City Music Hall.
There's so many people.
- Yes.
- And so many cameras.
Which one should I look at?
- Well, just-- just spread it around.
- My name is Doug Simon.
- And I'm Mr. Bud Davenport.
- And we are the authors of--
- "Gutenberg the Musical."
- Musical.
- Yes. It works.
All right.
So you're probably sitting there thinking to yourself, OK,
so you wrote an amazing show.
But what are you doing on stage at the Tony Awards?
- Great question, Doug.
Great question.
Hey, look at me.
Great question, Doug.
What are we doing on this stage?
- Well, we have been nominated for a Tony.
- It's true.
Look at our hats.
- Yeah, Bud made these at the FedEx Kinko's.
- They thought I was insane.
- You're not insane.
- Thank you.
- Our show has been nominated for Best Revival of a Musical.
- But, Doug, what is a revival of a musical?
- Well, I'll tell you.
A revival is when a Broadway producer takes a musical
that everybody already loves and brings it back to Broadway
with a smaller orchestra.
- Or--
[laughter, applause]
--or they put the orchestra up on the stage.
- Or-- or sometimes the actors just play all
the instruments themselves.
- Imagine it.
"The Phantom of the Opera" back on Broadway, playing
his own damn pipe organ.
- But, Bud, how is he gonna fit that organ into that tiny boat?
- You're right.
Forget I said anything.
- Now, so many wonderful shows have been nominated
for Best Revival of a Musical.
- "Annie."
- "Annie, Get Your Gun."
- "Annie."
- "Jesus Christ Superstar."
- And, of course, "Jesus Christ Superstar."
- Of course.
- But unlike those great shows, our show has
never been on Broadway before.
- That's right, Bud.
This is our first time.
So why is our show nominated for Best Revival?
- I have no idea.
And I don't want to guess.
- Well, guess what.
You don't have to guess, because we
did some research to find out.
So read it, Bud.
- OK. OK.
- Got it?
- Yes.
Tony Awards Rules and Regulations, Section 2G.
- Oh, my god.
- "A play or musical determined by the Tony Awards
Administration Committee to be a classic
shall not be eligible for an award in the Best
Play or Best Musical category.
- Wait, what? No.
- Wait.
"But may be eligible in the appropriate
Best Revival category."
- Whoa, Bud.
Do you know what this means?
- No.
- It means that our show is already a classic.
- Oh, my god, I knew it. - That's right.
That's right.
We have written a classic Broadway musical.
- I feel like we already won.
- Kind of.
[laughter]
Really, it's just an honor to be eligible.
[laughter, applause]
Our next presenter needs no introduction,
but we're gonna give him one.
So please welcome Tony nominee Jim Parsons.
[cheers, applause]
[music playing]
- Theater is unique among art forms in that it regularly
revisits material from its past,
giving actors, directors, and designers of today's world
a chance to interpret text written sometimes hundreds
of years ago, sometimes just a decade ago,
and allowing new audiences to react to these stories
through the filter of the present moment.
This year, outstanding works from both our long ago
and recent pasts were given new life.
Here are the nominees for Best Revival of a Play.
[music playing]
- The play is really loaded.
It's from 1882, but it speaks to now about so
many issues that were facing.
Truth versus power-- what is truth without power,
and what is power without truth, which
is even more frightening.
- "Appropriate" is essentially a family drama-com.
What are you doing here besides trying
to pick a dead man's pockets?
And don't tell me to talk to Bo because you just did.
- This play does a really brilliant job of showing family
in all of its dimensions--
resentment, and disappointments,
love, and longing.
- People were surprised by the relevancy,
by the potency, by how funny it was, by how fresh it was.
- It's gonna challenge your ideology.
We can't forget our history.
We can't move forward if we don't know what happened.
[applause]
- And the Tony Award goes to "Appropriate."
[cheers, applause]
[music playing]
- Accepting the award for "Appropriate,"
producer Carol Rothman and author Branden Jacobs-Jenkins.
- Thank you to the American Theater Wing.
[chatter]
Thank you to the American Theater Wing
and to The Broadway League.
It is a joy and an honor to be standing here with
the family of "Appropriate"--
the actors, the director-- gosh, I hope they're all here--
the designers, the stage manager, and the producers.
Family is at the crux of "Appropriate."
And those of us who have the love
and support of our families who encouraged us are very blessed.
And we thank all of you.
I thank my children, Molly and Charlie.
I am so proud to have opened a door over the past 45 years
to some incredible artists.
And none more deserving of the acclaim
than the immensely talented Branden Jacobs-Jenkins.
[cheers, applause]
- OK. Reclaiming my time.
Thank you.
I want to thank Good Orderly Direction.
