Broadway celebrated its biggest night June 7 as the 79th Annual Tony Awards honored the season’s top productions, performers and creative teams at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
Hosted by P!NK, the ceremony honored Broadway veterans, celebrated first-time winners and featured several historic moments.
Among the night’s biggest winners was “Death of a Salesman,” which led all productions with six Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Play and Best Direction of a Play for Joe Mantello. The production also earned awards for scenic design, lighting design and sound design. Laurie Metcalf won Best Featured Actress in a Play for her portrayal of Linda Loman.
“Schmigadoon!” won Best Musical and finished the night with four awards. In addition to the night’s top musical prize, the production earned Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score and Best Orchestrations.
Bess Wohl’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “Liberation” received the Tony Award for Best Play, while “Giant,” “Little Bear Ridge Road” and “The Balusters” were also nominated in the category.
“Ragtime” won Best Revival of a Musical and finished the night with four awards, including acting honors for Joshua Henry and Caissie Levy. Henry won Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his performance as Coalhouse Walker Jr., while Levy received Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her role as Mother.
Several performers earned their first Tony Awards. Shoshana Bean won Best Featured Actress in a Musical for “The Lost Boys,” while Ali Louis Bourzgui earned Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance in the same production.
“This is for every woman who ever felt like she was too much or not enough,” Bean said during her acceptance speech. “I beg you not to wait for permission to be all of who you are.”
Other major acting winners included John Lithgow, who won Best Leading Actor in a Play for portraying author Roald Dahl in “Giant,” and Lesley Manville, who received Best Leading Actress in a Play for her performance in “Oedipus.” Alden Ehrenreich won Best Featured Actor in a Play for “Becky Shaw.”
The ceremony also included several historic milestones. According to Deadline, costume designer Qween Jean became the first openly transgender woman to win a Tony Award, receiving Best Costume Design of a Musical for her work on “CATS: The Jellicle Ball.” The production also won awards for choreography and direction, with directors Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch recognizing ballroom culture and its pioneers during their acceptance speech.
Throughout the evening, performances from nominated productions shared the spotlight with tributes celebrating Broadway milestones. The ceremony included anniversary performances honoring “Chicago,” “The Book of Mormon,” “RENT” and “A Chorus Line.” Presenters included Sting, Paul Rudd, Bowen Yang, Billy Crystal and Rachel Zegler, while Megan Thee Stallion and Neil Patrick Harris joined P!NK for a Broadway-themed performance of “Lady Marmalade” during the opening number.
The ceremony closed a Broadway season that featured acclaimed revivals, original productions and numerous first-time Tony winners, while celebrating the artists and productions recognized as the year’s best on Broadway.
