Tony Awards 2021: Highlights From The Biggest Night On Broadway

tony awards
tony awards

The theater has been closed for almost 18 months now. As such, when people came back to Broadway for the Tony Awards, no one was the person they were. On Sunday night, the big winner of the awards was “Moulin Rouge!” They received 14 nominations, out of which they won 10.

A Refreshing Return In The Tony Awards

Bill Damaschke, the producer of the musical said that more people relate to Moulin Rouge’s story now. Since the story’s heart talks about people who try to produce theatre while facing very difficult odds. Carmen Pavlovic, another producer, said that hunger makes for a great spectacle but heaviness surrounds us right now. Aaron Tveit, the leading man of the show, received the Tony Award for the lead actor’s best performance. He was the only nomination in that category.

He was not an automatic winner. Instead, he had to receive at least 60% of the votes from the Tony Awards ballots. On the other hand, “Slave Play” did not win any Tony Awards. This incited a lot of anger on the internet. It was the play that was recognized the most with 12 nominations. Social media raged about the industry still needing a racial and social justice reckoning.

The Tony Award for the Best Play went to “The Inheritance”. It meant Matthew Lopez became the only Latinx playwright who got the award.

The Tony Awards ceremony also celebrated Broadway’s return quite extravagantly. The ending 2 hours were taken up by a concert that featured duets involving the most cherished names in theatre. The night’s last portion was hosted by Leslie Odom Jr. In the “In Memorium” part of the evening, the people who lost their lives to the pandemic were honored.