Cynthia Erivo led one of the best Tony Awards shows ever last night, showing off so much versatility and warmth they’ll probably ask her back a couple more times.
The Tony winner and Oscar nominee is set to have a big year after this, aiming toward an Oscar win next winter for “Wicked II.”
Erivo opened the show with a spectacular number, and from there the show never slowed down. In Radio City, I’ve never seen so many thousands of people riveted to the action — and we were there for almost five hours.
The big winners, as I predicted, were “Maybe Happy Ending,” Best Musical, and “Purpose,” Best Play.
Darren Criss became the first ever graduate of the TV show, “Glee,” to win a Tony for Best in a Musical in “Maybe Happy Ending.”
The most gracious note of the night was Tony winner Glenn Close introducing Nicole Scherzinger’s performance from “Sunset Boulevard.” Close won her Tony for the same role. Scherzinger was stunning, and then picked up her own Tony.
Pretty much snubbed were all the Hollywood stars who came to town this season including George Clooney, Denzel Washington, Kieran Culkin, and so on.
The best win was Sarah Snook for “The Picture of Dorian Gray.” She won Best Actress in a Play for her 26 role extravaganza. Snook look a little tired, and you can’t blame her. What she’s doing on stage is Olympian.
A great moment: the original cast of “Hamilton” reuniting for a 10th anniversary “mixtape” performance. Led by Lin Manuel Miranda and Leslie Odom, Jr. the show still packs the same powerful punch as it did a decade ago. The Radio City audience went wild for it.
While I can’t over emphasize how great Erivo was, Jonathan Groff’s Bobby Darin was a big hit, and the cast of “Buena Vista Social Club” was spectacular. The soundtrack album from that show hit the top 20 on iTunes this morning, along with “Maybe” and “Hamilton.” The Tony sold a lot of music overnight!
Smiling big time: “Purpose” star Kara Young, who’s won two of three time. This one was her second in a row. At 55 (she looks 35 tops) Young in an overnight sensation!
Big parties followed, all over town including the main one, held at the Museum of Modern Art, where I found the great Kelli O’Hara, Oscar nominee Danielle Brooks, the cast of “Purpose,” new Tony winner Paul Tazewell, “SNL”s star Cecily Strong — who a had a baby named EmmyLou just two months ago — and Tonys producer Glenn Weiss, who took a victory lap for a job well done!
Over at the Bryant Park Grill, Darren Criss celebrated with his mother, who’d been sitting a few seats away from me in a gorgeous gown. When Criss won, mom jumped fifteen feet in the air. Criss received many hugs from Tony winner and Broadway Star Lea Salonga, who also introduced “MHE” at the show.
It was already way past 1am, but Ben Stiller was there with daughter Ella and her friends. Ella is opening in her first show this week, off Broadway. A new generation of Stillers!
Full list of winners:
Best Musical
Buena Vista Social Club
Dead Outlaw
Death Becomes Her
Maybe Happy Ending
Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical
Best Play
English
The Hills of California
John Proctor Is the Villain
Oh, Mary!
Purpose
Best Revival of a Musical
Floyd Collins
Gypsy
Pirates! The Penzance Musical
Sunset Blvd.
Best Revival of a Play
Eureka Day
Romeo + Juliet
Our Town
Yellow Face
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
Darren Criss — Maybe Happy Ending
Andrew Durand — Dead Outlaw
Tom Francis — Sunset Blvd.
Jonathan Groff — Just in Time
James Monroe Iglehart — A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical
Jeremy Jordan — Floyd Collins
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Megan Hilty — Death Becomes Her
Audra McDonald — Gypsy
Jasmine Amy Rogers — Boop! The Musical
Nicole Scherzinger — Sunset Blvd.
Jennifer Simard — Death Becomes Her
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
George Clooney — Good Night, and Good Luck.
Cole Escola — Oh, Mary!
Jon Michael Hill — Purpose
Daniel Dae Kim — Yellow Face
Harry Lennix — Purpose
Louis McCartney — Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Laura Donnelly — The Hills of California
Mia Farrow — The Roommate
LaTanya Richardson Jackson — Purpose
Sadie Sink — John Proctor Is the Villain
Sarah Snook — The Picture of Dorian Gray
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Brooks Ashmanskas — Smash
Jeb Brown — Dead Outlaw
Danny Burstein — Gypsy
Jak Malone — Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical
Taylor Trensch — Floyd Collins
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Natalie Venetia Belcon — Buena Vista Social Club
Julia Knitel — Dead Outlaw
Gracie Lawrence — Just in Time
Justina Machado — Real Women Have Curves: The Musical
Joy Woods — Gypsy
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
Glenn Davis — Purpose
Gabriel Ebert — John Proctor Is the Villain
Francis Jue — Yellow Face
Bob Odenkirk — Glengarry Glen Ross
Conrad Ricamora — Oh, Mary!
