Come From Away fails to land Tonys’ top prize
But statuette goes to director of Canadian-made musical
Christopher Ashley paid tribute to the people of Newfoundland as he accepted his Tony award for best director of a musical for Come From Away on Sunday night.
The play is set in Gander, N.L., in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks.
“Most of all, I’d like to accept this on behalf of the people of Newfoundland and all of the first responders and their families in New York . . . who gave their lives,” Ashley said in his acceptance speech.
Ashley also acknowledged the “extraordinary” Canadian co-creators of Come From Away, Irene Sankoff and David Hein, who he said told the show’s story “with so much grace and heart.”
The musical was up for seven Tonys, but lost in several categories — including best new musical — to Dear Evan Hansen, the night’s big winner.
Dear Evan Hansen, which centres on a lonely 17-year-old who fabricates a prior friendship with a class- mate who has just committed suicide, picked up six Tonys, including statuettes for best book, score, best actor for Ben Platt, orchestrations and best featured actress.
Platt thanked his castmates, crew and family, calling his parents his heroes. He had this inspiring message for young people: “The things that make you strange are the things that make you powerful.”
Oslo, a three-hour meditation on diplomacy, was named best play and picked up the award for best actor in a featured role for Michael Aronov.
A revival of Hello, Dolly starring Bette Midler took four statuettes, including best revival, while Midler won the best actress trophy. Among the many people she thanked was Natasha Katz, her lighting designer, for making her look younger than she is. She refused to be played off, silencing the orchestra as the crowd roared. “This has the ability to lift your spirits in these terrible, terrible times,” she said of her show.
Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Oscar winners for their song “City of Stars” from the movie La La Land, added to a remarkable year by earning Tonys for best score for Dear Evan Hansen.
The musical Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812, which went into the show with 12 nominations, seemed to stall after winning two technical awards, for best set and lighting.
Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon won her second Tony, this time for her work in Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes, while Kevin Kline won his third for playing an egomaniacal matinee idol in the midst of personal turmoil in Present Laughter.
Kevin Spacey kicked off his first Tony hosting gig with self-deprecating wit, dancing, singing and joking his way through an opening number that linked all four best new musical nominees and doing his best Glenn Close impersonation.