In the Spotlight: The 2022 Tony Awards
The 75th edition of the Tony Awards has returned for another night, celebrating the achievements and excellence in Broadway. Check out the highlights of the long-awaited award ceremony here.
Held at the Radio City Music Hall in New York, the Tony Awards is finally back after three long years away from the limelight. Making its first restoration at the original venue since the pandemic, the red carpet has been graced by several A-list celebrities dressed to the nines.
Showstopping Broadway Performances
Hosted by 'West Side Story' and 'Hamilton' actress, singer, and dancer, Ariana DeBose, the ceremony kicked off with a musical number inspired by the greatest hits including ‘Cabaret,’ ‘Bye Bye Birdie,’ ‘Evita,’ ‘The Wiz,’ ‘Chicago’ and ‘Hamilton’ as a nod to Broadway classics. In the opening monologue, DeBose applauds and commemorates the inclusivity and diversity of the industry, giving recognition to the contributions made by LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities.
The cast of 'MJ: The Musical' took the stage with a lively performance of the late Michael Jackson’s chart-topper, ‘Smooth Criminal’. Fronted by Myles Frost, the actor who plays the King of Pop in the eponymous musical, dazzled the audience with melodious music and energetic grooves. He showcased the seamless marriage of dance and music, resembling the ingenious abilities of Jackson. That same evening, Frost was awarded the Best Actor in Musical, delivering a moving speech of gratitude to his mother.
Starring Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster, the newly-opened revival of ‘The Music Man’ came to rise as the hottest Broadway musical theatre in town. The pair illuminated the stage with a performance of “76 Tombrones” from the musical, emanating bursts of radiance and energy with the upbeat tap-dancing title.
Honourable Winners of the Night
Taking the victory for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play for his performance in ‘Take Me Out’, Jesse Taylor Ferguson earns his first-ever Tony Award in the revival of the baseball play, celebrating the intricacies of America’s favourite pastime. Ferguson says: "To stand in front of this community that I admire and love so much just means so much to me. I cannot believe I get to do this for a living."
‘The Lehman Trilogy’ — a three-act play by Italian novelist and playwright Stefano Massini took home multiple awards as Best Play, Best Direction of a Play for Sam Mendes, and Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play for Simon Russell Beale.
The groundbreaking musical ‘The Strange Loop’ has been awarded as the Best Musical, it revives and subverts the societal expectations of Blackness and queerness. The musical follows the story of Usher, a Black gay man who struggles mentally to conform to society’s norms.
Best Dressed
