2022 Tony Awards: 'A Strange Loop,' 'The Lehman Trilogy' take Broadway's top honors
The 75th Tony Awards, hosted by Ariana DeBose, paraded onstage Sunday at Radio City Music Hall in New York.
The show aired live across the country for the first time.
Michael R. Jackson's meta-musical "A Strange Loop," about a Black gay theater artist, took best musical, and "The Lehman Trilogy," which follows the financial fortunes of the Lehman Brothers, won best play.
The success of "Strange Loop" made Jennifer Hudson an EGOT winner: She's a co-producer of "A Strange Loop" and had already earned a Emmy, Grammy and Oscar.
Angela Lansbury was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award, with a tribute of her career shared by "Sweeney Todd" co-star Len Cariou.
The main event started off with a spectacular musical mashup performed by DeBose, who touted the diversity of the season.
Later, she shouted out the understudies, standbys, swings, musicians, stage managers and other crucial roles that helped keep Broadway's curtains up as COVID-19 ravaged casts and crews at times during the season.
Ariana DeBose on hosting the Tonys: Plus, why she won't use her Oscar as a toilet paper holder
In a poignant moment, Michael Jackson's children Paris and Prince Jackson introduced a performance from "MJ."
Billy Crystal drew laughs by prompting Lin-Manuel Miranda to repeat "I'm Alexander Rabinowitz" during a performance from the company of "Mr. Saturday Night."
Miranda later introduced a touching tribute to legendary composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim, who died last November. Bernadette Peters sang "Children Will Listen" from "Into the Woods" with video snippets from Sondheim woven throughout.
The original company and band of "Spring Awakening" reunited onstage in honor of the show's 15th anniversary.
Billy Porter sang "On the Street Where You Live" from "My Fair Lady" during the evening's In Memorium segment.
"A Strange Loop," Michael R. Jackson's stark yet joyful look at race, gender, sexuality and the American musical led the nominations with 11 nods, including best musical. "MJ" and "Paradise Square" each earned 10 nominations, followed by "Company" with nine. "The Lehman Trilogy" led all plays with eight nominations.
The evening's nominees and winners (in bold).
BEST PLAY
"The Lehman Trilogy"
"Clyde's"
"Hangmen"
"The Minutes"
"Skeleton Crew"
BEST MUSICAL
"A Strange Loop"
"Girl From the North Country"
"MJ"
"Mr. Saturday Night"
"Paradise Square"
"Six"
BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY
"Take Me Out"
"American Buffalo"
"for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf"
"How I Learned to Drive"
"Trouble in Mind"
BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
"Company"
"Caroline, Or Change"
"The Music Man"
BEST ACTOR IN A PLAY
Simon Russell Beale, "The Lehman Trilogy"
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 ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Deirdre O'Connell, "Dana H."