I want to thank the Tony nominators.
I want to thank the Tony voters.
I want to thank these amazing audiences we've had for giving
me the opportunity to stand up here
and actually say thank you to the real life
actors in my real life family drama,
starting with an amazing man who
I get to share Father's Day--
Father's Day with for the rest of my life,
Jay O'Bourne, who's in the audience.
I want to wish a happy Single Mother's Day
to my mother, Patricia Jacobs, who has been
my first hero in life and art.
I want to thank my brother and sister, Bradley and Brittany
Jacobs, who have given me so much material for many plays
about siblings for the rest of my life.
I want to thank my father, who told me early on
to find something that you love in life
and get someone to pay you for it.
And I followed that advice, and I'm here right now,
and I'm so thankful for that.
I want to thank this family behind me.
I want to thank my sister from another mister,
Lila Neugebauer.
And I especially want to thank Carole Rothman for saying yes
after years and years of being told
I was too risky, too provocative,
and too not commercial enough.
You know, and I'm gonna be honest.
I really want to share my small part of this big award
with the company and Ossie Davis's family.
Because the truth is, like, without Ossie Davis,
I wouldn't be here.
And without Purlie Victorious, "Appropriate"
would not be here.
I know people come up here and say it all the time,
but it's true.
If you guys want this, we can figure
out arrangement of custody.
He can haunt my bedroom. I don't care.
Tell me the secrets.
And for those of you worried about Henrik Ibsen,
he's been dead for over 100 years
and he's already won this twice.
Thank you guys so much.
[cheers, applause]
[music playing]
♪
- In January, we lost one of the theater's
brightest lights, the irreplaceable Chita Rivera.
To help us pay tribute to her unrivaled legacy,
are Tony Award winners Bebe Neuwirth, Audra McDonald,
and Brian Stokes Mitchell.
[applause]
- Anyone who knew Chita had a great friend and an even
greater role model.
Everything I know about being a Broadway
lead I learned from Chit.
The iconic characters that she created are unforgettable--
Rose in "Bye Bye Birdie."
[music playing]
♪
Velma Kelly in "Chicago."
[music playing]
♪
And the role that made her a star,
Anita in "West Side Story."
Chita redefined what it meant to be
a Latina in show business.
She inspired generations of young women.
If she could do it, they could do it.
She'll always be with us whenever
an artist recreates one of her dances
or sings one of her songs.
[music playing]
♪
- She was playful, kind, sexy, wise, and hilarious.
As high as her star rose, Chita felt
she was one of the dancers, a member of the ensemble.
The air shimmered when she stepped on stage.
A bit of her magic will live on in every role she created
and we are forever grateful.
- Chita had one of Broadway's quintessential voices.
It sent chills from the top of your head
all the way down to the bottom of your toes.
It contained multitudes, all brilliantly displayed
in her iconic performance as Aurora
in "Kiss of the Spider Woman."
[music playing]
♪
- I literally would not be here without Chita
blazing the trail for all who follow.
Because of her, I am.
Chita, from all of us, we will always love you!
[music playing]
♪
[cheers, applause]
- Our celebration of Broadway continues
with a performance by the company of "Suffs," next.
The "77th Tony Awards."
This is CBS.
[music playing]
- Welcome back to the "Tony Awards."
Now, please welcome Carnegie Mellon
University alum, trustee, and Tony
Award winner, Tamara Thuney.
[cheers, applause]
- Good evening, everyone.
As a proud Carnegie Mellon University alum and trustee,
I am-- thank you--
I am thrilled that CMU and the "Tony Awards"
co-created the Excellence in Theater
Education Award to recognize exemplary
arts educators nationwide.
Earlier this evening, the award was presented
to CJay Philip, founder and creative director of Dance
and Bmore Theater Programs in Baltimore, Maryland!
[applause]
Congratulations, Ms. Philip, and I want to be in your class.
Submissions are open for new--
for next year's awards, so you can
tell us about a theater educator who made
a difference in your life.
And now, please welcome Nate Burleson,
and from the New York Jets, Solomon Thomas.
[applause]
[music playing]
♪
- You know, seeing actors performing live
is like watching athletes at the top of their game--
elite talent executing perfectly.
What's up, baby?
How are you doing?
[laughter]
Last week, the two of us, we had a chance to really have
an incredible time hanging out with one of tonight's nominated
plays, "Stereophonic."
- Being a part of that audience,
getting caught up in the story was an experience
that I'll never forget.
And there are so many great plays on Broadway.
Here's a look at all the Best Play nominees.
[music playing]
- The play is a beautiful reflection, I think,
of, like, New York.
- I get to the station, swipe my Metro card,
and of course, insufficient fare.
- Oy.
