Modern Family star Jesse Tyler Ferguson graciously thanked his understudy when collecting his award.
It’s been a rocky few years for the theater world, with shows that would otherwise have enjoyed uninterrupted sell-out runs forced to close or pause production thanks to the pandemic. There was still a lot to celebrate at the 75th annual Tony Awards however, with big payoffs for Broadway transfers of West End hits.
The Lehman Trilogy, which transferred to New York after several sold-out runs in London, won best play, best director and best actor in a play.
“This play was written as a hymn to the city of New York but, like the Lehman brothers themselves, our show started thousands of miles away,” the play’s co-author Ben Power said as he collected his prize. Power also thanked director Sam Mendes and all the others who never gave up on the project during the 577 days between the “fourth preview and fifth preview” — which was how long the show was shut down due to the pandemic.
Company’s Patti Lupone, who won best performance by an actress in a featured role in a musical, thanked “all of the Covid safety people” as she accepted her award. With a cheeky nod to a viral video of an anti-masker in the show’s audience — who interrupted a performance by yelling that she paid Lupone’s salary — she also thanked producer Chris Harper “who pays my salary.”
Modern Family star Jesse Tyler Ferguson graciously thanked his understudy when collecting his award for best performance by an actor in a featured role in a play for his turn in Take Me Out. Considering how regularly understudies have had to step in thanks to Covid infections among casts, this year’s event might’ve been a good moment to introduce an award for best understudy. Maybe next time…
We have the full list of this year’s winners and nominees, below.
Best play
Clyde’s
Hangmen
The Lehman Trilogy – WINNER!
The Minutes
Skeleton Crew
Best musical
Girl from the North Country
MJ
Mr Saturday Night
Paradise Square
Six: The Musical
A Strange Loop – WINNER!
Best revival of a play
American Buffalo
for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
How I Learned to Drive
Take Me Out – WINNER!
Trouble in Mind
Best revival of a musical
Caroline, or Change
Company – WINNER!
The Music Man
Best performance by an actor in a leading role in a play
Simon Russell Beale, The Lehman Trilogy – WINNER!
Adam Godley, The Lehman Trilogy
Adrian Lester, The Lehman Trilogy
David Morse, How I Learned to Drive
Sam Rockwell, American Buffalo
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Lackawanna Blues
David Threlfall, Hangmen
Best performance by an actress in a leading role in a play
Gabby Beans, The Skin of Our Teeth
LaChanze, Trouble in Mind
Ruth Negga, Macbeth
Deirdre O’Connell, Dana H – WINNER!
Mary-Louise Parker, How I Learned to Drive
Best performance by an actor in a leading role in a musical
Billy Crystal, Mr Saturday Night
Myles Frost, MJ – WINNER!
Hugh Jackman, The Music Man
Rob McClure, Mrs Doubtfire
Jaquel Spivey, A Strange Loop
Best performance by an actress in a leading role in a musical
Sharon D Clarke, Caroline, or Change
Carmen Cusack, Flying Over Sunset
Sutton Foster, The Music Man
Joaquina Kalukango, Paradise Square – WINNER!
Mare Winningham, Girl from the North Country
Best performance by an actor in a featured role in a play
Alfie Allen, Hangmen
Chuck Cooper, Trouble in Mind
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Take Me Out – WINNER!
Ron Cephas Jones, Clyde’s
Michael Oberholtzer, Take Me Out
Jesse Williams, Take Me Out
Best performance by an actress in a featured role in a play
Uzo Aduba, Clyde’s
Rachel Dratch, POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive
Kenita R Miller, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Phylicia Rashad, Skeleton Crew – WINNER!
Julie White, POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive
Kara Young, Clyde’s
Best performance by an actor in a featured role in a musical
Matt Doyle, Company – WINNER!
Sidney DuPont, Paradise Square
Jared Grimes, Funny Girl
John-Andrew Morrison, A Strange Loop
AJ Shively, Paradise Square
Best performance by an actress in a featured role in a musical
Jeannette Bayardelle, Girl from the North Country
Shoshana Bean, Mr Saturday Night
Jayne Houdyshell, The Music Man
L Morgan Lee, A Strange Loop
Patti LuPone, Company – WINNER!
