NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� The most infectiously joyous of awards shows, the Tonys often feel like a summer camp reunion 鈥� make that a theater camp reunion 鈥� except with tuxedoes and gowns replacing the shorts and tees.
That was certainly the vibe on Sunday night, where the crowd delighted in familiar Broadway heroes finally winning their Tonys, and where : 鈥淪chmigadoon!鈥�
There were reunions within the reunion, too. For example, the original cast of 鈥淭he Book of Mormon,鈥� including Josh Gad, Nikki M. James and Andrew Rannells, was on hand to perform a number marking the show鈥檚 15th anniversary 鈥� a definite highlight of the night, especially seeing Gad move to the song 鈥淢an Up.鈥�
As for the acceptance speeches, many moms and dads and spouses and kids were thanked, of course. But one winner refreshingly thanked all the babysitters that made their career possible.
Some highlights of the night:
Pink sure got that party started
In the show’s first bit, new host Pink, who has not performed on Broadway, pretended she didn’t know what she was doing, and dangled uncomfortably from a wire, trying to be Peter Pan. Then Neil Patrick Harris, who’s hosted multiple times, came out and told her she just needed to be herself: 鈥淵ou鈥檙e Pink! You can do anything,鈥�
Of course he was right. The consensus was that Pink killed it, starting with the opening number, where she led an enormous ensemble of some 170 Broadway performers in a version of 鈥淟ady Marmalade鈥� that was a love letter to this season’s shows, with current casts performing onstage and lots of actors name-checked in the audience, too. As in: 鈥淕itchie Gitchie Lesley Manville, Gitchie Gitchie Carrie Coon.”
The number was written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (the duo behind 鈥淒ear Evan Hansen鈥� and 鈥淭he Greatest Showman鈥�) and Mark Sonnenblick (who co-wrote 鈥淕olden鈥� in 鈥淜pop Demon Hunters鈥�), and the reaction in the theater was ecstatic.
Thank you for 鈥� canceling us?
This was a new kind of thank-you. When 鈥淪chmigadoon!鈥� won best musical, producer (and 鈥淪aturday Night Live鈥� creator) Lorne Michaels spoke first, saying 鈥淪ometimes singing, dancing, jokes and a happy ending are all you need.鈥�
Then producer Christine Schwarzman spoke and thanked Apple TV for canceling the third season it was adapted from.
鈥淲ithout them dropping it, we couldn鈥檛 have picked it up and ran with it. So, thanks Apple TV,鈥� she said, to laughs.
A voice teacher gets a deserved thank-you
There was no award that had the audience cheering louder and longer than when Joshua Henry finally won a Tony, after four nominations during a stellar Broadway career.
Henry won best actor in a musical for his career-topping turn as Coalhouse Walker Jr., a Black pianist who suffers the horrors of racism .
In addition to his wife and kids, Henry thanked his first voice teacher, which got huge applause from the crowd. He also thanked Audra McDonald and Brian Stokes Mitchell, legendary Broadway actors who preceded him in the 1998 run of 鈥淩agtime.鈥�
Babysitters deserve gratitude, too
Henry鈥檚 鈥淩agtime鈥� co-star, Caissie Levy, was waiting for him for a long hug backstage. Levy, who was the original Elsa in the Broadway version of 鈥淔rozen,鈥� had just won her own first Tony, for leading actress in a musical. In her own speech, Levy thanked a lot of people, but one unusual shoutout was to her family’s babysitters: 鈥淭hank you to 鈥� every babysitter who鈥檚 made it possible for me to be both a Broadway actor and a mother.鈥�
Levy, a mother of two, plays the character called Mother.
A play about history makes some of its own
, toggles between the present time and the 鈥�70s, exploring the roots of second-wave feminism through a consciousness-raising group that meets in an Ohio gym.
But it was a different kind of history that playwright Wohl addressed in her acceptance speech 鈥� the fact that she was the first American woman to win the category since Wendy Wasserstein won for 鈥淭he Heidi Chronicles鈥� in 1989.
She told women and girls who were listening; 鈥淢ay you speak your truth and may the world be wise enough to listen.鈥�
this year.
If anyone can make ‘Oedipus’ funny, it鈥檚 Cole Escola
There is literally not one single thing that is funny about the story of Oedipus, the Sophocles classic tragedy with a shocking ending.
But Cole Escola, the mastermind behind the hit comedy 鈥淥h Mary,鈥� found a way. Presenting along with Maya Rudolph, who is now playing Mary Todd Lincoln in Escola鈥檚 play, the writer-actor noted of Oedipus:
鈥�(It鈥檚) a play that asks the question: Can women really have it all?鈥�
If you don’t get the reference, ask Manville. The veteran British actor won for leading actress in a play for her devastating turn as Jocasta in Robert Icke’s modern retelling of the tragedy 鈥� her Broadway debut. As she noted in her own speech, she plays Oedipus鈥� wife and, also, it turns out, his mother.
To which someone in the audience called out: 鈥淪poiler!鈥�
This is New York. They support the Knicks
When actor John Leguizamo introduced a segment on the show, he couldn鈥檛 resist ending his remarks with 鈥淜nicks in four!鈥�
The crowd at Radio City Music Hall gave a huge cheer. You thought they were going to root for the other guys?
The Knicks lead the San Antonio Spurs by 2-0 .
Learning some moves during commercial breaks
The audience at Radio City Music Hall doesn’t just sit there in silence when the Tony telecast goes to commercials. There’s usually something happening, and this time, there were opportunities to learn some moves.
During one break, the audience was instructed on how to use the paper fans that many found under their seats, meant for the number featuring which reimagines the 1980s feline musical as a celebration of queer ballroom culture.
And during another break, the crowd was shown how to dance to the upcoming 鈥淭ime Warp鈥� number from 鈥淭he Rocky Horror Show.鈥�
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