- These beautiful, incredible immigrant women--
and to be able to, like, uplift them
and highlight their stories, it's
really a love letter to them.
- This play gave me permission to grieve.
And I was so moved by that.
- When did you know?
- That there was a problem?
My water broke at 25 weeks.
- Oh.
- That's-- well, as a reference point, I had barely started
wearing maternity clothes yet.
- It's something we can talk about, share, celebrate.
There's joy, there's hardship.
It's like any other childhood, in a way.
- The play is a deconstructed memory
play written by a daughter.
- Don't you dare tell Mama and Daddy that I'm going to this--
this--
what is it called?
- PFLAG.
It's our secret.
- One of my mother's favorite sayings
was, "Balls, cried the queen.
If I had them, I'd be king."
So, of course, I had to write to play that featured her.
- To connect at all is incredibly meaningful,
and get resonated with a lot of people who
feel uncertain in our world.
- My family thinks it's straight out of Grandma's
kitchen, but nope.
- Does Mom know?
- No.
And there's no reason she needs to, so, shh.
- This play was a real experiment for me
in writing very richly three dimensional characters.
- And all that conflict gets, like,
hidden and submerged in some other weird pocket
of your psyche.
And it's like, you think you had a catharsis on stage
at Madison Square Garden and was like--
[laughs]
- To see audiences get so taken by the characters
that they forget they're watching a play,
that makes me happy.
[applause]
- If that doesn't make you want to see a play,
I don't know what will.
- Yeah, you're right about that.
Now, to present the award, one of the most gifted men,
Tony Award winner, Jeffrey Wright.
[cheers, applause]
[music playing]
- Thank you.
The Best Play.
I was fortunate to make my Broadway
debut in a pretty special play, "Angels in America"--
[cheers, applause]
--just two short years ago.
[laughter]
And I have never been part of something that was more
powerful or more empowering.
And likewise, the fine works that we've just
seen provide unique perspectives
on the human condition that inspire
audiences to think, feel, and question, which is timely.
Now let's find out which one of these plays
will be named this year's Best Play.
The American Theater Wing's Tony
Award goes to "Stereophonics."
[cheers, applause]
[music playing]
- Accepting the award for "Stereophonic,"
author David Adjmi and artistic director Adam Greenfield.
- Oh, no.
My agent gave me a beta blocker, but it's not working.
[laughter]
Thank you anyway, Emma.
I really-- oh, my God.
Oh, no.
I have to thank the American Theater
Wing and The Broadway League for this unbelievable honor.
This almost didn't happen.
This play took me 11 years to manifest in a production.
And it wouldn't have happened if it weren't
for Adam Greenfield and Playwrights
Horizons, the off-Broadway theater that gave us a world
class production that we basically transferred
to the Broadway stage.
Thank you so much to Playwrights Horizons.
Thank you so much to our incredible Broadway
producers, Sue Wagner, and John Johnson, and all of you.
Sue, when we said we were going to transfer this to Broadway,
I said, I don't want to have stars in this play.
And Sue said, but David, they are stars.
And she's right.
[cheers, applause]
Thank you so, so much to my--
I'm not gonna name all the names,
but my incredible creative team, my brilliant cast,
every single person in front of house and back of house and all
around the house.
You guys are unbelievable.
I don't even have the words to describe
how incredible this team is.
This has been the best experience of my entire life.
This was a very hard journey to get this play up here.
And I just want to say thank you to all of my friends
who helped me in ways both emotionally and financially.
To Michael Maciel and Fran Offenhauser,
who gave me a place to live for seven years
so that I could write this play and stand
here and accept this award.
It's really hard to make a career in the arts.
We need to fund the arts in America.
It is the hallmark of a civilized society.
[cheers, applause]
I want to dedicate this to the artists out there.
Thank you so, so much.
This is for us.
Thank you.
[cheers, applause]
- Wow.
Every play nominated in this category tonight
came from an off-Broadway theater.
Playwrights Horizons stands very proudly among our peers.
And if a culture of risk taking new work is important,
then we need the support of our city to maintain that.
I want to thank everybody on staff
at Playwrights Horizons, especially Carol Fishman,
Natasha Sinha, Leslie Marcus.
Thank you to our board of directors.
Thank you to Sue Wagner, John Johnson,
Greg Noble, and each and every producer and co-producer.
Thank you to my dear friends, David
Adjmi, Daniel Aukin, Ryan Rumery,
Justin Craig, Will Butler.
Every actor, every designer, every technician,
every stage manager who worked on this play,
you all are so lovely.
This play is about the torture of making
art with other people.
But God bless you.
Thank you.
[cheers, applause]
[music playing]
- Please welcome a Tony nominated producer of "Suffs,"
Hillary Clinton.
