‘Moulin Rouge,’ ‘The Inheritance’ and ‘A Soldier’s Play’ Win Big at the Tony Awards

The Tony Awards livestreamed on Paramount+ Sunday night from the Winter Garden Theatre, followed by a two-hour CBS concert special titled Broadway’s Back! The awards ceremony kicked off at 7 pm EST and was hosted by Audra McDonald. The concert portion was hosted by Hamilton star Leslie Odom Jr. and featured performances from nominated musicals, including nominated musicals Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Jagged Little Pill and Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. It ended with the biggest prizes of the evening: Best Musical, Best Play and Best Revival of a Play.

The Inheritance won Best Play, and Andrew Burnap won Lead for his role in it. Moulin Rouge won Best Musical and Best Direction for a Musical. A Soldier’s Play snagged Best Revival of a Play and Best Performance for David Alan Grier.

Before the pandemic, the Tonys were set for June of 2020, but as the entertainment industry and world shut down, they were scuttled, and postponed twice. During the pandemic, several beloved stars, including Nick Cordero and Tony Award-winning playwright Terrence McNally succumbed to COVID-19.

Last week, Broadway reopened to great fanfare after almost a year and a half of silence.

HIGHLIGHTS

The presenters included Andrew Lloyd Webber, Idina Menzel, Lin Manuel-Miranda, Ben Platt, Beanie Feldstein, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jordan Fisher, Santino Fontana, Andrew Garfield, Annaleigh Ashford, Kristin Chenoweth, André De Shields and Jake Gyllenhaal.

The telecast featured performances by John Legend and the cast of Ain’t Too Proud, David Byrne and American Utopia, the original cast of Hairspray including Marissa Jaret Winokur and Matthew Morrison, and a special closing performance from Freestyle Love Supreme featuring Lin-Manuel Miranda, James Monroe Iglehart, Christopher Jackson, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Wayne Brady and more.

While accepting an award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical for her role in Jagged Little Pill, Lauren Patten thanked her trans and non-binary colleagues for engaging in a dialogue about her character Jo. “I am so excited to see the action that comes from them.”

There were some surprises, including Burnap of The Inheritance winning the Tony for his lead performance in the play, beating out other established stars, including Gyllenhaal, Tom Hiddleston, Tom Sturridge, Blair Underwood and Ian Barford.

Slave Play, nominated for 12 awards, received none.

74th ANNUAL TONY AWARDS WINNERS LIST

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
David Alan Grier, A Soldier’s Play

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Danny Burstein, Moulin Rouge! The Musical

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Lois Smith, The Inheritance

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Lauren Patten, Jagged Little Pill

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Rob Howell, A Christmas Carol

Best Costume Design of a Play
Rob Howell, A Christmas Carol

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Hugh Vanstone, A Christmas Carol

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Derek McLane, Moulin Rouge! The Musical

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Catherine Zuber, Moulin Rouge! The Musical

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Justin Townsend, Moulin Rouge! The Musical

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Peter Hylenski, Moulin Rouge! The Musical

Best Sound Design of a Play
Simon Baker, A Christmas Carol

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
A Christmas Carol
Music: Christopher Nightingale

Best Book of a Musical
Jagged Little Pill
Diablo Cody

Best Orchestrations
Katie Kresek, Charlie Rosen, Matt Stine and Justin Levine, Moulin Rouge! The Musical

Best Choreography
Sonya Tayeh, Moulin Rouge! The Musical

Best Direction of a Play
Stephen Daldry, The Inheritance

Best Direction of a Musical
Alex Timbers, Moulin Rouge! The Musical

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Andrew Burnap, The Inheritance

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Aaron Tveit, Moulin Rouge! The Musical

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Mary-Louise Parker, The Sound Inside

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Adrienne Warren, Tina – The Tina Turner Musical

Best Musical

Moulin Rouge

Best Play

The Inheritance

Best Revival of a Play

A Soldier’s Play

Special Tony Awards

The Broadway Advocacy Coalition

David Byrne’s American Utopia

Freestyle Love Supreme

Tony Honors For Excellence

Fred Gallo

Irene Gandy

Beverly Jenkins

Woodie King, Jr.

The 2020 Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award

Julie Halston