• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Towleroad Gay News

Gay Blog Towleroad: More than gay news | gay men

  • Travel
  • Sports
  • Law/Justice
  • Celebrities
  • Republicans
  • Madonna
  • Books
  • Men
  • Trans Rights
  • Royals
  • Monkeypox
  • John Waters believes mainstream Hollywood films are finally as shocking as his cult movies
  • Sir Elton John is ‘back home and in good health’ after being rushed to hospital
  • Robin Roberts Wedding—All the ‘I Do’ Details: The Dress, the Guest List, the Snubs and More Revealed

‘Strange Loop,’ ‘Lehman Trilogy’ earn Tony honors as Broadway celebrates return

Towleroad June 13, 2022 Leave a Comment

Published by
Reuters
585548 origin 1

By Lisa Richwine

(Reuters) – “A Strange Loop,” the story of a Black gay man and his mental struggles as a playwright, won the Tony award on Sunday for best new musical as Broadway honored its first season since the long pandemic shutdown.

“The Lehman Trilogy,” about the rise and fall of investment firm Lehman Brothers, took the best new play honor at a live ceremony held at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

“Strange Loop” triumphed over “MJ,” a crowd-pleasing musical about Michael Jackson. Star Myles Frost won best actor in a musical for playing the King of Pop.

Being on stage to accept the Tony felt like a “miracle,” said Ben Power, the writer of “Lehman Trilogy”, after COVID-19 halted preview shows of the play for 577 days.

“In New York, even after everything, even after today, anything is possible,” Power said, adding that the play had been written as “a hymn to the city of New York.”

“Strange Loop” writer Michael R. Jackson based the musical on his own internal doubts as well as external obstacles as he tried to pen a Broadway show.

“I just wanted to create a little bit of a life raft for myself as a Black gay man,” he said.

Best actor winner Frost addressed his mother in the audience as he accepted his award for “MJ.”

“Mom, I made it,” he said, and thanked her for bringing him up to be a “strong Black man.”

For best revival of a musical, voters honored “Company,” the final project backed by composer and theater legend Stephen Sondheim, who died in November.

The new “Company” reverses the gender roles of the original, which centered on a single man considering his life choices as he turned 35. Producer Chris Harper thanked Sondheim “for letting us re-imagine the classic musical.”

“Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda introduced a tribute to Sondheim, saluting his “immortal” songs and lyrics and his mentorship of younger artists, including Miranda himself.

The three-hour telecast of the awards event featured a slew of performances from nominated shows, to help entice audiences back to theaters.

Hugh Jackman sang “76 Trombones” from “The Music Man” while Mare Winningham performed Bob Dylan's “Like a Rolling Stone,” featured in the musical “Girl from the North Country.”

Michael Jackson's children, Prince and Paris, introduced a rendition of “Smooth Criminal” by the “MJ” cast.

Patti LuPone won her third Tony award, for a supporting role in “Company.” She thanked “all of the COVID safety people” for making Broadway's return possible. In the audience were 150 COVID-19 safety managers who had kept shows running.

Simon Russell Beale, the star of “Lehman Trilogy”, won the Tony for lead actor in a play. Joaquina Kalukango took best actress in a musical for playing a 19th-century tavern owner in race relations story “Paradise Square.”

“I give thanks to all of the nameless ancestors who have suffered. This show gives power to them,” Kalukango said.

Sunday's Tonys were the 75th edition and the ceremony honored some of Broadway's biggest hits over the decades. Host Ariana DeBose opened it with a medley honoring shows from “Cabaret” to “Wicked,” “The Wiz” and “Hamilton.”

She and others at the ceremony welcomed the industry's efforts to diversify the stories and casts on stage.

“I'm so proud that the theater is becoming more reflective of the community that adores it,” said DeBose, the Oscar-winning Afro-Latina star of “West Side Story.”

Best play revival went to “Take Me Out,” the story of a gay baseball player.

Deirde O'Connell, who won the Tony for lead actress in a play for “Dana H,” urged aspiring writers to “make the weird art.”

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

585548 585548 origin 1 1
585548 585548 origin 1 2
585548 585548 origin 1 3
585548 585548 origin 1 4
585548 585548 origin 1 5

Topics: Aaon, Actor, Health, Race, Theater, Wealth Gap More Posts About: A Strange Loop, Covid-19, Lehman Brothers, Radio City Music Hall, Reuters, The Lehman Trilogy

Related Posts
  • New York says Trump inflated net worth by up to $3.6 billion; Trump seeks dismissal
  • Witness in Trump documents case reached deal with prosecutors, ex-attorney says
  • Nigerian court remands dozens in prison over alleged gay wedding
  • Sir Elton John is ‘back home and in good health’ after being rushed to hospital

    Sir Elton John is ‘back home and in good health’ after being rushed to hospital

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Sir Elton John is “back home and in good health” after being rushed to hospital. The 76-year-old pop icon suffered a fall at his French villa on Sunday (27.08.23) evening and …Read More »
  • Robin Roberts Wedding—All the ‘I Do’ Details: The Dress, the Guest List, the Snubs and More Revealed