[cheers, applause]
- What a great evening.
[cheers, applause]
Now, I-- I have stood on a lot of stages,
but this is very special.
And I know a little bit about how hard it is to make change.
So I'm extremely proud of this original American musical
by Shaina Taub, now two-time Tony winner.
[cheers, applause]
And, of course, it is about some American originals,
the suffragists who fought so valiantly
for so long to give women in our country the right to vote.
It's almost impossible to think about what
a challenge that was.
But now it's an election year, and we
need to be reminded about how important it is to vote.
So please welcome the company of "Suffs."
[cheers, applause]
["keep marching" playing]
♪ You won't live to see the future that you fight for ♪
♪ Maybe no one gets to reach that perfect day ♪
♪ If the work is never over
♪ Then how do you keep marching, anyway ♪
♪ Do you carry your banner as far as you can ♪
♪ Rewriting the world with your imperfect pen ♪
♪ Till the next stubborn girl picks it up in a picket line ♪
♪ Over and over again
♪ And you join in the chorus of centuries chanting to her ♪
♪ Th path will be twisted and risky and slow ♪
♪ But keep marching
♪ Keep marching
♪ Will you fail or prevail
♪ Well, you may never know
♪ But keep marching
♪ Keep marching
♪ 'cause your ancestors are all the proof you need ♪
♪ Their progress is possible, not guaranteed ♪
♪ It will only be made if we keep marching ♪
♪ Keep marching on
♪ And remember every mother that you came from ♪
♪ Learn as much from our successes, our mistakes ♪
♪ Don't forget you're merely one of many others ♪
♪ On the journey every generation makes ♪
♪ We did not end injustice and neither will you ♪
♪ Neither will you
♪ But still we made strides so we know you can too ♪
♪ Know you can too
♪ Made peace with our incomplete power ♪
♪ and use it for good
♪ 'Cause there's so much to do ♪
♪ So much to do
♪ The gains will feel small and the losses too large ♪
♪ Keep marching
♪ You'll rarely agree with whoever's in charge ♪
♪ Keep marching
♪ 'Cause our ancestors are all the proof you need ♪
♪ That progress is possible, not guaranteed ♪
♪ It will only be made if we keep marching ♪
♪ Keep marching on
♪ Yes, the world can be changed ♪
♪ We've done it before
♪ So keep marching
♪ Keep marching on
♪ We're always behind you
♪ So bang down the door
♪ And keep on marching
♪ Keep marching on
♪ Keep marching
♪ And let history sound the alarm ♪
♪ Of how the future demands that we fight for it now ♪
♪ It will only be ours if we keep marching ♪
♪ Keep marching on
♪ We will keep # # marching, marching, marching ♪
♪ Come on, keep marching, marching, marching ♪
♪ Keep marching on
[cheers, applause]
[music playing]
♪
- Jennifer Hudson, Sean Hayes, and Nick Jonas are coming up.
And next, Angelina Jolie presents a performance
from the company of "The Outsiders"
on the "77th Tony Awards."
This is CBS.
[music playing]
- Yeah, we're here.
A-ha!
Welcome back to the "Tony Awards."
Look, I'm not over it yet.
I want to give it up for Kara young.
Tony Award winner, Kara Young.
Come on, Dad, here we go.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Three years ago, this man's daughter was nominated
for her Broadway debut.
And this year she made history as the first performer of color
to be nominated for three consecutive Tonys.
And she won tonight.
Happy Father's Day to you.
- It's the best Father's Day ever.
- It's the best Father's Day ever, guys.
- Yes, it is.
- I love it.
She represents the new generation of Broadway stars
and is an inspiration for those who aspire
to follow in her footsteps.
So here is how the American Theater Wing
encourages young people to--
ooh, whoa.
[laughs] --who dream of a life in theater.
Roll the tape. - American Theater Wing.
- Connecting talent.
- Connecting talent--
- --with opportunity.
- Tonight we are celebrating the Tony
Awards, which the American Theater Wing founded in 1947.
But the other 364 days a year, we
are working tirelessly to connect talent
with opportunity, and to build a diverse and dynamic
next generation on the stage, behind the scenes,
and in the audience.
What our programs really do is provide critical opportunities
for people of all stages and all ages
to discover the theater, and to advance into the industry
and have their achievements celebrated.
Each year, our programs reach over 3
million students, young professionals,
and theater fans.
What all of these people have in common is
they want to advance their knowledge and engagement
with the theater.
If you're passionate about the theater,
there is a place for you.
Visit AmericanTheaterWing.org to find out more.
To everyone who's joining us tonight, thank you.
And congratulations for being part of the American Theater.