Gabby Beans, "The Skin of Our Teeth"
LaChanze, "Trouble in Mind"
Ruth Negga, "Macbeth"
Mary-Louise Parker, "How I Learned to Drive"
BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Myles Frost, "MJ"
Billy Crystal, "Mr. Saturday Night"
Hugh Jackman, "The Music Man"
Rob McClure, "Mrs. Doubtfire"
Jaquel Spivey, "A Strange Loop"
BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Joaquina Kalukango, "Paradise Square"
Sharon D Clarke, "Caroline, or Change"
Carmen Cusack, "Flying Over Sunset"
Sutton Foster, "The Music Man"
Mare Winningham, "Girl From The North Country"
BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, "Take Me Out"
Alfie Allen, "Hangmen"
Chuck Cooper, "Trouble in Mind"
Ron Cephas Jones, "Clyde's"
Michael Oberholtzer, "Take Me Out"
Jesse Williams, "Take Me Out"
BEST FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Phylicia Rashad, "Skeleton Crew"
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"
Julie White, "POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive"
Kara Young, "Clyde's"
BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Matt Doyle, "Company"
Sidney DuPont, "Paradise Square"
Jared Grimes, "Funny Girl"
John-Andrew Morrison, "A Strange Loop"
A.J. Shively, "Paradise Square"
BEST FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Patti LuPone, "Company"
Jeannette Bayardelle, "Girl From The North Country"
Shoshana Bean, "Mr. Saturday Night"
Jayne Houdyshell, "The Music Man"
L Morgan Lee, "A Strange Loop"
Jennifer Simard, "Company"
BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL
"A Strange Loop" (Michael R. Jackson)
"Girl From the North Country" (Conor McPherson)
"MJ" (Lynn Nottage)
"Mr. Saturday Night" (Billy Crystal, Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel)
"Paradise Square" (Christina Anderson, Craig Lucas and Larry Kirwan)
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
"Six: The Musical" (Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss)
"Flying Over Sunset" (Tom Kitt and Michael Korie)
"Mr. Saturday Night" (Jason Robert Brown and Amanda Green)
"Paradise Square" (Jason Howland, Nathan Tysen and Masi Asare)
"A Strange Loop" (Michael R. Jackson)
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Christopher Wheeldon, "MJ"
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"
BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A PLAY
Es Devlin, "The Lehman Trilogy"
Beowulf Boritt, "POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive"
Michael Carnahan and Nicholas Hussong, "Skeleton Crew"
Anna Fleischle, "Hangmen"
Scott Pask, "American Buffalo"
Adam Rigg, "The Skin of Our Teeth"
BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Bunny Christie, "Company"
Beowulf Boritt and 59 Productions, "Flying Over Sunset"
Arnulfo Maldonado, "A Strange Loop"
Derek McLane and Peter Nigrini, "MJ"
Allen Moyer, "Paradise Square"
BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A PLAY
Montana Levi Blanco, "The Skin of Our Teeth"
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
Gabriella Slade, "Six: The Musical"
Fly Davis, "Caroline, or Change"
Toni-Leslie James, "Paradise Square"
William Ivey Long, "Diana, The Musical"
Santo Loquasto, "The Music Man"
Paul Tazewell, "MJ"
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A PLAY
Jon Clark, "The Lehman Trilogy"
Joshua Carr, "Hangmen"
Jiyoun Chang, "for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf"
Jane Cox, Macbeth
Yi Zhao, "The Skin of Our Teeth"
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Natasha Katz, "MJ"
Neil Austin, "Company"
Tim Deiling, "Six: The Musical"
Donald Holder, "Paradise Square"
Bradley King, "Flying Over Sunset"
Jen Schriever, "A Strange Loop"
BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A PLAY
Mikhail Fiksel, "Dana H."
Justin Ellington, "for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf"
Palmer Hefferan, "The Skin of Our Teeth"
Nick Powell and Dominic Bilkey, "The Lehman Trilogy"
Mikaal Sulaiman, "Macbeth"
BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Gareth Owen, "MJ"
Simon Baker, "Girl From The North Country"
Paul Gatehouse, "Six: The Musical"
Ian Dickinson for Autograph, "Company"
Drew Levy, "A Strange Loop"
BEST DIRECTOR OF A PLAY
Sam Mendes, "The Lehman Trilogy"
Lileana Blain-Cruz, "The Skin of Our Teeth"
Camille A. Brown, "for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf"
Neil Pepe, "American Buffalo"
Les Waters, "Dana H."
BEST DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL
Marianne Elliott, "Company"
Stephen Brackett, "A Strange Loop"
Conor McPherson, "Girl From the North Country"
Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage, "Six: The Musical"
Christopher Wheeldon, "MJ"
BEST ORCHESTRATIONS
Simon Hale, "Girl From the North Country"
David Cullen, "Company"
Tom Curran, "Six: The Musical"
Jason Michael Webb and David Holcenberg, "MJ"
Charlie Rosen, "A Strange Loop"
Contributing: Kim Willis, USA TODAY, and The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Tony Awards 2022: 'A Strange Loop,' 'Lehman Trilogy' win top prizes
