Lauper won her first Tony on Sunday for writing the 15-song score to "Kinky Boots." The pop star thanked her old friend Harvey Fierstein, the book writer for "La Cage aux Folles" and "Newsies," to lure her to Broadway. She added, "I want to thank Broadway for welcoming me. I understand how hard you work...your hard work inspires me." The "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" singer was part of an impressive group of women who took top honors. Diane Paulus and Pam MacKinnon both won for directing -- a rare time women have won directing Tonys for both a musical and a play in the same year. (It also happened most recently at the 1998 Tonys.) In addition to winning best musical and score, "Kinky Boots" also won for choreography, two technical awards and leading man in a musical, which went to Billy Porter.
Porter beat "Kinky Boots" co-star Stark Sands and told him from the stage: "You are my rock, my sword, my shield. Your grace gives me presence. I share this award with you. I'm gonna keep it at my house! But I share it with you."
Durang, whose other works include the play "Beyond Therapy," was a Tony nominee for "A History of the American Film" and his "Miss Witherspoon" was a Pulitzer Prize nominee in 2006. Paulus won her first Tony for directing the high-energy revival of the musical "Pippin," which also earned the best musical revival honor and helped Patina Miller earn a best leading actress trophy. MacKinnon won for directing the play "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?," a year after earning her first nomination for helming "Clybourne Park." Her revival of Edward Albee's story of marital strife won the best play revival and earned Tracy Letts his first acting Tony, an upset beating of Tom Hanks. "The greatest job on Earth. We are the ones who say it to their faces, and we have a unique responsibility," Letts said. Andrea Martin won as featured actress in a musical for "Pippin," while Gabriel Ebert of "Matilda the Musical" won as best featured actor in a musical.
The Tonys were broadcast live by CBS from Radio City Music Hall. Neil Patrick Harris was back for his fourth turn as emcee, leading a show featuring talented children and pulse-pounding musical numbers. The night's opening number started with Harris simply holding a guitar in a pub like in "Once," but quickly morphed into a flashy razzle-dazzle number that showcased performers from almost a dozen musicals -- and even ex-boxer Mike Tyson dancing. Harris sang "It's bigger! Tonight it's bigger," jumped through a hoop, vanished from a box and promised a "truly legendary show" before glitter guns went off. Courtney B. Vance won for best featured actor in a play for portraying a newspaper editor opposite Tom Hanks in "Lucky Guy." He dedicated his award to his mother. Judith Light won her second Tony in two years, following up her win last year as a wise-cracking alcoholic aunt in "Other Desert Cities" with the role of a wry mother in "The Assembled Parties," in which she goes from about 53 to 73 over the play's two acts. "I want to thank every woman that I am in this category nominated with: you have made this a celebration, not a competition," she said. Cicely Tyson, 88, won the best leading actress in a play honors for the revival of "The Trip to Bountiful," the show's only award of the night. It was the actress' first time back on Broadway in three decades. "'Please wrap it up,' it says. Well, that's exactly what you did with me: You wrapped me up in your arms after 30 years," she said. Some of the telecast highlights included the stunning kids on Broadway -- the orphans in "Annie," the actor Raymond Luke Jr. as a pre-teen Michael Jackson in "Motown the Musical," and the dancing tots in "A Christmas Story, the Musical," plus the four young women in "Matilda." Harris got his face licked by the dog playing Sandy in "Annie," made fun of Tyson and Shia LaBeouf, who left a revival of the play "Orphans" before the show opened and then tweeted about it, and joined with "Smash" star Megan Hilty, "Go On" star Laura Benanti and former "The Book of Mormon" star Andrew Rannells to skewer theater stars who seek fame on TV shows with a twisted version of "What I Did For Love" from "A Chorus Line."
Presenters included Jesse Eisenberg, Jon Cryer, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anna Kendrick, Zachary Quinto, Sally Field, Audra McDonald, Alan Cumming and Jesse Tyler Ferguson.
The Tony winners were picked by 868 Tony voters, including members of The Broadway League, American Theatre Wing, Actors' Equity, the Dramatists Guild, Stage Directors and Choreographers Society as well as critics from the New York Drama Critics Circle.
