Tony Awards 2023 top moments: Nonbinary winners make history, Ron DeSantis compared to KKK leader

NEW YORK – The show must go on.

Despite the ongoing Hollywood writers' strike, it wasn't curtains for this year's Tony Awards, which moved forward Sunday with a slightly reworked ceremony at the United Palace Theatre in New York.

Oscar winner Ariana DeBose ("West Side Story") returned to host the telecast on CBS, which featured no scripted banter during the presentation of awards. The result was a surprisingly seamless and performance-heavy show, led by standout numbers from Ben Platt ("Parade") and Lea Michele ("Funny Girl").

"Kimberly Akimbo," a musical about a 16-year-old girl (Victoria Clark) who ages four times faster than the average person, picked up the night's biggest trophy for best musical, along with prizes for best actress (Clark), best score and best book. Tom Stoppard's "Leopoldstadt," a decades-spanning drama about a Jewish family and the horrors of antisemitism, earned best play. And Emmy winners Sean Hayes ("Good Night, Oscar") and Jodie Comer ("Prima Facie") took top acting honors for their powerhouse turns in new plays.

Here are the top moments of the night:

Ariana DeBose does the thing with unscripted opening number 

After starting last year's show with a frenetic mashup of show tunes, DeBose returned to the Tonys with a remarkable, wordless opening number. After leafing through a blank script, she proceeded to twirl, kick, leap and flip through the United Palace with a group of dancers and musicians. She then expressed her support for striking Writers Guild of America members and explained what the strike meant for Sunday's ceremony.

"To anyone who may have thought that last year was a bit unhinged, to them I say, 'Darlings, buckle up,' " DeBose said, before pointing out the lack of teleprompters in the theater. "In all seriousness, yes, I am unscripted as is every presenter who comes on stage tonight. We're just making it up as we go along."

Bonnie Milligan delivers inspiring speech with 'Kimberly Akimbo' win

Milligan brought home the Tony for best featured actress in a musical, for her hilarious and nuanced portrayal of small-time con Aunt Debra in "Kimberly Akimbo." The beloved scene-stealer paid an emotional tribute to her late father and grandmother in her acceptance speech, before offering words of encouragement to others who may feel like outsiders.

"I want to tell everybody that doesn't look like what the world is telling you should look like − whether you're not pretty enough, you're not fit enough, your identity is not right, who you love isn't right," Milligan said. "That doesn't matter because guess what? It’s right and you belong."

Backstage, she talked about her long road to Broadway, growing up in a trailer in the Midwest with "not much, no connections." She added, "It took a while to get here. For some years, I had shame about how long it took me to get here."

2023 Tony Awards nominations: 'Some Like It Hot' leads; Jessica Chastain, Samuel L. Jackson score

Alex Newell, J. Harrison Ghee make Tonys history as nonbinary acting winners

Newell, the "independently owned" showstopper of corn comedy "Shucked," tearfully picked up the trophy for best featured actor in a musical. The actor, who is nonbinary and uses he/she/they pronouns, thanked their mom for "teaching me what strength is," while also expressing gratitude for the Broadway community.

"I've wanted this my entire life and I thank each and every one of you in this room right now," Newell said in their speech. "Thank you, Broadway, for seeing me. I should not be up here as a queer, nonbinary, fat, Black little baby from Massachusetts."

Later, Ghee took the stage to accept best actor in a musical for "Some Like It Hot," playing a jazz musician coming into their gender identity.

Ghee, who uses he/they pronouns, became the second openly nonbinary performer in Tony history to win an acting award, after Newell earlier in the night. "For every trans, nonbinary, gender non-conforming human − whoever was told they couldn’t be, couldn’t be seen, this is for you," Ghee said.

Speaking to reporters in the media room, Ghee elaborated on their own coming-out journey, saying it's wonderful to "break labels and limits and boundaries for myself, first and foremost, and to hopefully be that inspiration for others."

Denée Benton compares Ron DeSantis to KKK leader 

Benton, star of HBO's "The Gilded Age," earned huge cheers from the United Palace audience with her pointed remarks about DeSantis. While introducing an award, the Carnegie Mellon University alum compared the Republican governor of Florida to a "grand wizard,” referring to a leader of the Ku Klux Klan.

"Earlier tonight, CMU and the Tony Awards presented the 2023 Excellence in Theater Education Award,” Benton said. “And while I am certain that the current grand wizard − I’m sorry, excuse me − governor of my home state of Florida will be changing the name of this following town immediately, we were honored to present this award to the truly incredible and life-changing Jason Zembuch-Young, enhancing the lives of students at South Plantation High School in Plantation, Florida.”

Celebrities including "Abbott Elementary" actress Sheryl Lee Ralph praised Benton's statement on Twitter, writing "Yesssssss @DeneeBenton I caught it!! The grand wizard."

Jodie Comer wins best actress for harrowing 'Prima Facie'

Comer, who shot to fame on BBC America's "Killing Eve," won the best actress in a play Tony for her tour-de-force performance in "Prima Facie." In the grueling one-woman show, Comer plays a lawyer named Tessa who represents men accused of sexual assault. Her perspective shifts when she is raped by a male colleague and she struggles to confront a system that enables abuse.

The actress says "Prima Facie" is different from other projects she's seen about sexual assault.

"For me, the distinction is that she’s in control of the whole narrative and the execution of telling the story, and I was really moved by that," Comer told reporters backstage. "And that's why I think it resonates so deeply with people: that you’re experiencing every moment with her."

Comer expressed admiration for her character's sense of self, saying that playing Tessa helped her "become a woman." She also recalled the emotional responses she's received from survivors.

"The letters we get on a weekly basis from hundreds of women, saying very clearly what this play has done for them," Comer said. "We see firsthand the effect this play is having. … Not every job is like this, and we just savor every second."

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tony Awards 2023: Jodie Comer wins best actress, Ariana DeBose hosts