    Robin Roberts Wedding—All the ‘I Do’ Details: The Dress, the Guest List, the Snubs and More Revealed

    Published by OK Magazine Here's to the newlyweds! On Friday, September 8, Good Morning America star Robin Roberts tied the knot with her girlfriend of 18 years, Amber Laign. The reporter broke the news on her …Read More »
  • Ellen DeGeneres announces TV return after 16-month absence

    Ellen DeGeneres announces TV return after 16-month absence

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Ellen DeGeneres has announced her return to TV. The 65-year-old star's eponymous ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show' came to an end in May 2022 after 19 seasons and she's now revealed her …Read More »
  • Madonna ‘Would Love’ for Britney Spears to Come on Tour With Her After Recent Split From Sam Asghari

    Madonna ‘Would Love’ for Britney Spears to Come on Tour With Her After Recent Split From Sam Asghari

    Published by OK Magazine After Sam Asghari filed for divorce from Britney Spears, it seems like her good pal Madonna is hoping to help her out by bringing her on her Celebrations Tour once it resumes …Read More »
Previous Post: « Plays about Black artists and Wall St are big winners on Broadway
Next Post: White nationalist group members face riot-planning charges in Idaho court »

Primary Sidebar

Most Recent

  • John Waters believes mainstream Hollywood films are finally as shocking as his cult movies

    John Waters believes mainstream Hollywood films are finally as shocking as his cult movies

  • Sir Elton John is ‘back home and in good health’ after being rushed to hospital

    Sir Elton John is ‘back home and in good health’ after being rushed to hospital

  • Robin Roberts Wedding—All the ‘I Do’ Details: The Dress, the Guest List, the Snubs and More Revealed

    Robin Roberts Wedding—All the ‘I Do’ Details: The Dress, the Guest List, the Snubs and More Revealed

  • Ellen DeGeneres announces TV return after 16-month absence

    Ellen DeGeneres announces TV return after 16-month absence

  • Madonna ‘Would Love’ for Britney Spears to Come on Tour With Her After Recent Split From Sam Asghari

    Madonna ‘Would Love’ for Britney Spears to Come on Tour With Her After Recent Split From Sam Asghari

  • Lourdes Leon, Daughter Of Madonna, Shocks With See-Through String Dress At Victoria’s Secret Show

    Lourdes Leon, Daughter Of Madonna, Shocks With See-Through String Dress At Victoria’s Secret Show

  • Mike Pence Confronted by Emotional Mom of Trans Child About Laws to Protect Lgbtq Kids From Violence

    Mike Pence Confronted by Emotional Mom of Trans Child About Laws to Protect Lgbtq Kids From Violence

  • ‘This Was a Brand New Subject’: Donald Trump Grilled by Megyn Kelly About Supporting Trans Caitlyn Jenner in 2016

    ‘This Was a Brand New Subject’: Donald Trump Grilled by Megyn Kelly About Supporting Trans Caitlyn Jenner in 2016

Adjacent News

  • Did the UAE ban the Barbie movie? What about Saudi Arabia?

    Did the UAE ban the Barbie movie? What about Saudi Arabia?

  • From penal camp, dissident Navalny calls on Russians to resist Putin

    From penal camp, dissident Navalny calls on Russians to resist Putin

  • As contentious judicial ‘reform’ becomes law in Israel, Netanyahu cements his political legacy

    As contentious judicial ‘reform’ becomes law in Israel, Netanyahu cements his political legacy

Good Trash: Going to Read It Somewhere, Y'know

  • Beyonce pays tribute to stabbed fan

    Beyonce pays tribute to stabbed fan

  • Dwight Howard’s Assault Accuser Submits Uber Receipt as Evidence in Court Battle With Ex-Lakers Star

    Dwight Howard’s Assault Accuser Submits Uber Receipt as Evidence in Court Battle With Ex-Lakers Star

  • After Bud Light, Ukraine ‘Scandals,’ Garth Brooks Surprises Again

    After Bud Light, Ukraine ‘Scandals,’ Garth Brooks Surprises Again

Partner Links

  • Age Isn't Just a Number
    So I'm three years older than the oldest person on here?!!!!*Although […]
  • OMG, WATCH: John Carpenter is back to TV with a series of chilling *real life* tales with ‘Suburban Screams’
    What if horror legend John Carpenter took the serial murder podcast-ish […]
  • Remains of the Day (09/20)
    Hulu: ‘Never Let Him Go’ docuseries examines a man's 35-year quest to […]
  • The Richest 'American Horror Story: Delicate' Cast Members, Ranked (Net Worths Ranging from $3 Million to $1.7 Billion)
    The new season of American Horror Story is finally premiering TONIGHT […]
  • John Waters gets his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: “Here I am, closer to the gutter than ever!”
    View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hollywood Walk […]

Most Commented

Social

Twitter @tlrd | Facebook | Instagram @tlrd

About

  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy
[towleroadmr] [towleroadtn]

Footer

Ptown Hacks 2018

Read

  • Travel
  • Film
  • Law – LGBT Rights
  • Columns
  • Specials

About

  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 · Log in

×
×