Music Studio Recording of "Parade" - Winner of Best Play Revival
2023 Tony Awards: ‘Kimberly Akimbo,’ ‘Leopoldstadt,’ ‘Topdog/Underdog,’ ‘Parade’ Win Top Prizes: “Kimberly Akimbo,” the off-beat story of a teenage girl suffering from a condition that causes her to age rapidly, was named best musical. The show won five prizes in all, the most of any production. “Leopoldstadt,” a multi-generational saga that follows a tight-knit Jewish community through a bloody period of European history, won four prizes, including the statue for best play. Suzan-Lori Parks’ “Topdog/Underdog,” a drama about two African-American brothers living on the economic margins, took home best play revival, while “Parade,” the story of Jewish American Leo Frank’s imprisonment and lynching, was named best musical revival. This spring, “Parade” made national news after members of a neo-Nazi group protested outside the theater on its opening night.
"Parade's" Micaela Diamond and Ben Platt at New York City Center
The victories of “Parade” and “Leopoldstadt,” both of which provide searing dramatizations of the brutal consequences of anti-Jewish bigotry, comes amidst a wave of antisemitic incidents in America. In fact, many of the shows that the Tonys recognized seemed to reflect and comment on the social divisions roiling the world. And many of the winners used their time at the microphone to emphasize the theater’s ability to shine a light on marginalized communities and to create empathy at a moment when it is often lacking. “Theater is the great cure,” Parks said while accepting best play revival.
Arriving during a heightened moment of national awareness about antisemitism, “Parade” attracted notice early in its Broadway run when a performance was picketed by neo-Nazis. That incident led to an outpouring of support from Broadway’s Jewish community. Platt himself arrived at last night’s Met Gala wearing a Star of David necklace, further driving home the show’s message.
“Leopoldstadt” Focuses on Multiple Generations of a Viennese Jewish family
Winner of Best Play
“Leopoldstadt,” Tom Stoppard’s epic, highly personal play about multiple generations of a Jewish Viennese family before, during and after the Holocaust, also received six nominations, including an expected nod for best play. Brandon Uranowitz also earned a nod for best actor in a featured role in a play, and Patrick Marber scored a best direction nomination; both are Jewish.
Kimberly Akimbo - Winner of Best New Musical Play
This year’s awards, which honor the best of Broadway, were handed out at the United Palace in Washington Heights, dozens of blocks and several subway stops away from the “Main Stem.” In the weeks leading up to the event, there were several points in which it looked like the Tonys might not take place at all after a strike by the Writers Guild of America imperiled the broadcast. However, the union’s members decided not to picket the show when its producers agreed to have an unscripted ceremony, a concession that led to a looser, teleprompter-less, often ad-libbed evening. And the labor issues upending the entertainment business seeped into the three-hour show in other ways, with several Tony recipients using their speeches to voice their solidarity with the striking writers. “Writers are the sharp end of the pyramid,” Stoppard said, adding,”Without a script we’re all basically flummoxed.”
Two reinterpretations of Stephen Sondheim standards, “Into The Woods” and “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” rounded out the category. The pop singer Josh Groban, whose father was Jewish before converting to his mother’s Christianity, was nominated for playing the lead role in “Sweeney Todd,” while Julia Lester, whose great-grandfather was part of a Yiddish theater in Poland, was nominated for her featured role in “Into the Woods.”
The play “Good Night, Oscar,” about the Jewish entertainer Oscar Levant’s struggles with mental illness, picked up three nominations, including for lead actors Sean Hayes and Rachel Hauck. “Death of a Salesman,” a new revival of the classic play by Jewish playwright Arthur Miller, also picked up two nominations Jewish actress Jessica Hecht picked up an acting nomination for her lead role in the play “Summer, 1976,” about a lifelong friendship between two women. Hecht is up against several star performers in the category, including Jessica Chastain, Jodie Comer and Audra McDonald.
Among the other nominees was a modern-day musical reimagining of “Some Like It Hot,” the 1959 cross-dressing comedy. The original movie had plenty of Jewish talent: It was directed by Billy Wilder, co-starred Tony Curtis and Jewish convert Marilyn Monroe, and featured recently deceased Jewish character actor Nehemiah Persoff in a small role. The new musical, by Amber Ruffin and Matthew López, led the pack with 13 Tony nominations including best new musical. Veteran Jewish songwriter Marc Shaiman picked up a nomination for co-writing the show’s score.
