BROADWAY GOES HIGH-STEPPING
With ‘Hamilton’ in rearview mirror, new shows, stars align
How to wow Broadway lovers and keep Tony audiences glued to the screen in the post-Hamilton era? Well, start out by lining up the big stars.
For the 71st Tony awards Sunday night, broadcast from Radio City Music Hall, host Kevin Spacey got a helping hand from Stephen Colbert, dressed like a groundhog; Whoopi Goldberg, emerging from a closet; and Billy Crystal, who offered a pep talk via remote feed. In an early nod to Dear Evan
Hansen, a musical about adolescent anxiety, peer pressure and social media, Spacey emerged on stage dressed like a character from the show sporting a cast marked #HOST.
The revival of Hello, Dolly!, starring the divine Bette Midler, was a heavy favorite going into the night — much speculation revolved around whether Midler would perform the show’s signature song — and scored early, winning best costume design for a musical and performance for a featured actor
in a musical for Gavin Creel.
Cynthia Nixon won featured actress for the revival of Lillian
Hellman’s The Little Foxes, about greed and betrayal in a Southern family with shrinking prospects. Nixon alternated the top female roles in the play, Regina, the villainous manipulator, and Birdie, the delicate alcoholic. Best score went to Dear Evan
Hansen, which opened in December to rapturous reviews and instantaneous Tony predictions. The score was from theater darlings Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (they won an Oscar for City of
Stars from La La Land).
In a surprise win for Oslo, a hit drama that draws drama and emotion from secret peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians, Michael Aronov took home featured actor in a play, beating out the heavily favored Danny DeVito for The Price.
James Earl Jones received a Lifetime Achievement award and joked, “So this is a big deal, huh? If you say so.” He rattled off thank yous: “I want to thank the NYPD for assisting us with backstage doors every night. Finally, I want to thank my wife, Cece, for being such a wonderful companion in my life and my work and being
the greatest co-producer of our son Flynn and for being so dazzling on the red carpet.”
The other early winners were a mixed bag. Lighting design of a play went to Indecent, a Broadway play about a Broadway play, an early 20th-century Yiddish drama, God of Vengeance, with a lesbian kiss scene that so scandalized the public it was shut down by the police. Scenic design
for a musical went to Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of
1812, an offbeat pop opera, about Russian aristocrats in the early 19th century starring Josh Groban.
On the red carpet before the show, Ben Platt, nominee for leading actor in a musical for
Dear Evan, was humble about the show’s recognition.
“I think we all believed in it and saw there was some potential in it . ... But I certainly couldn’t see this spectacular evening happening.”
Lea Salonga was set to introduce Sunday night’s performance from the revival of Miss Saigon, featuring leading actress in a musical nominee Eva Noblezada, who is in the role Salonga originated. Salonga won for her turn at the role of Kim. It’s a “massive dream come true,” Noblezada said of Salonga’s appearance.