Tonys 2022 Reactions

Source: 
Tony Awards 2022: The Biggest Snubs and Surprises (thewrap.com)

So... the Tony Awards... it's been a hot second since I've talked about this hasn't it? Thanks a lot Covid. 

After rather a busy week, including catching Legally Blonde, the new tour of Anything Goes (won't write about this tour specifically as I saw the Christmas streaming from the Barbican on the TV, if anyone wants any thoughts, please DM me on home page form); oh and a George Ezra gig in Leeds with my brother, I am finally catching up with what happened in the Great White Way - hopefully, like stated, just a nickname 😉

As a huge thanks to Covid, we haven't been able to have a full ceremony since the 2018-19 season. And while the build up I felt was definitely a lot more understated than in previous years, the night itself, from what I caught of it, was celebratory and thankful. 

Celebratory of the community and of the work presented: stories about people of colour, of women, of the LGBTQ+ community: and thankful to get back up and working! 

Hosting was the world's new favourite, originally of this very community, Ariana DeBose (who won a friggin OSCAR for West Side Story!!). If you weren't obsessed with her then, you will be after you watch the opening performance, written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss... 

And speaking of those two...

That brings me in very timely to gush over the fact that their little show written while they were at university together is now A TONY WINNING SHOW! Marlow and Moss won for Best Original Score, and Gabriella Slade won for Best Costume Design of a Musical (she's also killing it with her costumes for The Cher Show right now), for a little show called SIX. 

This British juggernaut already made a record before it opened as Moss became the youngest female director in Broadway history, but their win has also made Marlow the first ever non-binary Tony winner! Congratulations guys from the entire British Theatre Community! 

Let's stick with British success shall we, as The Lehman Trilogy, premiering at the National, took home the gong for Best New Play, Best Director in a Play for Sam Mendes, and Best Actor in a Play for Simon Russel Beale. 

And let's not forget the revival of Company, which is making as big of a splash in New York as it did in London. And just like in the Oliviers, it won Best Revival of a Musical, Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Matt Doyle (who played Jamie, just like in London going to Jonathan Bailey), and Patti LuPone winning her 3rd Tony for playing Joanne, again like the Oliver in London. 

In her acceptance speech, I loved that she thanked swings and understudies in not just her show, but across every show on Broadway, just like DeBose did in her hosting duties; as well as all the Covid-safety people - they take mask-wearing a lot more seriously than the West End does. Also in her acceptance speech, director Marianne Elliot took the time to thank the late, great Stephen Sondheim. 

It would have course felt if there was no tribute to the theatre giant. Lead by Lin Manuel-Miranda, it led into a moving performance of Into The Woods' Children Will Listen, sung by the original witch Bernadette Peters. There wasn't a single dry eye in the house after that. 

Ok, so we've talked about stories on Broadway this year featuring women at the centre, such as SIX and Company, as well as Caroline Or Change, giving Sharon D Clarke her first ever Tony nomination (whoop whoop!). 

But now let's move onto the big winners, giving stories of both people of colour and also LGBTQ+ at the centre. 

In terms of new shows, the there 2 big winners who seemed to sweep up the big awards, but before I get on to those two, I wanted to mention Paradise Square. It only picked up one award, but it was a big one, that being for Leading Actress in a Musical for Joaquina Kalukango. That may be its only win, but someone PLEASE remind me to check this out properly because this sounds amazing! Set during the Civil War era New York, centring on a settlement consisting of free and former-salved African-Americans, and new Irish immigrants. Anyone know if there is a cast recording coming out? 

Now the final two big winners consist of MJ The Musical and A Strange Loop. MJ is the latest bio-jukebox-musical to make it to the stage, winning the most Tonys in terms of numbers; including Best Actor in a Musical, for its star Myles Frost. 

But you know what it failed to win: Best Musical, and Best Book of a Musical, which were picked up by A Strange Loop. This is just behind Paradise Square in terms of me wanting to investigate. It has won the Pulitzer Prize after all, the last musical to do so I think being Hamilton. Having said that though, with it being the one with the most nominations, the only surprise was that it didn't win more as you would perhaps expect the front-runner to be. 

Set in New York, it chronicles a black, queer usher for a Broadway show trying to write a musical about a black, queer usher trying to write a musical, who.... You get the picture. 

This has a couple more very exciting congrats attached to it: first, for the first ever trans actress to be nominated for a Tony (L. Morgan Lee was beaten by Ms LuPone), but also it is thanks to this show winning Best Musical that the incredible Jennifer Hudson, who was a producer on the show, has now achieved EGOT status! Woop woop! Only the 2nd black woman to achieve it, the 1st being Whoopi Goldberg. Take THAT Simon Cowell!

Now onto the shut outs, and the big fat snobs were for the revivals of The Music Man, and for Funny Girl. Company truly swamped in the revival categories; in the year of Sondheim's death and becoming a symbol for Broadway reopening. Both of these though also have had some sort of backlash/similar that may have put off Tony voters. 

With The Music Man, despite starring Broadway favourites Huge Jackman and Sutton Foster (Anything Goes), likely to both the Voldy (You-know-Who) fiasco, and also to the backlash of how Beetlejuice was shunted out in order for Harold Hill and his band to march in. 

With Funny Girl, it has sadly not being as well-received as people had either expected or wanted to, but this is likely due to a lot of people being sad that Beanie Feldstein isn't Barbara Streisand 2.0. 

Now, from snubs, to reunions: following their reunion documentary, we had the original cast of Spring Awakening perform Touch Me - and making us fall even deeper for Skylar Astin even more than before. 

And I finally have to mention the dame, the legend, the inspiring Angela Lansbury winning the Lifetime Achievement Award, which will have made it her a 6-time Tony winner. Although..... CBS APPARNETLY DID NOT AIR HER SEGMENT AND ACCEPTANCE SPEECH... EXCUSE ME!!!

Sorry, had to get that off my chest. 

All-round a very interesting Tonys. A lot of original material, a lot of British success, a couple of new shows for me to look into and wonder if they will transfer or not. Just would like a bit more footage to be released..?