Everything’s coming up Tony’s!
Stars of the stage showed up in droves on Sunday for the 78th Annual Tony Awards, which saw nearly three dozen Broadway shows nominated across 26 categories.
“Maybe Happy Ending,” “Death Becomes Her” and “Buena Vista Social Club” led the pack with 10 nominations each — including Best Musical — with “Dead Outlaw” and spy satire “Operation Mincemeat” rounding out the category.
Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman; Julieta Cervantes
(From left) “Buena Vista Social Club,” “Maybe Happy Ending” and “John Proctor Is the Villain” are up for Tony Awards.
Cole Escola’s “Oh, Mary!” meanwhile earned five nods, including Best Play, with other nominees including “The Hills of California,” “English,” “Purpose,” and “John Proctor Is the Villain.”
Three-time Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo kicked off her first turn hosting the ceremony in a slinky red dress, crooning “Sometimes, all you need is a song,” from the stage of Radio City Music Hall. Also an Emmy and Grammy winner, the “Wicked” star nabbed her own Tony back in 2016 for her performance as Celie in “The Color Purple.”
Emmy winner and “Succession” star Sarah Snook won the Tony for her debut Broadway performance, a one-man interpretation of “The Picture of Dorian Gray.”
“Broadway is officially back. Provided we don’t run out of cast members from ‘Succession,’” Erivo joked.
Both “Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” which took home trophies in many of the technical categories, and “Buena Vista Social Club” were also early winners, with the latter earning Tonys for Orchestration, Scenic Design and Choreography.
“Maybe Happy Ending,” the Darren Criss-starring musical about robots, meanwhile earned the awards for Best Original Score and Best Book.
Four-time Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein was also honored with a lifetime achievement award in the theater.
“There is nothing quite like bathing in the applause of a curtain call, but when I bow, I bow to the audience…with gratitude, knowing that without them I might as well be lip-syncing showtunes in my bedroom mirror,” Fierstein said during a heartfelt yet hilarious speech. “And so I dedicate this award to the people in the dark.”
The biggest night in theater was also slated to feature a performance by the original cast “Hamilton” in celebration of its 10-year anniversary. The widely popular musical, written by Lin Manuel Miranda, is one of the most decorated ever, with 11 Tony awards, including Best Musical.
This year also saw a slew of Hollywood A-listers earn their first-time nominations. George Clooney got a nod for his Broadway debut performance as Edward R. Murrow in “Good Night, and Good Luck,” as did Daniel Dae Kim for his portrayal of DHH in “Yellow Face,” making him the first Asian actor to earn a nod for Best Actor in a play.
Mia Farrow was up for her work in the “The Roommate,” Bob Odenkirk got a nom for “Glengarry Glen Ross,” and “Stranger Things” star Sadie Sink was up for “John Proctor Is the Villain.”
Nicole Scherzinger was nominated for “Sunset Boulevard,” but the former Pussycat Dolls frontwoman would have to best the likes theater great Audra McDonald — who holds the record for the most acting wins with six Tony Awards — to take home the the trophy for Best Leading Actress in a Musical.
“Boop!” star Jasmine Amy Rogers was also nominated alongside Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simrand, who together lead “Death Becomes Her,” inspired by the 1998 camp classic starring Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn.
