The long-delayed 74th Tony Awards was held on Sunday, September 26 in a two-part telecast staged at the Winter Garden theater. Six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald hosted a ceremony on Paramount+ that included the awarding of all but three of the Tonys. “Hamilton” star Leslie Odom, Jr. then emceed a celebration of Broadway on CBS that included the top three prizes: Best Musical, Best Play and Best Play Revival.
Nominations were announced back on October 15, 2020. Of the 18 eligible productions from the shortened 2019-2020 Broadway season, 15 reaped bids across 25 competitive categories. (The new tuner “The Lightning Thief” was snubbed as were two new plays, “The Great Society” and “The Height of the Storm.”)
The musical “Jagged Little Pill,” a stage adaptation of Alanis Morissette’s 1995 album of the same name, leads with 15 nominations including Best Musical and for six of its cast. “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” is right behind with 14 nominations. That adaptation of the 2001 Baz Luhrmann film, scored the only Musical Actor nomination of the season for Aaron Tveit. In order to win, he has to be found worthy by 60% of the 784 Tony voters. Jukebox musical “Tina – The Tina Turner Musical” rounds out the top tuner category and scored 12 nominations overall.
On the play side, “Slave Play” reaped a record 12 nominations. This new work by Jeremy O. Harris eclipsed the benchmark of 11 nominations set by the 2018 revival of Tony Kushner’s “Angels in America.” “The Inheritance” tied that “Angels” achievement. The contest between the two for the top prize is shaping up to be the most exciting races of the season.
SEE 2020 Tony Awards: Complete list of winners (and nominees) in all 25 categories [UPDATING LIVE]
The nominators spread the wealth in the play categories, citing 10 other new dramas and revivals: “A Soldier’s Play,” 7 nominations; “The Sound Inside,” 6 nominations; “A Christmas Carol,” 5 nominations; “Betrayal” and “Sea Wall/A Life,” 4 nominations; “Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune,” “Grand Horizons,” “Linda Vista,” and “The Rose Tattoo,” 2 nominations each; and “My Name is Lucy Barton” for its sole performer Laura Linney.
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While the nominations were determined by 48 theater professionals, Tony Awards winners were decided by 831 members of the Broadway community. So what happened on Tonys night, and how can we make sense of it all? Follow along below for our live report on who won, who lost and what it all means as it happens. (All times listed are Eastern.)
7:09 pm BEST FEATURED ACTOR (PLAY) – David Alan Grier, “A Soldier’s Play”
David Alan Grier prevailed in one of the closest acting races of the night, overcoming Paul Hilton (“The Inheritance”) who did not attend. Our combined odds were correct in forecasting this win. Grier gave a heartfelt shoutout to director Kenny Leon while shouting “tough bananas” to his fellow nominees. Is “A Soldier’s Play” now positioned to win Best Play Revival?
7:13 pm BEST FEATURED ACTOR (MUSICAL) – Danny Burstein, “Moulin Rouge!”
No surprise here. Danny Burstein takes the prize after being widely predicted to prevail after his seventh nomination without a win. Presenter John Lithgow was ecstatic in announcing the news and the crowd burst into rapturous applause. Burstein is perhaps one of the most overdue actors in the business and this win must feel incredible for him after enduring a brutal year in which he battled covid and lost his wife (Tony nominee Rebecca Luker) to ALS.
7:16 pm BEST FEATURED ACTRESS (PLAY) – Lois Smith, “The Inheritance”
Our combined odds lead us down the right track once again, as Lois Smith finally claimed a Tony Award on her third nomination. The 90 year old is now the oldest Tony winning actor in history, surpassing Cicely Tyson (who won at age 88). Smith appropriately referenced EM Forster’s “only connect” quote in her acceptance speech.