Another new musical based on a movie, “New York, New York,” also built off of Jewish talent: the songwriting duo John Kander and Fred Ebb wrote the music for the original 1977 film, and Kander is co-credited with Lin-Manuel Miranda for additional music on the new film. “New York, New York” received nine nominations, including best new musical.
The prolific Jewish theater composer Jeanine Tesori had another Broadway hit this year with the musical “Kimberly Akimbo,” which received eight nominations, including one for her music.
The nominations were co-announced Tuesday morning by Michele, who has been the talk of Broadway since she replaced Beanie Feldstein as the lead of the “Funny Girl” revival. Feldstein was snubbed at the Tonys last year amid tepid reviews for her performance in the musical about Jewish comedienne Fanny Brice. Academy Award-winner Ariana DeBose will be returning for her second stint as host, after a memorable debut last year.
Ariana DeBose Opens Tony Awards by Telling Audience “We Don’t Have a Script, You Guys”
Ariana DeBose, the Oscar-winning star of “West Side Story,” returned as emcee for the second year in a row. She kicked the off the evening by opening a script with blank pages before launching into a series of songs such as “On Broadway”and “New York State of Mind” that were all blended into one energetically choreographed number. “I’m live and unscripted,” DeBose said of the unorthodox show. “You’re welcome. To anyone who may have thought that last year was a bit unhinged, to them I say, ‘darlings, buckle up.'”
Alex Newell J. Harrison Ghee
For the first time ever, two nonbinary actors were nominated for Tonys, and they both won. J. Harrison Ghee of the musical "Some Like It Hot" took best actor, and Alex Newell won best featured actor in the musical "Shucked."
Find the Full List of Tony Awards 2023 Winner and Nominees Below:
Best New Play
Ain’t No Mo’
Between Riverside and Crazy
Cost of Living
Fat Ham
Leopoldstadt
Best New Musical
& Juliet
Kimberly Akimbo
New York, New York
Shucked
Some Like It Hot
Best Leading Actress in a Play
Jessica Chastain – A Doll’s House
Jodie Comer – Prima Facie
Jessica Hecht – Summer, 1976
Audra McDonald – Ohio State Murders
Best Leading Actor in a Play
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog
Corey Hawkins, Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog
Sean Hayes, Good Night, Oscar
Stephen McKinley Henderson, Between Riverside and Crazy
Wendell Pierce, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Best Leading Actress in a Musical
Annaleigh Ashford – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Sara Bareilles – Into the Woods
Victoria Clark – Kimberly Akimbo
Lorna Courtney – & Juliet
Micaela Diamond – Parade
Best Leading Actor in a Musical
Christian Borle – Some Like It Hot
J Harrison Ghee– Some Like It Hot
Josh Groban –Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Brian D’Arcy James – Into the Woods
Ben Platt – Parade
Colton Ryan – New York, New York
Best Featured Actor in a Play
Jordan E Cooper – Ain’t No Mo’
Samuel L Jackson – The Piano Lesson
Arian Moayed – A Doll’s House
Brandon Uranowitz – Leopoldstadt
David Zayas – Cost of Living
Best Featured Actress in a Play
Nikki Crawford – Fat Ham
Crystal Lucas-Perry – Ain’t No Mo’
Miriam Silverman – The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window
Katy Sullivan – Cost of Living
Kara Young – Cost of Living
Best Featured Actor in a Musical
Kevin Cahoon – Shucked
Justin Cooley – Kimberly Akimbo
Kevin Del Aguila – Some Like It Hot
Jordan Donica – Camelot
Alex Newell – Shucked
Best Featured Actress in a Musical
Julia Lester – Into the Woods
Ruthie Ann Miles – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Bonnie Milligan – Kimberly Akimbo
NaTasha Yvette Williams – Some Like It Hot