Jennifer Simard, Company
Best direction of a play
Lileana Blain-Cruz, The Skin of Our Teeth
Camille A Brown, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Sam Mendes, The Lehman Trilogy – WINNER!
Neil Pepe, American Buffalo
Les Waters, Dana H
Best direction of a musical
Stephen Brackett, A Strange Loop
Marianne Elliott, Company – WINNER!
Conor McPherson, Girl from the North Country
Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage, Six: The Musical
Christopher Wheeldon, MJ
Best scenic design of a play
Beowulf Boritt, POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive
Michael Carnahan and Nicholas Hussong, Skeleton Crew
Es Devlin, The Lehman Trilogy – WINNER!
Anna Fleischle, Hangmen
Scott Pask, American Buffalo
Adam Rigg, The Skin of Our Teeth
Best scenic design of a musical
Beowulf Boritt and 59 Productions, Flying Over Sunset
Bunny Christie, Company – WINNER!
Arnulfo Maldonado, A Strange Loop
Derek McLane and Peter Nigrini, MJ
Allen Moyer, Paradise Square
Best book of a musical
Conor McPherson, Girl from the North Country,
Lynn Nottage, MJ
Billy Crystal, Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, Mr Saturday Night
Christina Anderson, Craig Lucas and Larry Kirwan, Paradise Square
A Strange Loop, Michael R Jackson – WINNER!
Best original score (music and/or lyrics)
Flying Over Sunset, Music: Tom Kitt, Lyrics: Michael Korie
Mr Saturday Night, Music: Jason Robert Brown, Lyrics: Amanda Green
Paradise Square, Music: Jason Howland, Lyrics: Nathan Tysen and Masi Asare
Six: The Musical, Music and lyrics: Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss – WINNER!
A Strange Loop, Music and lyrics: Michael R Jackson
Best costume design of a play
Montana Levi Blanco, The Skin of Our Teeth – WINNER!
Sarafina Bush, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Emilio Sosa, Trouble in Mind
Jane Greenwood, Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite
Jennifer Moeller, Clyde’s
Best costume design of a musical
Fly Davis, Caroline, or Change
Toni-Leslie James, Paradise Square
William Ivey Long, Diana, The Musical
Santo Loquasto, The Music Man
Gabriella Slade, Six: The Musical – WINNER!
Paul Tazewell, MJ
Best lighting design of a play
Jon Clark, The Lehman Trilogy – WINNER!
Jane Cox, Macbeth
Yi Zhao, The Skin of Our Teeth
Joshua Carr, Hangmen
Jiyoun Chang, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Best lighting design of a musical
Neil Austin, Company
Tim Deiling, Six: The Musical
Donald Holder, Paradise Square
Natasha Katz, MJ – WINNER!
Bradley King, Flying Over Sunset
Jen Schriever, A Strange Loop
Best sound design of a play
Justin Ellington, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Mikhail Fiksel, Dana H – WINNER!
Palmer Hefferan, The Skin of Our Teeth
Nick Powell and Dominic Bilkey, The Lehman Trilogy
Mikaal Sulaiman, Macbeth
Best sound design of a musical
Simon Baker, Girl from the North Country
Paul Gatehouse, Six: The Musical
Ian Dickinson for Autograph, Company
Drew Levy, A Strange Loop
Gareth Owen, MJ – WINNER!
Best choreography
Camille A Brown, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Warren Carlyle, The Music Man
Carrie-Anne Ingrouille, Six: The Musical
Bill T Jones, Paradise Square
Christopher Wheeldon, MJ – WINNER!
Best orchestrations
David Cullen, Company
Tom Curran, Six: The Musical
Simon Hale, Girl from the North Country – WINNER!
Jason Michael Webb and David Holcenberg, MJ
Charlie Rosen, A Strange Loop
Special award for lifetime achievement in the theatre
Angela Lansbury
Special Tony award
James C Nicola
Isabelle Stevenson Tony award
Robert E Wankel
Regional theatre Tony award
Court theatre
Tony honors for excellence in the theatre
Asian American Performers Action Coalition
Broadway for All
Feinstein’s/54 Below
Emily Grishman
United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829, IATSE