[applause]
- Now, please welcome Academy Award winner and one
of tonight's Tony nominated producers of "The Outsiders,"
Angelina Jolie.
[cheers, applause]
- Susie Hinton wrote "The Outsiders" in high school.
A half a century later, it still speaks to us.
Society changes, but the experience of being an outsider
is universal.
To any young person, any person feeling on the outside,
you are not wrong to see what is unfair.
You are not wrong to wish to find your own path.
As the cast raise their voices, I
hope it inspires many of you watching to value yours.
Please welcome the extraordinary
company of "The Outsiders."
[cheers, applause]
♪ I've never been out of Tulsa before ♪
♪ I wonder what it would be like ♪
♪ I've never known anybody to leave ♪
♪ Most people get stuck here for life ♪
♪ This town, it only holds you down ♪
♪ There's judgment everywhere
♪ People think they know me by the way you wear your hair ♪
♪ If you're not born into money, ♪
♪ then you're born into despair ♪
♪ And they'll do all that they can ♪
♪ to keep your poor ass there
♪ We gave ourselves a name 'cause we don't have a life ♪
♪ We stick together 'cause each other's all we got ♪
♪ We take a lot of pride in how we grease our hair ♪
♪ People look us up and down and we don't even care ♪
♪ 'Cause we're Greasers
♪ Making something out of nothing ♪
♪ But it's something that a Soc ain't got ♪
♪ We are Greasers
♪ Ain't never gonna change
♪ And it really don't matter if you like it or not ♪
♪ This is Tulsa 1967
♪ And there's just one thing you need to know ♪
♪ Just one thing
♪ We've got Greasers and Soces ♪
♪ That's how it's always been
♪ That's probably how it's always gonna go ♪
♪ In a town that's town in two ♪
♪ That's probably how it's always gonna go ♪
♪ What's a Greaser from the East Side supposed to do ♪
♪ That's probably how it's always gonna go ♪
[cheers, applause]
♪ Ponyboy, I think it's time you learn ♪
♪ That grease isn't given
♪ It's something that you earn ♪
♪ Some of us are smooth like James Dean ♪
♪ Some of us are cold and a little more mean ♪
♪ Time to be tough and quick on your feet ♪
♪ There ain't no way your boy can make it out on the street ♪
♪ Unless you're mean as a fighter ♪
♪ And you're sharp as a blade
♪ Play it cool, little brother ♪
♪ And you'll have it made
♪ No, we ain't got money
♪ But we got something to prove ♪
♪ You're a Greaser now and you ain't going back ♪
♪ You're an eastbound train on a greased-up track ♪
♪ Let it be known that the grease got a hold on you ♪
[train whistle blowing]
[gunshot]
[train chugging]
[gunshot]
- Ponyboy!
[cheers, applause]
[music playing]
- More Tony winning stars are coming up.
And making her Broadway debut this fall in Andrew Lloyd
Weber's "Sunset Boulevard," Nicole Scherzinger is next
with an emotional tribute.
The "77th Tony Awards."
This is CBS.
[music playing]
- Please welcome a Tony winning producer
of the upcoming musical "Smash," Jennifer Hudson.
[cheers, applause]
- This season, more than 12 million theater lovers in New
York City came to Broadway.
And across the country-- yes, y'all00 over 15
and 1/2 million theater lovers attended Broadway show on tour.
That means we are growing.
OK?
The audiences are more diverse than they have ever been.
And the number of young people coming to the theater
continues to grow each and every year.
Many of these young fans were introduced
to these next productions.
Here are the nominees for Best Revival of a Musical.
- "Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club."
"Gutenberg the Musical."
"Merrily We Roll Along."
"The Who's Tommy."
[applause]
- Here we go.
And the Tony Award goes to--
I can't wait to find out.
Hold the line.
Here we go.
This is the exciting part, y'all.
Wait. Here we go.
All right.
"Merrily We Roll Along."
[cheers, applause]
[music playing]
- Accepting the award for "Merrily We Roll Along,"
Producer Sonia Friedman.
[applause]
♪
- Thank you to the American Theater Wing.
Steve Sondheim, George Furth wrote this musical
over 40 years ago.
And I think for all of those who were there then,
this is proof that what you had then was indeed a masterpiece.
And I want to hand this to my sister.
[applause]
My sister, Maria Friedman--
the great artist, the great director.
She first came across this musical 30 years ago.
It's been in her life all this time.
Maria found this unconventional masterpiece,
found the raw emotion in the center of it,
and turned it into absolute gold.
And Broadway is so lucky to have this work and you.
- Thank you.
[applause]
I actually just, first of all, want
to say an enormous thank you for the love
that we've all felt from the company, from you all.
But Steve-- I knew him and miss him terribly.