7:19 pm BEST FEATURED ACTRESS (MUSICAL) – Lauren Patten, “Jagged Little Pill”
Lauren Patten dominated our combined odds all season long and did not disappoint tonight. Her rendition of “You Oughta Know” earned daily standing ovations. “Jagged Little Pill” remains a threat to upset in the top race for Best Musical, but it might need a surprise win somewhere else in order to tip the scales in its favor.
7:23 pm SPECIAL TONY AWARD – David Byrne (“American Utopia”)
Ruthie Ann Miles presented David Byrne with a special Tony Award for his “American Utopia,” crediting his producing team for taking “a good risk” on mounting the project on a Broadway stage.
7:33 pm BEST SCENIC DESIGN (PLAY) – Rob Howell (“A Christmas Carol”)
7:34 pm BEST COSTUME DESIGN (PLAY) – Rob Howell (“A Christmas Carol”)
7:35 pm BEST LIGHTING DESIGN (PLAY) – Hugh Vanstone (“A Christmas Carol”)
James Monroe Iglehart (“Aladdin”) and Jeremy Pope (“Choir Boy”) accepted these three Play design categories on behalf of Howell and Vanstone.
7:36 pm SPECIAL TONY AWARD –”Freestyle Love Supreme”
Jenny Steingart and Anthony Veneziale accepted this special Tony Award recognizing the Broadway run of “Freestyle Love Supreme” after eighteen years of work on the project with their collaborators, including Thomas Kail and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
7:41 pm BEST SCENIC DESIGN (MUSICAL) – Derek McLane (“Moulin Rouge! The Musical”)
McClane received the second Tony Award of his career. In his speech, McClane credited his father for teaching him the values of hard work, patience, and “a love of adventure and travel and of foreign cultures.”
7:43 pm BEST COSTUME DESIGN (MUSICAL) – Catherine Zuber (“Moulin Rouge! The Musical”)
Zuber received her 10th Tony Award for her work on “Moulin Rouge!,” crediting director Alex Timbers, who “brings out the best in all of us,” as well as her fellow designers and the cast of the musical.
7:45 pm BEST LIGHTING DESIGN (MUSICAL) – Justin Townsend (“Moulin Rouge! The Musical”)
Townsend won the first Tony of his career and thought back to seeing “Moulin Rouge!” the movie for the first time. As our odds predicted, “Moulin Rouge!” swept the three design categories, which bodes well for its prospects of taking the top prize of the evening.
7:49 pm BEST SOUND DESIGN (MUSICAL) – Peter Hylenski (“Moulin Rouge! The Musical”)
After eight nominations, Hylenski won his first Tony Award. In his speech, he reflected on the Broadway shutdown and emphasized “just how much I cherish this.” With this victory, “Moulin Rouge!” claims all four Musical design categories.
7:51 pm BEST SOUND DESIGN (PLAY) – Simon Baker (“A Christmas Carol”)
7:53 pm BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – Christopher Nightingale (“A Christmas Carol”)
Lin-Manuel Miranda accepted the Tony on behalf of Nightingale, who was unable to attend the ceremony. “A Christmas Carol” is the first play to win in the Original Score category in the history of the Tony Awards.
8:01 pm BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL – Diablo Cody (“Jagged Little Pill”)
Diablo Cody held the top spot in our combined odds this season. While all of the nominees are from jukebox musicals, Cody was the only one who was tasked with weaving pre-existing songs into an original story. This is the second win of the night for the musical, and an important victory if it wants to have a chance to defeat “Moulin Rouge!” for the top award.
8:03 pm BEST ORCHESTRATIONS – Justin Levine, Katie Kresk, Charlie Rosen, and Matt Stine, “Moulin Rouge!”
The four person team from “Moulin Rouge!” had to accept their trophy two at a time on the stage of the Winter Garden thanks to Covid health regulations. But they did an admirable job in giving everyone time. The team had over 70 pop songs to work with, often combining them into medleys and with drastic changes to their original style.
8:07 pm BEST CHOREOGRAPHY – Sonya Tayeh (“Moulin Rouge!”)
