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”