But he said-- there was a line that flew out on opening night
to me from the show, which is musicals are popular.
They're a great way of stating important ideas,
ideas that can really change the world, make a difference.
And then Frank turns to Charley and says,
Charley, we can change the world.
Well, Steve and George, "Merrily" is popular.
[laughter, applause]
[music playing]
♪
- And now, Tony Award winner Sean Hayes.
[cheers, applause]
- When you're a nominee, attending an award show
can be stressful.
But it's important to remember, while only one nominee
in the category gets to go home with the award,
eventually all of the nominees get to go home.
Here are the truly amazing nominees for Best Performance
by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play.
- Betsy Aidem, "Prayer for the French Republic."
Jessica Lange, "Mother Play."
Rachel McAdams, "Mary Jane."
Sarah Paulson, "Appropriate."
Amy Ryan, "Doubt: A Parable."
- The American Theater Wing's Tony Award goes
to my friend, Sarah Paulson.
[cheers, applause]
- This is Sarah Paulson's first Tony nomination and win.
The actress called her performance
as Tony Lafayette the most challenging of her career.
[cheers, applause]
- Wow Woo-wee.
Woo.
It is humbling to be included in the same breath as Amy
Ryan, Rachel McAdams, Betsy Aidem,
and the great Jessica Lange.
I thank the American Theater Wing and The Broadway
League for this honor.
An abundance of gratitude to Carole Rothman and Second Stage
Theater, for giving us a home at the Hayes,
to our intrepid producers who brought us
to the Belasco, Kristin Caskey, Bea Carrozzini, and everyone
at ATG.
JJ Abrams, everyone at Bad Robot Live, I thank you.
To our front of house and back of house
crews at both theaters, we could not do this without you.
Hilda Queally, Joe Machota, for the rare gift
of representation that actually encourages
theatrical commitments.
Thank you Alla Plotkin my publicist
and my life for 20 years.
I think you wanted this for me more than anyone in this room.
Lila Neugebauer, boundless gratitude for your keen eye
and your sure hand.
Corey, Michael, Natalie, Elle, Ella,
Graham, Melissa, Lincoln, and Everett,
you astonish me nightly.
You have become my family and I am never letting you go.
Julia Crockett, I am forever in your debt.
Holland, thank you for loving me.
I am standing here tonight because of the mighty talent
that is Branden Jacobs-Jenkins.
[cheers, applause]
I will never be able to convey my gratitude to you
for trusting me, for letting me hold the hand of Tony
Lafayette, a woman you have written who makes
no apology, who isn't begging to be liked or approved of,
but does hope to be seen.
But don't we all?
As a young actress, I remember seeing Janet McTyeire burst
onto stage in "A Doll's House" in the very theater
I am currently living in.
And some nights when I am backstage,
I think about the indelible impact of her.
I think about the walls of theaters
all over this magical town, holding the impact of each
and every one of you in this room and all
of those who came before.
And I think, how lucky those walls are to bear witness
to the relentless interrogation of human experience
that we endeavor to explore nightly for each other,
to give back to one another with the hope
of finding some shared path towards the truth
about being alive.
This is the heart and soul of what we do,
and I am so honored to be amongst you.
Thank you.
[cheers, applause]
[music playing]
- Please welcome Brooke Shields.
[cheers, applause]
- As the newly-elected president of Actors'
Equity Association--
[cheers, applause]
--I am so proud to be here to celebrate
the entire theatrical community.
But this is a moment that's bittersweet,
as we also honor the memories of those no longer with us.
For every well-known artist, there are countless others
whose contributions, both on stage and behind the scenes
forever have changed Broadway.
With a final tribute to some of these beloved colleagues who
left a profound impact, please welcome Olivier Award
winner Nicole Scherzinger.
[cheers, applause]
["what i did for love" playing]
♪ Kisstodaygoodbye
♪ The sweetness and the sorrow ♪
♪ Wish me luck, the same to you ♪
♪
♪ But I can't regret
♪ What I did for love
♪ Look, my eyes are dry
♪ The gift was ours to borrow
♪ It's as if we always knew
♪ And I won't forget
♪ What I did for love
♪ Gone
♪ Love is never gone
♪ As we travel on
♪ Love's what we'll remember
♪ Kiss today goodbye
♪ And point me toward tomorrow ♪
♪ We did what we had to do
♪ Won't forget, can't regret
♪ What I did for love
♪ Love is never gone
♪ As we travel on
♪ Love's what we'll remember
♪ Kiss today goodbye
♪ And point me toward tomorrow ♪
♪ We did what we had to do
♪ Won't forget, can't regret
♪ What I did for love
[cheers, applause]
[music playing]
- Returning to Broadway and starring together
in the upcoming musical "The Last
Five Years," Nick Jonas and Tony
Award winner Adrienne Warren.