Betsy Wolfe – & Juliet
Best Direction of a Play
Saheem Ali – Fat Ham
Jo Bonney – Cost of Living
Jamie Lloyd – A Doll’s House
Patrick Marber – Leopoldstadt
Stevie Walker-Webb – Ain’t No Mo’
Max Webster – Life of Pi
Best Direction of a Musical
Michael Arden – Parade
Lear deBessonet – Into the Woods
Casey Nicholaw – Some Like It Hot
Jack O’Brien – Shucked
Jessica Stone – Kimberly Akiambo
Best Book of a Musical
David West Read – & Juliet
David Lindsay-Abaire – Kimberly Akimbo
Robert Horn – Shucked
Matthew López and Amber Ruffin – Some Like It Hot
David Thompson and Sharon Washington – New York, New York
Best Original Score
Almost Famous – music by Tom Kitt; lyrics by Cameron Crowe and Tom Kitt
Kimberly Akimbo – music by Jeanine Tesori; lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire
KPOP – music and lyrics: Helen Park and Max Vernon
Shucked – music and lyrics: Shane McAnally and Brandy Clark
“Some Like It Hot,” music and lyrics: Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman
Best Choreography
Steven Hoggett – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Casey Nicholaw – Some Like It Hot
Susan Stroman – New York, New York
Jennifer Weber – & Juliet
Jennifer Weber – KPOP
Best Orchestrations
Bill Sherman and Dominic Fallacaro – & Juliet
John Clancy – Kimberly Akimbo
Jason Howland – Shucked
Charlie Rosen and Bryan Carter – Some Like It Hot
Daryl Waters and Sam Davis – New York, New York
Best Scenic Design of a Play
Miriam Buether – Prima Facie
Tim Hatley and Andrzej Goulding – Life of Pi
Rachel Hauck – Good Night, Oscar
Richard Hudson – Leopoldstadt
Dane Laffrey and Lucy Mackinnon, “A Christmas Carol”
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Beowulf Boritt – New York, New York
Mimi Lien – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street=
Scott Pask – Shucked
Scott Pask – Some Like It Hot
Michael Yeargan and 59 Productions – Camelot
Best Costume Design of a Play
Tim Hatley, Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell – Life of Pi
Dominique Fawn Hill – Fat Ham
Brigitte Reiffensutel – Leopoldstadt
Emilio Sosa – Ain’t No Mo’
Emilio Sosa – Good Night, Oscar
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Gregg Barnes – Some Like It Hot
Susan Hilferty – Parade
Jodie Comer (Invision)Jennifer Moeller – Camelot
Clint Ramos and Sophia Choi – KPOP
Paloma Young – & Juliet
Donna Zakowska – New York, New York
Best Sound Design of a Play
Jonathan Deans and Taylor Williams – Ain’t No Mo’
Carolyn Downing – Life of Pi
Joshua D Reid – A Christmas Carol
Ben and Max Ringham – A Doll’s House
Ben and Max Ringham – Prima Facie
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Kai Harada – New York, New York
John Shivers – Shucked
Scott Lehrer and Alex Neumann – Into the Woods
Gareth Owen – & Juliet
Nevin Steinberg – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Neil Austin – Leopoldstadt
Natasha Chivers – Prima Facie
Jon Clark – A Doll’s House
Bradley King – Fat Ham
Tim Lutkin – Life of Pi
Jen Schriever – Death of a Salesman
Ben Stanton – A Christmas Carol
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Ken Billington – New York, New York
Lap Chi Chu – Camelot
Heather Gilbert – Parade
Howard Hudson – & Juliet
Natasha Katz – Some Like It Hot
Natasha Katz – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Best Direction of a Play
Saheem Ali, Fat Ham
Jo Bonney, Cost of Living
Jamie Lloyd, A Doll’s House
Patrick Marber, Leopoldstadt
Stevie Walker-Webb, Ain’t No Mo’ Max Webster, Life of Pi
Best Direction of a Musical
Michael Arden, Parade
Lear deBessonet, Into the Woods
Casey Nicholaw, Some Like It Hot
Jack O’Brien, Shucked
Jessica Stone, Kimberly Akimbo
Tony Awards 2023 at the United Palace in NYC - June 11, 2023
Myles Frost & Lea Michele Announced this year's nominees