Everything interesting last night seemed to happen around the groundbreaking coming-of-age show Fun Home which won Best Musical last night at the Tonys, one of the five it got. Co-hosts Kristin Chenoweth and Alan Cumming kept the show moving with a low-key medley of jokes and songs which highlighted their nutty chemistry. Their costume quick-changes included Cumming in a hoop skirt a and Chenoweth as E.T., with her co-host scolding her; ”
“No, Kristin – I said “FUN Home.”
Fun Home, is based on Alison Bechdel‘s graphic novel about growing up with a closeted dad in a funeral home –and, btw, is the first musical to have a lesbian as its main character. It won for Best Book and Best Direction for Sam Gold. It had 12 nominations in total and took home some of the night’s big trophies. Michael Cerveris won his second Tony for playing the closeted and suicidal father. Another “Fun” highlight came when Joel Grey, who recently came out publicly, introduced Fun Home with his daughter, Jennifer Grey, who joked that the show was about a “brilliant and complicated father.” Joel Grey acknowledged that the topic was one his daughter “knew something about.”
British-born actor Alex Sharp who beat out Bradley Cooper and Bill Nighy for Best Actor in a play for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time had the most inspiring acceptance speech of the night;
“This time last year I was picked up my diploma graduating from Julliard, so to be holding this is insane. I just want to dedicate this to any young person out there who feels misunderstood or who feels different and answer that question at the end of the play for you: Does that mean I can do anything? Yes it does.”
Others Brits had a good night, as well, with Skylight winning for best revival, and Helen Mirren picking up her first Tony for playing Queen Elizabeth in The Audience. She owes THAT Queen a LOT, huh? She won an Oscar for playing her too, you know, in The Queen.
It all took place in THE best theater in the world, Radio City Music Hall and featured appearances by Jennifer Lopez, Sting, Jim Parsons, Amanda Seyfried, Kiefer Sutherland, Bryan Cranston, Taye Diggs and Ashley Tisdale, among many others. Lots of non-theater celebrities were in attendance, including Kendall Jenner, Monica Lewinsky and Vogue editrix Anna Wintour, who was singled-out in row 2 during On The Town‘s musical number and given flowers, for some reason?
The King and I was crowned Best Musical Revival and Kelli O’Hara won Best Actress and her co-star Ruthie Ann Miles, won for Best Featured Actress.
Here’s a complete list of the night’s winners:
BEST MUSICAL
An American in Paris
Fun Home
Something Rotten!
The Visit
BEST PLAY
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Disgraced
Hand to God
Wolf Hall: Parts One & Two
BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
The King and I
On the Town
On the Twentieth Century
BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY
The Elephant Man
Skylight
This Is Our Youth
You Can’t Take It With You
BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Michael Cerveris, Fun Home
Robert Fairchild, An American in Paris
Brian d’Arcy James, Something Rotten!
Ken Watanabe, The King and I
Tony Yazbeck, On the Town
BEST ACTOR IN A PLAY
Steven Boyer, Hand to God
Bradley Cooper, The Elephant Man
Ben Miles, Wolf Hall: Parts One & Two
Bill Nighy, Skylight
Alex Sharp, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Kristin Chenoweth, On the Twentieth Century
Leanne Cope, An American in Paris
Beth Malone, Fun Home
Kelli O’Hara, The King and I
Chita Rivera, The Visit
BEST ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Geneva Carr, Hand to God
Helen Mirren, The Audience
Elisabeth Moss, The Heidi Chronicles
Carey Mulligan, Skylight
Ruth Wilson, Constellations
FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Christian Borle, Something Rotten!
Andy Karl, On the Twentieth Century
Brad Oscar, Something Rotten!
Brandon Uranowitz, An American in Paris
Max von Essen, An American in Paris
FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Victoria Clarke, Gigi
Judy Kuhn, Fun Home
Sydney Lucas, Fun Home
Ruthie Ann Miles, The King and I
Emily Skeggs, Fun Home
FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
Matthew Beard, Skylight
K. Todd Freeman, Airline Highway
Richard McCabe, The Audience
Alessandro Nivola, The Elephant Man
Nathaniel Parker, Wolf Hall: Parts One & Two
Micah Stock, It’s Only a Play
FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Annaleigh Ashford, You Can’t Take It With You
Patricia Clarkson, The Elephant Man
Lydia Leonard, Wolf Hall: Parts One & Two
Sarah Stiles, Hand to God
Julie White, Airline Highway
BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
Sam Gold, Fun Home
Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten!
John Rando, On the Town
Bartlett Sher, The King and I
Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris
BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY
Stephen Daldry, Skylight
Marianne Elliott, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Scott Ellis, You Can’t Take It with You
Jeremy Herrin, Wolf Hall: Parts One & Two
Moritz von Stuelpnagel, Hand to God
BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL
Craig Lucas, An American in Paris
Lisa Kron, Fun Home
Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell, Something Rotten!
Terence McNally, The Visit
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron, Fun Home
Sting, The Last Ship
Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick, Something Rotten!
John Kander and Fred Ebb, The Visit
BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A PLAY
Bunny Christie and Finn Ross, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Bob Crowley, Skylight
Christopher Oram, Wolf Hall: Parts One & Two
David Rockwell, You Can’t Take It with You
BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Bob Crowley and 59 Productions, An American in Paris
David Rockwell, On the Twentieth Century
Michael Yeargan, The King and I
David Zinn, Fun Home
BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A PLAY
Bob Crowley, The Audience
Jane Greenwood, You Can’t Take It with You
Christopher Oram, Wolf Hall: Parts One & Two
David Zinn, Airline Highway
BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Gregg Barnes, Something Rotten!
Bob Crowley, An American in Paris
William Ivey Long, On the Twentieth Century
Catherine Zuber, The King and I
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A PLAY
Paule Constable, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Paule Constable and David Plater, Wolf Hall: Parts One & Two
Natasha Katz, Skylight
Japhy Weideman, Airline Highway
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Donald Holder, The King and I
Natasha Katz, An American in Paris
Ben Stanton, Fun Home
Japhy Weideman, The Visit
BEST ORCHESTRATIONS
Christopher Austin, Don Sebesky, Bill Elliott, An American in Paris
John Clancy, Fun Home
Larry Hochman, Something Rotten!
Rob Mathes, The Last Ship
In a night of great performances, the most riveting was 11 year-old powerhouse,
Sydney Lucas from the cast of “Fun Home”
(via Us Weekly)
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