[cheers, applause]
- I feel so grateful to be a part of this community
and to be coming back to to the Broadway
stage later this season.
I'm also honored and excited to get to work
with this amazing Tony winner.
- Oh, thank you, Nick.
So I consider myself a Broadway baby.
So when I won my Tony, I think I became six years old again.
I felt so much love from the theater community.
So let's spread some more of that love.
- Here are the nominees for Best
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical.
- Eden Espinosa, "Lempicka."
Maleah Joi Moon, "Hell's Kitchen."
Kelli O'Hara, "Days of Wine and Roses."
Maryann Plunkett, "The Notebook."
Gayle Rankin, "Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club."
- And the Tony Award goes to--
Maleah Joi Moon, "Hell's Kitchen."
[cheers, applause]
[music playing]
♪
- For her Broadway debut, Maleah Joi Moon
earns her first Tony Award nomination and win.
[cheers, applause]
♪
- OK.
Oh, god.
[cheers, applause]
Oh, my goodness.
I can't even read my handwriting.
OK.
Thank you, God, for this blessing.
There is no gift--
there is no me without you.
Thank you to the American Theater Wing.
Thank you to my village, my team--
Cheri, Brian, Christina, Jill, Fritzo, PR, my family,
my best friends from Franklin, my teachers from Franklin
for believing in my potential.
Thank you for taking care of me.
Thank you to the entire community of "Hell's Kitchen,"
Broadway, and the Shubert Theater.
Our creative team--
Alicia-- my family down at the Public Theater,
you saw something in me a few years ago,
and you nurtured that thing ever since.
I'd like to dedicate this award to my parents, Fabia and Steve.
Dad, you've been working all your life.
Mom, you came to America at 17 and you've
been surviving ever since.
And "Hell's Kitchen" is about a 17-year-old
on the cusp of a dream.
I can't imagine how many dreams deferred,
how many sacrifices each of you made to give
me the life that I have today.
So tonight, all I hope is that you just get to celebrate.
Because this is for you and we did this together.
I love you more than words.
Thank you.
[cheers, applause]
- And now, here are the nominees
for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading
Role in a Musical.
- Brody Grant, "The Outsiders."
Jonathan Groff, "Merrily We Roll Along."
Dorian Harewood, "The Notebook."
Brian D'arcy James, "Days of Wine and Roses."
Eddie Redmayne, "Cabaret at the Kit Cat Club."
[applause]
- And the American Theater Wing's Tony Award goes to--
Jonathan Groff.
[cheers, applause]
[music playing]
♪
- For his brilliant portrayal of Franklin Shepherd, tonight
Jonathan Groff earns his third Tony nomination and first win.
[cheers, applause]
♪
- Thank you.
[cheers, applause]
I grew up in a house surrounded by cornfields in Lancaster
County, Pennsylvania.
I was raised by my parents, Jim and Julie
Groff, and my brother David.
And the three of them are sitting right there.
[cheers, applause]
Thank you for letting me dress up like Mary Poppins
when I was three.
Thank you for letting me act out scenes from "I Love Lucy"
on my 10th birthday.
Thank you for always allowing my freak
flag to fly without ever making me feel weird about it.
Even if they didn't always understand me,
my family knew the life saving power
of fanning the flame of a young person's passions
without judgment.
[cheers, applause]
I walk-- I walk through life with an open heart
because you let me know that I could.
Thank you. I love you.
Thank you to all of my teachers back
in Pennsylvania, especially Sue Fisher, who told me
I could do this for a living.
I moved to New York exactly 20 years ago this year.
And I got a job waiting tables and became
a volunteer for Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS.
And all I wanted was to be was to be a part of this community.
Thank you to everyone involved in "Spring Awakening,"
who not only made that dream come true,
but also inspired me to come out
of the closet when I was 23.
I'm now 39, and musical theater is still saving my soul.
Maria Friedman, thank you for letting me be your Franklin
Shepherd in this production of "Merrily,"
and allowing me the chance to accept,
respect, and express both the lightest
and darkest parts of myself.
Daniel Radcliffe and Lindsay Mendez,
you are more than old friends.
You are soulmates.
And I'm looking forward to watching each other change
for the rest of our lives.
Thank you to every member of the extraordinary
cast for lifting this "Merrily" into the
spiritual stratosphere.
Thank you to everyone working inside the Hudson Theater.
Thank you, New York Theater Workshop.
Thank you, Jim, Loni, Ann, and the original
company and creative team of "Merrily."