Nominees and Winners:
Best Play
- The Assembled Parties Author: Richard Greenberg
- Lucky Guy Author: Nora Ephron
- The Testament of Mary Author: Colm Tóibín
- Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spik Author: Christopher Durang
Best Musical
- Bring It On: The Musical
- A Christmas Story, The Musical
- Kinky Boots
- Matilda The Musical
Best Book of a Musical
- A Christmas Story, The Musical Joseph Robinette
- Kinky Boots Harvey Fierstein
- Matilda The Musical Dennis Kelly
- Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella Douglas Carter Beane
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
- A Christmas Story, The Musical Music and Lyrics: Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
- Hands on a Hardbody Music: Trey Anastasio and Amanda Green Lyrics: Amanda Green
- Kinky Boots Music & Lyrics: Cyndi Lauper
- Matilda The Musical Music & Lyrics: Tim Minchin
Best Revival of a Play
- Golden Boy
- Orphans
- The Trip to Bountiful
- Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Best Revival of a Musical
- Annie
- The Mystery of Edwin Drood
- Pippin
- Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
- Tom Hanks Lucky Guy
- Nathan Lane The Nance
- Tracy Letts Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
- David Hyde Pierce Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
- Tom Sturridge Orphans
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
- Laurie Metcalf The Other Place
- Amy Morton Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
- Kristine Nielsen Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
- Holland Taylor Ann
- Cicely Tyson The Trip to Bountiful
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
- Bertie Carvel Matilda The Musical
- Santino Fontana Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella
- Rob McClure Chaplin
- Billy Porter Kinky Boots
- Stark Sands Kinky Boots
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
- Stephanie J. Block The Mystery of Edwin Drood
- Carolee Carmello Scandalous
- Valisia LeKae Motown The Musical
- Patina Miller Pippin
- Laura Osnes Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
- Danny Burstein Golden Boy
- Richard Kind The Big Knife
- Billy Magnussen Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
- Tony Shalhoub Golden Boy
- Courtney B. Vance Lucky Guy
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
- Carrie Coon Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
- Shalita Grant Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
- Judith Ivey The Heiress
- Judith Light The Assembled Parties
- Condola Rashad The Trip to Bountiful
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
- Charl Brown Motown The Musical
- Keith Carradine Hands on a Hardbody
- Will Chase The Mystery of Edwin Drood
- Gabriel Ebert Matilda The Musical
- Terrence Mann Pippin
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
- Annaleigh Ashford Kinky Boots
- Victoria Clark Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella
- Andrea Martin Pippin
- Keala Settle Hands on a Hardbody
- Lauren Ward Matilda The Musical
Best Direction of a Play
- Pam MacKinnon Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
- Nicholas Martin Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
- Bartlett Sher Golden Boy
- George C. Wolfe Lucky Guy
Best Direction of a Musical
- Scott Ellis The Mystery of Edwin Drood
- Jerry Mitchell Kinky Boots
- Diane Paulus Pippin
- Matthew Warchus Matilda The Musical
Best Choreography
- Andy Blankenbuehler Bring It On: The Musical
- Peter Darling Matilda The Musical
- Jerry Mitchell Kinky Boots
- Chet Walker Pippin
Best Orchestrations
- Chris Nightingale Matilda The Musical
- Stephen Oremus Kinky Boots
- Ethan Popp & Bryan Crook Motown The Musical
- Danny Troob Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella
Best Scenic Design of a Play
- John Lee Beatty The Nance
- Santo Loquasto The Assembled Parties
- David Rockwell Lucky Guy
- Michael Yeargan Golden Boy
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
- Rob Howell Matilda The Musical
- Anna Louizos The Mystery of Edwin Drood
- Scott Pask Pippin
- David Rockwell Kinky Boots
Best Costume Design of a Play
- Soutra Gilmour Cyrano de Bergerac
- Ann Roth The Nance
- Albert Wolsky The Heiress
- Catherine Zuber Golden Boy
Best Costume Design of a Musical
- Gregg Barnes Kinky Boots
- Rob Howell Matilda The Musical
- Dominique Lemieux Pippin
- William Ivey Long Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella
Best Lighting Design of a Play
- Jules Fisher & Peggy Eisenhauer Lucky Guy
- Donald Holder Golden Boy
- Jennifer Tipton The Testament of Mary
- Japhy Weideman The Nance
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
- Kenneth Posner Kinky Boots
- Kenneth Posner Pippin
- Kenneth Posner Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella
- Hugh Vanstone Matilda The Musical
Best Sound Design of a Play
- John Gromada The Trip to Bountiful
- Mel Mercier The Testament of Mary
- Leon Rothenberg The Nance
- Peter John Still and Marc Salzberg Golden Boy
Best Sound Design of a Musical
- Jonathan Deans & Garth Helm Pippin
- Peter Hylenski Motown The Musical
- John Shivers Kinky Boots
- Nevin Steinberg Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella
Special Tony Award® for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
- Bernard Gersten
- Paul Libin
- Ming Cho Lee
Regional Theatre Award
- Huntington Theatre Company
Isabelle Stevenson Award
- Larry Kramer
Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre
- Career Transition For Dancers
- William Craver
- Peter Lawrence
- The Lost Colony
- The four actresses who created the title role of Matilda The Musical on Broadway - Sophia Gennusa, Oona Laurence, Bailey Ryon and Milly Shapiro
- Prev
- Next >>