Cynthia Eribo arrives at the Tony Awards red carpet in a complicated gown
Cynthia Erivo and Cole Escola will pose for the camera in intricate gowns on the red carpet at the Tony Awards.
New York – Broadway went head overboard with the Androids pair.
“Maybe Happy Ending” is a heart-warming romantic drama about helper robots that are close to Korea, and was a big winner at the Tony Awards on June 8th. The original show, which sparkled last fall, opened with sparkling reviews and slight box office revenue, but gradually became one of New York’s hottest tickets.
This year’s ceremony saw the vibrant Afro-Cuban musical “Buena Vista Social Club” and the Netflix prequel play “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” scooping up multiple trophies. Kara Young (“Purpose”), Francis Joe (“Yellow Face”), Honorary Life Achievement Award Harvey Fiersstein delivered some of the night’s most moving speeches, and Pulitzer Prize-winning “Purpose” hit satire “Ah, Mary!” for the best play.
Here are the biggest moments from this year’s star-studded festival.
Tony’s Host Cynthia Eribo “holds space” along with Oprah Winfrey in the open number
At the top of the TV broadcast, first-time host Eribo playfully shot down a series of suggestions on how to add pizza to her opening number. (Would you blow up George Clooney from a human cannon? Hard pass.)
The “purple color” powerhouse came across Winfrey of the Wings and asked, “What do you do when everyone says what you need to do?” Winfrey distributed her wisdom by saying, “Forget them, forget about the babes. The only thing you need to do is yourself.” With a grin, Eribo began to grab Winfrey’s fingers. Since last fall, she has recreated a viral “holding space” meme with her “evil” co-star Ariana Grande.
“There’s no place like home,” Eribo said on stage with one of her many nods to win “Evil” and “The Wizard of Oz” all night. “And Broadway has always been mine.”
Sarah Snook says “Inheritance” group chat has become wild since Tony won
Snook, best known to HBO fans as Shivroy in “Succession,” won her first Tony Award at the Best Tony Award for the play “Durian Gray Photography,” and gave her marathon performances as 26 different characters in one show.
Over the past year, several “successors” alumni have graced Broadway with a number of “successors” alumni, including Jeremy Strong (“The Enemies of the People”), Kieran Culkin (“Grengary Glen Roth”), Juliana Canfield (“Stereophonic”), and Molly Griggs (“John Proctor is Villrain”).
“We don’t show off the awards much in the photos, but that’s a special group chat like that,” Snook told reporters behind the scenes. “It’s a really special group of people and we’re all down the theatre nerds.”
Last spring, Cate Blanchett’s production company Dirty Films won the film rights to bring “Dorian Grey” to the big screen. Snook said she’s open to changing her role, but she has yet to hear anything about the potential adaptation.
“I don’t know how this turned into a film,” Snook admitted. “It’s particularly complicated to do as a theatrical show. Dramatically, it’s enduring. I think Kip (Williams) will be an incredible director of that project.
Nicole Scheltzinger, Audra MacDonald and “Hamilton” reunion hit Tony’s performance highs
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of “Hamilton,” Lyn Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr., and the original Broadway cast took the stage in a moving medley of the groundbreaking hip-hop musical’s most beloved songs, including “My Shot,” “You Are Back Back,” and “The Form.” MacDonald also raised the audience with a fierce emotional turn of “Rose’s Turn” from “Gypsy.”
Early in the evening, “Sunset Boulevard” top Lady Schelzinger took a breather with the stunning rendition of “It’s like we’ve never said goodbye” introduced by the show’s original Broadway star Glenn Close.
Schörtzinger continued to clinch Tony for the best leading actress in a musical that was considered a neck-neck race with McDonald. “Growing up, I always felt like I didn’t belong,” the former Pussycat Dolls singer said in tears. “But you guys made me feel like I belong to you. I’m finally home.”
“Maybe Happy Ending” star Darren Chris dedicates his wife and children to the Tony Award
In another race in the tightest race of the evening, Chris won the best lead actor in the musical “maybe Happy Ending” and hit the terrifying contenders Jonathan Groff (“Just in Time”) and Tom Francis (“Sunset Boulevard”). “Glee” Dreamboat was happy to thank his spouse for helping raise two young children amid his demanding schedule.
“The real hero… my wife, Mia, has made a massive swing to allow me to do this and allow this crazy upheaval of our lives to be logistically possible,” Chris said.
“And to take the brunt of being able to raise two little friends under the age of three and sing robots at the Velasco Theater eight times a week. Mia, you are a very pedestal in our lives, shiny, supportive of your love and my support.
Cole Escola thanks for grindr hookup with historic victory for non-binary performers
Escola is the crazy genius behind “Ah, Mary!” and won the best lead actor in the play for the inspired turn as first lady Mary Todd Lincoln. They are now the first non-binary performers to win in that Tony category.
Channeling Bernadette Peters in a Weederwhift gown on the shoulders, Escola sprinting to the stage, thanking fellow actor candidates such as George Clooney and Daniel DeKim.
“It’s an honor to be in your company,” Escola said. “It was a sincere joy to spend time with you on these warm salads at all these (Tony) luncheons.” They continued to thank their mom and friends “all gangs.”
Written by Escola, “Ah, Mary!” Lincoln imagines her aspiring alcoholic cabaret star and her husband, Abraham (Conrad Riccamora) as a closed-minded commander. When asked by a reporter whether she would consider Eleno Arrozbert’s comedy next, Escola joked, “She’s being ‘acted.’
The singular playwright had a four-letter word of several choice for those who refused to take chances in strange art. They then compared the best actress showdowns in the presidential election and the Thirdon. (“Another four years!” They died when Schörtzinger won.) But Escola had a serious moment, looking back at the unlikely phenomenon around the show.
“Trust those voices saying, ‘I actually think I’m right,'” Escola said. “It may take 12 years to put a pen on paper, but that voice is correct.”