Special thank you to Sonia Friedman,
Jim Carnahan, Tom Broecker, Hailey King, Joe
Machota, and Jenny Tversky.
Happy birthday to Rick and Max.
And finally, I just want to say,
when I was a kid in Pennsylvania
I used to record the Tony Awards on a VHS tape
and watch the performances over and over again.
And to actually be able to be a part of making theater
in this city, and just as much to be
able to watch the work of this incredible, incredible
community has been the greatest gift and pleasure of my life.
And I thank you, and thank you so much for this honor.
Thank you.
[cheers, applause]
[music playing]
♪
- Cynthia Erivo and Idina Menzel
present the Tony Award for Best Musical when we come back.
This is CBS.
[music playing]
- We are back with our final Tony Award of the night
and two fierce Tony winners.
Please welcome Cynthia Erivo, and returning
to Broadway next year in "Redwood," Idina Menzel!
[cheers, applause]
[music playing]
♪
- I'm just going to go off script real quick
to say how excited I am to see what I know
is going to be an amazing performance in that movie
that you're doing.
- I love you.
- And I just--
I just want to say green girl power.
- Green girl power, indeed.
- [laughs] OK.
The neon lights of Broadway shone
bright with the shows that have graced our stages this year.
- And the musicals had a large part to play in all that shine.
- We were taken on a journey across the USA
from the comfort of the theater.
- So whether we willed a young lady
to find her music in the busy hubbub of Hell's Kitchen--
- --watch a boy discover that he was golden on the greasy
East side of Tulsa--
- --found courage to march for the women's rights
to vote in Washington--
- --learned to grow in "Illinoise"--
- --or fell in love whilst traveling the country--
- --each story brings us a little closer to each other.
- The nominees for Best Musical are--
"Hell's Kitchen."
"Illinoise."
"The Outsiders."
"Suffs."
"Water for Elephants."
- OK.
- Mm-hmm.
- The winner of Best Musical--
the Tony Award goes to "The Outsiders."
[cheers, applause]
[music playing]
- Accepting the award for "The Outsiders,"
producer Matthew Rego.
[cheers, applause]
♪
- On behalf of my partners at The Araca Group,
my brother Michael Rego, and Hank Unger,
and our producing partners, American Zoetrope,
Olympus Theatricals, In Fine Company, and Angelina Jolie,
as well as La Jolla Playhouse and all of our co-producers,
we thank you for this great honor.
[cheers, applause]
Creating "The Outsiders" required an extraordinary
collective of unparalleled artists
coming together to tell this story in service
of a singular vision.
And for that and so much more, we
thank Adam Rapp, Jonathan Clay, Zach Chance,
Justin Levine, Rick Cooperman, Jeff Cooperman,
and Danya freaking Taymor!
[cheers, applause]
We thank our amazing group of designers, actors,
stage managers, and musicians.
We thank the incredible stage crew, front of house crew,
back office, management and marketing teams,
and a special thank you to Bob Wanko and the entire
Shubert organization.
[applause]
Susie--
Susie Hinton wrote "The Outsiders" 60 years ago.
[applause]
And she has gratefully received accolades ever since.
But she often says that she still gets
overwhelmed when told that "The Outsiders"
changed someone's life.
Because she'll say, who am I to change anyone's life?
It's the book, it's not the author.
It's the message, not the messenger.
Well, Susie, I'm here to tell you
that your story and its eternal message of love,
and family, and staying gold, has forever
changed all of our lives.
We love you.
Thank you.
[cheers, applause]
[music playing]
♪
- Congratulations!
Congratulations to all of our winners from all of us.
Support live theater wherever you live or come
see a Broadway show in New York City.
We're in New York.
Dubose, out.
[cheers, applause]
[music playing]
♪
- Hi, I'm Carrie Preston from the CBS original "Elsbeth."
And let's see how fast I can recap
all the amazing guest stars we had on "Ellsbeth" last season.
OK, here I go.
Stephen Moyer.
He was my castmate on "True Blood."
I love him.
Jane Krakowsky-- surprisingly strong upper body.
Linda Lavin-- I'd hate to go out that way.
Jesse Tyler Ferguson-- in reality--
- Cut.
- --a very nice guy.
Retta-- we are a match made in heaven.
Blair Underwood-- oh, speaking of matches.
Whoops.
Gina Gershon-- the shoe fit.
Keegan-Michael Key-- amazing dance partner.
Elizabeth Lail works like a dog.
Arian Moayed makes a mean cocktail.
Laura Benanti-- talk about walking the walk.
And Tim Gunn, we made it work.
You are not gonna believe who we
have lined up for season two.
"Elsbeth" returns, CBS fall.
And if you missed any of these episodes,
catch up anytime on Paramount Plus.
[music playing]
♪