New York, Jun 9: The best new play trophy at Sunday’s Tony Awards went to “Purpose,” Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ drawing-room drama about an accomplished Black family exposing hypocrisy and pressures during a snowed-in gathering.
It caps a remarkable year for Jacobs-Jenkins, who in addition to winning back-to-back Tonys — his “Appropriate” won best play revival in 2024 — earned the Pulitzer Prize for “Purpose.” (That win came the day of the Met Gala, where he served on the host committee.) Jacobs-Jenkins becomes the first Black playwright to win for best new play since August Wilson took home the trophy in 1987 for “Fences.” He urged Tony viewers to support regional theatres.
Kara Young — the first Black female actor to be nominated for a Tony Award in four consecutive years — became the first Black person to win two Tonys consecutively with the featured actress in a play trophy for her work in “Purpose.” Young thanked her parents, Jacobs-Jenkins, her cast and director Phylicia Rashad.
“Theater is a sacred space that we have to honour and treasure, and it makes us united,” she said.
“Succession” star Sarah Snook took home the trophy for leading actress in a play for her tireless work in “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” where she plays all 26 roles.
“I don’t feel alone any night that I do this show,” Snook said, dismissing the idea of her play as a one-woman show. “There are so many people onstage making it work and behind the stage making it work.”
Francis Jue won best actor in a featured role in a play for his work in a revival of “Yellow Face.” He said he was gifted the tuxedo he was wearing from another Asian actor who wanted him to wear it to the Tonys.
“I’m only here because of the encouragement and inspiration of generations of wonderful deserving Asian artists who came before me,” he said. “To those who don’t feel seen,” he added, “I see you.”
Jak Malone won best actor in a featured role in a musical for the British import “Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical,” playing a woman every performance. He hoped his win could be a powerful advocacy for trans rights.
The host with the most
First-time host Cynthia Erivo kicked off the show from her dressing room in Radio City Music Hall, urged by the stage manager to get to the stage. He asked if she had an opening number and she replied she hadn’t figured it out yet.
As she made her way through the backstage warren, she ran into various people offering advice until she reached Oprah Winfrey, who advised, “The only thing you need to do is just be yourself.” Erivo then appeared at the stage in a red, spangly gown with white accents, hip cocked, as she launched into the slow-burning original song “Sometimes All You Need Is a Song,” written by Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.
Initially alone with just a pianist, Erivo’s soaring voice was soon joined by dozens of members of the Broadway Inspirational Voices choir, all dressed in white, making her look like a powerful strawberry in a bowl of whipped cream. She went into the audience and got front-row guests to sing along, including Adam Lambert.
In her opening comments, she singled out first-time nominees Louis McCartney, Sadie Sink, Cole Escola and “an up-and-comer that I think you’re going to really be hearing quite a bit about — George Clooney.”
She noted that the 2024-2025 season took in USD 1.9 billion, making it the highest-grossing season ever and signalling that Broadway has finally emerged from the COVID-19 blues.
“Broadway is officially back,” Erivo said. “Provided we don’t run out of cast members from Succession,” a nod to appearances this season by former co-stars Snook and Kieran Culkin and last season by Jeremy Strong.
Pre-show results
“Buena Vista Social Club” and “Maybe Happy Ending” built up early heads of steam at the pre-show, well before the main event had even started. The best book and best score awards went to “Maybe Happy Ending,” with lyrics written by Hue Park and music composed by Will Aronson. The show was one of the favourites to win the best new musical crown, also picking up best scenic design of a musical.
Justin Peck and Patricia Delgado won for choreographing “Buena Vista Social Club” and Peck noted a song from the renowned album was played at their wedding. The musical takes its inspiration from Wim Wenders’ 1999 Oscar-nominated documentary on the making of the Cuban album. Marco Paguia, winning best orchestrations for “Buena Vista Social Club,” thanked Broadway for welcoming Cuban music.
Best costumes in a play went to Marg Hornwell for “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” while “Death Becomes Her” won the musical counterpart, a win for Paul Tazewell in a year where he also became the first Black man to win an Oscar for designing costumes, for “Wicked.”
“I have dressed so many of you out there,” he said from the podium.
This season on Broadway
Broadway buzz is usually reserved for musicals but this year the plays — powered by A-list talent like Snook and Clooney — have driven the conversation. There were two Pulitzer winners — 2024 awardee “English” and “Purpose” from 2025 — but perhaps one of the season’s biggest surprises was “Oh, Mary!,” Escola’s irreverent, raunchy, gleefully deranged revisionist history centered on Mary Todd Lincoln. It was empty-handed as the Tonys reached the midpoint.
On the musical side, three options seem to be in the mix for the top prize: “Maybe Happy Ending,” the rom-com about a pair of androids; “Dead Outlaw,” about an alcoholic drifter whose embalmed body becomes a prized possession for half a century; and “Death Becomes Her,” the musical satire about longtime frenemies who drink a magic potion for eternal youth and beauty. “Maybe Happy Ending,” “Death Becomes Her” and fellow musical nominee, “Buena Vista Social Club,” led nominations going into the night with 10 apiece.
History on the line
Audra McDonald, the most recognised performer in the theatre awards’ history, could possibly extend her Tony lead. Already the record holder for most acting wins with six Tonys, McDonald could add to that thanks to her leading turn in an acclaimed revival of “Gypsy.” She has to get past Nicole Scherzinger, who has been wowing audiences in “Sunset Blvd.”
Other possible firsts include Daniel Dae Kim, who could become the first Asian winner in the category of best leading actor in a play for his work in a revival of “Yellow Face.”
Broadway this season saw a burst in alt-rock and the emergence of stories of young people for young people, including “John Proctor is the Villain” and a “Romeo + Juliet” pitched to Generation Z and millennials.
Sunday’s telecast, as usual, has a musical number for each of the shows vying for the best new musical crown, as well as some that did not make the cut, like “Just in Time,” a musical about Bobby Darin, and “Real Women Have Curves.” This year, there’s also room for “Hamilton,” celebrating its 10th year on Broadway. But the musicals “BOOP! The Betty Boop Musical” and “SMASH” didn’t get slots.(AP)