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Tala Ashe — English
Jessica Hecht — Eureka Day
Marjan Neshat — English
Fina Strazza — John Proctor Is the Villain
Kara Young — Purpose
Best Direction of a Musical
Saheem Ali — Buena Vista Social Club
Michael Arden — Maybe Happy Ending
David Cromer — Dead Outlaw
Christopher Gattelli — Death Becomes Her
Jamie Lloyd — Sunset Blvd.
Best Direction of a Play
Knud Adams — English
Sam Mendes — The Hills of California
Sam Pinkleton — Oh, Mary!
Danya Taymor — John Proctor Is the Villain
Kip Williams — The Picture of Dorian Gray
Best Book of a Musical
Buena Vista Social Club — Marco Ramirez
Dead Outlaw — Itamar Moses
Death Becomes Her — Marco Pennette
Maybe Happy Ending — Will Aronson and Hue Park
Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical — David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoë Roberts
Best Original Score
Dead Outlaw — David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna
Death Becomes Her — Julia Mattison and Noel Carey
Maybe Happy Ending — Will Aronson and Hue Park
Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical — David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoë Roberts
Real Women Have Curves: The Musical — Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez
Best Orchestrations
Just in Time — Andrew Resnick and Michael Thurber
Maybe Happy Ending — Will Aronson
Floyd Collins — Bruce Coughlin
Buena Vista Social Club — Marco Paguia
Sunset Blvd. — David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber
Best Choreography
Smash — Joshua Bergasse
Gypsy — Camille A. Brown
Death Becomes Her — Christopher Gattelli
Boop! The Musical — Jerry Mitchell
Buena Vista Social Club — Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck
Best Scenic Design in a Musical
Swept Away — Rachel Hauck
Maybe Happy Ending — Dane Laffrey and George Reeve
Buena Vista Social Club — Arnulfo Maldonado
Death Becomes Her — Derek McLane
Just in Time — Derek McLane
Best Costume Design in a Musical
Buena Vista Social Club — Dede Ayite
Boop! The Musical — Gregg Barnes
Maybe Happy Ending — Clint Ramos
Death Becomes Her — Paul Tazewell
Just in Time — Catherine Zuber
Best Lighting Design in a Musical
Sunset Blvd. — Jack Knowles
Buena Vista Social Club — Tyler Micoleau
Floyd Collins — Scott Zielinski and Ruey Horng Sun
Maybe Happy Ending — Ben Stanton
Death Becomes Her — Justin Townsend
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Buena Vista Social Club — Jonathan Deans
Sunset Blvd. — Adam Fisher
Just in Time — Peter Hylenski
Maybe Happy Ending — Peter Hylenski
Floyd Collins — Dan Moses Schreier
Best Scenic Design in a Play
English — Marsha Ginsberg
The Hills of California — Rob Howell
The Picture of Dorian Gray — Marg Horwell and David Bergman
Stranger Things: The First Shadow — Miriam Buether and 59 Productions
Good Night, and Good Luck. — Scott Pask
Best Costume Design in a Play
Good Night, and Good Luck. — Brenda Abbandandolo
The Picture of Dorian Gray — Marg Horwell
The Hills of California — Rob Howell
Oh, Mary! — Holly Pierson
Stranger Things: The First Shadow — Brigitte Reiffenstuel
Best Lighting Design in a Play
The Hills of California — Natasha Chivers
Stranger Things: The First Shadow — Jon Clark
Good Night, and Good Luck. — Heather Gilbert and David Bengali
John Proctor Is the Villain — Natasha Katz and Hannah Wasileski
The Picture of Dorian Gray — Nick Schlieper
Best Sound Design of a Play
Stranger Things: The First Shadow — Paul Arditti
John Proctor Is the Villain — Palmer Hefferan
Good Night, and Good Luck. — Daniel Kluger
The Hills of California — Nick Powell
The Picture of Dorian Gray — Clemence Williams