“Moulin Rouge!” continues its full sweep of the below-the-line categories for musicals. This marks Tayeh’s first win, from her first nomination.
8:14 pm BEST DIRECTION (PLAY) – Stephen Daldry (“The Inheritance”)
Daldry snatched an upset victory over Robert O’Hara (“Slave Play”) who lead our prediction center. Perhaps voters appreciated the way Daldry wrangled the massive two part epic and its large ensemble cast. Is there now a chance that “The Inheritance” takes down the buzzier “Slave Play” in the top category?
8:18 pm BEST DIRECTOR (MUSICAL) – Alex Timbers (“Moulin Rouge!”)
Many theater fans likely screamed “finally!” at Alex Timbers claiming his first victory at the Tonys after years of great work. But “Moulin Rouge!” is one of the most lavish, over-the-top productions Broadway has seen in recent years. This win was in the bag from the beginning.
8:32 pm BEST ACTOR (PLAY) – Andrew Burnap (“The Inheritance”)
The authors of this live blog are simultaneously cheering for Andrew Burnap while scolding themselves for swapping him out of their predictions for Tom Hiddleston (“Betrayal”) at the last moment. This young actor won on his first nomination, beating a crowded category of much more famous names. Is “The Inheritance” coming for the Best Play trophy? It sure seems possible.
8:36 pm BEST ACTOR (MUSICAL) – Aaron Tveit (“Moulin Rouge!”)
Whew! Thank god that worked out. It was possible that Aaron Tveit would lose this category if he failed to earn 60% of affirmative votes. But the Tonys weren’t so cruel. Tveit has been snubbed before for “Catch Me if You Can” and “Next to Normal,” so the genuine emotion in his acceptance speech made for one of the most heartfelt moments of the evening.
8:41 pm BEST ACTRESS (PLAY) – Mary-Louise Parker (“The Sound Inside”)
Mary-Louise Parker fended off stiff competition from Joaquina Kalukango (“Slave Play”) as the sole win for “The Sound Inside.” Parker a speech both emotional and funny in her first win in 20 years. “Slave Play” has no more categories to win. Winning the Best Play prize without another win isn’t unheard of at the Tonys (see: “Vanya, Sonia, Masha, and Spike”), but it’s path to victory is now quite rocky.
8:44 pm BEST ACTRESS (MUSICAL) – Adrienne Warren (“Tina”)
There’s been plenty of upsets in the Play categories, but this win went as expected. Along with every Musical race this year. Warren dedicated her award to the three family members she lost during the run of “Tina” and encouraged the Broadway industry to adopt meaningful change to include a more diverse set of “souls and bodies.”
9:32 pm BEST PLAY REVIVAL – “A Soldier’s Play”
We’re back! The top three categories of the ceremony will be given out during this “Broadway’s Back” special on CBS. “A Soldier’s Play” wins Revival for what is actually the show’s first time on Broadway. This means the other two nominees in the category (“Betrayal” and “Frankie and Johnny’) go home empty handed while “A Soldier’s Play” ends the night with two wins total.
9:48 pm BEST PLAY – “The Inheritance”
“The Inheritance” began the Tony season in first place in our odds, but was soon overtaken by “Slave Play” as the season wore on. But when “The Inheritance” managed hard fought victories for Best Actor and Director, the writing was on the wall for an upset victory. Playwright Matthew Lopez used the speech to dedicate his victory to three important queer men in his life: E.M. Forster, Terrence McNally, and Miguel Pinero.
10:41 pm BEST MUSICAL – “Moulin Rouge!”
“Moulin Rouge!” completed their fantastic night at the Tonys by claiming the big prize of the night. They finish out the night with a grand total of 10 wins. Producer Carmen Pavlovic used her acceptance speech to reflect on the long Broadway shutdown. “I think that all the shows from last season should be thought of as Best Musical,” she stated, in a humble and positive end to the night’s awards.
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