Tony Awards 2021: ‘The Inheritance’ wins the Best Play award

As the 74th Tony Awards commenced, celebrating and honouring the achievements of the 2019-2020 Broadway season. While the ceremony was initially supposed to happen on June 7, 2020, it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the many awards presented during the evening, the best new play award was bagged by Matthew Lopez’s ‘The Inheritance’.

It is a two-part, seven-hour epic that begins with “Howards End” looking at gay life in the early 21st century. The play roped in many other awards for its team, including best actor in a play by Andrew Burnap, Stephen Daldry as best director and best performance by an actress in a featured role in a play by Lois Smith.

‘Inheritance’ premiered in 2018 in London, where it won many best play awards, and is directed by now-three-time Tony Award winner Stephen Daldry.

Matthew Lopez has argued that the “closeted Forster in “Howards End” was telling a queer story using straight characters” so he decided to “retell it in a contemporary setting using gay male characters in place of the heterosexual characters in the book.”

Others nominated for the awards were ‘Grand Horizons’, ‘Sea Wall/A Life’, ‘Slave Play’ and ‘The Sound Inside’.

The Tony awards this year has employed a unique format, which started with an award ceremony hosted by singer and actress Audra McDonald and streamed on Paramount+. The live concert event ‘The Tony Awards Present: Broadway’s Back!’began at 9 pm and was hosted by Leslie Odom Jr. It is being broadcast on CBS and streamed on Paramount+. 

As per CBS News, here’s a list of other winners and those nominated along with them. 

Best Revival of a Play

“A Soldier’s Play” — Winner

“Betrayal”

“Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune”

Best Book of a Musical

Diablo Cody – “Jagged Little Pill” — Winner

John Logan – “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”

Katori Hall, Frank Ketelaar, and Kees Prins – “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical”

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play

Andrew Burnap – “The Inheritance” — Winner

Ian Barford – “Linda Vista”

Jake Gyllenhaal – “Sea Wall/A Life”

Tom Hiddleston – “Betrayal”

Tom Sturridge – “Sea Wall/A Life”

Blair Underwood – “A Soldier’s Play”

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play

Mary-Louise Parker – “The Sound Inside” — Winner

Joaquina Kalukango – “Slave Play”

Laura Linney – “My Name Is Lucy Barton”

Audra McDonald – “Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune”

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical

Aaron Tveit – “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” — Winner

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical

Adrienne Warren – “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical” — Winner

Karen Olivo – “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”

Elizabeth Stanley – “Jagged Little Pill”

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play

David Alan Grier – “A Soldier’s Play” — Winner

Ato Blankson-Wood – “Slave Play”

James Cusati-Moyer – “Slave Play”

John Benjamin Hickey – “The Inheritance”

Paul Hilton – “The Inheritance”

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play

Lois Smith – “The Inheritance” — Winner

Jane Alexander – “Grand Horizons”

Chalia La Tour – “Slave Play”

Annie McNamara – “Slave Play”

Cora Vander Broek – “Linda Vista”

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical

Danny Burstein – “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” — Winner

Derek Klena – “Jagged Little Pill”

Sean Allan Krill – “Jagged Little Pill”

Sahr Ngaujah – “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”

Daniel J. Watts – “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical”

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical

Lauren Patten – “Jagged Little Pill” — Winner

Kathryn Gallagher – “Jagged Little Pill”

Celia Rose Gooding – “Jagged Little Pill”

Robyn Hurder – “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”

Myra Lucretia Taylor – “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical”

Best Direction of a Play

Stephen Daldry – “The Inheritance” — Winner

David Cromer – “The Sound Inside”

Kenny Leon – “A Soldier’s Play”

Jamie Lloyd – “Betrayal”

Robert O’Hara – “Slave Play”

Best Direction of a Musical

Alex Timbers – “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” — Winner

Phyllida Lloyd – “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical”

Diane Paulus – “Jagged Little Pill”

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics Written for the Theatre)

Christopher Nightingale (music) – “A Christmas Carol” — Winner

Paul Englishby (music) – “The Inheritance”

Fitz Patton and Jason Michael Webb (music) – “The Rose Tattoo”

Lindsay Jones (music) – “Slave Play”

Daniel Kluger (music) – “The Sound Inside”

Best Choreography

Sonya Tayeh – “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” — Winner

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui – “Jagged Little Pill”

Anthony Van Laast – “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical”

Best Scenic Design of a Play

Rob Howell – “A Christmas Carol” — Winner

Bob Crowley – “The Inheritance”

Soutra Gilmour – “Betrayal”

Derek McLane – “A Soldier’s Play”

Clint Ramos – “Slave Play”

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Derek McLane – “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” — Winner

Riccardo Hernández and Lucy MacKinnon – “Jagged Little Pill”

Mark Thompson and Jeff Sugg – “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical”

Best Costume Design of a Play

Rob Howell – “A Christmas Carol” — Winner

Dede Ayite – “Slave Play”

Dede Ayite – “A Soldier’s Play”

Bob Crowley – “The Inheritance”

Clint Ramos – “The Rose Tattoo”

Best Costume Design in a Musical

Catherine Zuber – “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” — Winner

Emily Rebholz – “Jagged Little Pill”

Mark Thompson – “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical”

Best Lighting Design of a Play

Hugh Vanstone – “A Christmas Carol” — Winner

Jiyoun Chang – “Slave Play”

Jon Clark – “The Inheritance”

Heather Gilbert – “The Sound Inside”

Allen Lee Hughes – “A Soldier’s Play”

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

Justin Townsend – “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” — Winner

Bruno Poet – “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical”

Justin Townsend – “Jagged Little Pill”

Best Sound Design of a Play

Simon Baker – “A Christmas Carol” — Winner

Paul Arditti and Christopher Reid – “The Inheritance”

Lindsay Jones – “Slave Play”

Daniel Kluger – “Sea Wall/A Life”

Daniel Kluger – “The Sound Inside”

Best Sound Design of a Musical

Peter Hylenski – “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” — Winner

Jonathan Deans – “Jagged Little Pill”

Nevin Steinberg – “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical”

Best Orchestration

Katie Kresek, Charlie Rosen, Matt Stine and Justin Levine – “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” — Winner

Tom Kitt – “Jagged Little Pill”

Ethan Popp – “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical”