NEW YORK — “Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” a jukebox adaptation of Baz Luhrmann’s hyperactive 2001 movie, won the best new musical crown at the Tony Awards on a Sunday night when Broadway looked back to honor shows shuttered by COVID-19, mourn its fallen and also look forward to welcoming audiences again.
The show about the goings-on in a turn-of-the-century Parisian nightclub, updated with tunes including “Single Ladies” and “Firework” alongside the big hit “Lady Marmalade,” won 10 Tonys. The record is 12, won by “The Producers.”
Producer Carmen Pavlovic struck a philosophical note in her acceptance speech, sharing the award with all the shows that struggled in the past 18-month shutdown.
“It feels a little odd to me to be talking about one show as best musical. I feel that every show of last season deserves to be thought of as the best musical,” she said. “The shows that opened, the shows that closed not to return, the shows that nearly opened. And, of course, the shows that paused and are fortunate enough to be reborn — best musical is all of those shows.”
“The Inheritance” by Matthew Lopez was named the best new play and won three other awards, and Charles Fuller’s “A Soldier’s Play” won best play revival and an acting award.
Lopez's two-part, seven-hour epic uses “Howards End” as a starting point for a play that looks at gay life in the early 21st century. It also yielded wins for Andrew Burnap as best actor in a play, Stephen Daldry as best director, and Lois Smith as best performance by an actress in a featured role in a play.
Thomas Kirdahy, a producer, dedicated the award to his late husband, the playwright Terrence McNally. Lopez, the first Latino writer to win in the category, urged more plays to be produced from the Latin community. “We have so many stories inside us aching to come out. Let us tell you our stories,” he said.
The pandemic-delayed telecast kicked off with an energetic performance of “You Can’t Stop the Beat” from original Broadway cast members of “Hairspray!” Ali Stroker sang “What I Did for Love” from “A Chorus Line.” Jennifer Holliday also took the stage to deliver an unforgettable rendition of “And I’m Telling You I'm Not Going” from the musical “Dreamgirls.”
The singers performed for a masked and appreciative audience at a packed Winter Garden Theatre. Host Audra McDonald got a standing ovation when she took the stage. “You can’t stop the beat. The heart of New York City!” she said.
“Moulin Rouge! The Musical” won for scenic design, costume, lighting, sound design, orchestrations and a featured acting Tony for Broadway favorite Danny Burstein. Sonya Tayeh won for choreography in her Broadway debut, and Alex Timbers won the trophy for best direction of a musical.
In a surprise to no one, Aaron Tveit won the award for best leading actor in a musical for “Moulin Rouge! The Musical.” That’s because he was the only person nominated in the category. He thanked a long list of people, including his parents, brother, agents, manager and the cast and crew. “We are so privileged to get to do this,” he said, tearing up. “Because what we do changes peoples' lives.”
Burstein, who won for featured actor in a musical and had not won six previous times, thanked the Broadway community for supporting him after the death last year of his wife, Rebecca Luker. "You were there for us, whether you just sent a note or sent your love, sent your prayers — sent bagels — it meant the world to us, and it's something I'll never forget."
David Alan Grier won featured actor in a play for his role in “A Soldier’s Play,” which dissects entrenched Black-white racism as well as internal divisions in the Black military community during World War II. “To my other nominees: Tough bananas, I won,” he said. On stage, the director, Kenny Leon recited the names Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, killed by police. “We will never, ever forget you.”
Adrienne Warren won the Tony for best leading actress in a musical for her electric turn as Tina Turner in “Tina — The Tina Turner Musical.” Warren was considered the front-runner thanks to becoming a one-woman fireball of energy and exhilaration. She dedicated the win to three family members she lost while playing Turner — and thanked Turner herself.
Mary-Louise Parker won her second best lead actress Tony Award, winning for playing a Yale professor who treasures great literature but has made no room in her life for someone to share that love with in “The Sound Inside.” She thanked her dog, whom she was walking in the rain when she bumped into Mandy Greenfield from the Williamstown Theatre Festival, who told her about the play.
Burnap made his Broadway debut in “The Inheritance.” He thanked his mom, and the University of Rhode Island and joked that he felt grateful because “I got to act for seven hours.”
“We are so privileged to get to do this. Because what we do changes peoples' lives."
The sobering musical “Jagged Little Pill,” which plumbs Alanis Morissette’s 1995 breakthrough album to tell a story of an American family spiraling out of control, came into the night with a leading 15 Tony nominations. It left with wins for best book, and Lauren Patten won the award for best featured actress in a musical.
“A Christmas Carol” cleaned up with five technical awards: scenic design of a play, costumes, lighting, sound design and score. But no one from the production was on hand to accept any of the awards.
“Slave Play,” Jeremy O. Harris’ groundbreaking, bracing work that mixes race, sex, taboo desires and class, earned a dozen nominations, making it the most nominated play in Tony history. But it won nothing.
Here is a complete list of the winners, courtesy of The New York Times:
Best Musical
“Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
Best Play
“The Inheritance”
Best Revival of a Play
“A Soldier’s Play”
Best Direction of a Play
Stephen Daldry, “The Inheritance”
Best Direction of a Musical
Alex Timbers, “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
Best Leading Actor in a Play
Andrew Burnap, “The Inheritance”
Best Leading Actress in a Play
Mary-Louise Parker, “The Sound Inside”
Best Leading Actor in a Musical
Aaron Tveit, “Moulin Rouge!”
Best Leading Actress in a Musical
Adrienne Warren, “Tina — The Tina Turner Musical”
Best Featured Actor in a Play
David Alan Grier, “A Soldier’s Play”
Best Featured Actress in a Play
Lois Smith, “The Inheritance”
Best Featured Actor in a Musical
Danny Burstein, “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
Best Featured Actress in a Musical
Lauren Patten, “Jagged Little Pill”
Best Book of a Musical
Diablo Cody, “Jagged Little Pill”
Best Original Score
Christopher Nightingale, “A Christmas Carol”
Best Scenic Design of a Play
Rob Howell, “A Christmas Carol”
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Derek McLane, “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
Best Costume Design of a Play
Rob Howell, “A Christmas Carol”
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Catherine Zuber, “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Hugh Vanstone, “A Christmas Carol”
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Justin Townsend, “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
Best Sound Design of a Play
Simon Baker, “A Christmas Carol”
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Peter Hylenski, “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
Best Choreography
Sonya Tayeh, “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
Best Orchestrations
Justin Levine, Matt Stine, Katie Kresek and Charlie Rosen, “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
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