Last night was Broadway’s big night with the 65th Annual Tony Awards. Taking place at the Beacon Theatre, it was less of a Hollywood affair than last year, but the stars shone to honour the best of the season in plays and musicals.
How I Met Your Mother star Neil Patrick Harris took on the role as host (his second time), and had a show-stopping opening number about how Broadway “isn’t just for gays anymore”. Showing off the level of testosterone in the audience, he sang with audience members about their love Broadway. (Stephen Colbert enjoys it with his “female woman wife”.) Towards the end of the night, even Chris Rock made a joke that he would’ve never guessed he’d be missing the NBA finals to hang out with Nathan Lane… Brooke Shields blunders and Spider-Man jokes abounded, and there was a particularly enjoyable duel between Harris and three-time host Hugh Jackman about who can host better.
On to the winners: The Normal Heart–about the HIV-AIDS crisis in 1980s NYC-won big with Best Featured Actress Ellen Barkin and Best Featured Actor John Benjamin Hickey. War Horse–the stunning play about a teenage boy during WWI who heads to France to take back his beloved horse that was sold–won Best Play and Best Director and a (well-deserved) win for Best Scenic Design (among others).
On the musical side, The Book of Mormon was the night’s big winner (no surprise), taking home nine awards out of their 14 nominations, including the coveted Best Musical award and Best Featured Actress, Nikki M. James. The Best Featured Actor award went to Norbert Leo Butz for his role as detective Carl Hanratty in the musical production of Catch Me If You Can. The humbled winner, who said that the award didn’t mean that he deserved it but that he was the luckiest man in the room, honoured his sister Teresa who was slain in Seattle while the show was in pre-Broadway tryouts.
Click here for the complete list of winners.
Did you watch the Tony Awards last night? What did you think of the awards ceremony? Share your thoughts below!
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