What a night for the Broadway production of Hadestown at the Tony Awards which celebrated eight wins including a welcome one for female director Rachel Chavkin and acting honours for the show’s André De Shields. Elsewhere, though, there was still room for Tootsie, The Cher Show and Oklahoma! to go home with two Tony Awards each.
Recently seen at the National Theatre, Hadestown won Best Musical, along with original score (music and lyrics by Anaïs Mitchell). Plus there were honours for director Rachel Chavkin; actor in a featured role, Andre De Shields; scenic design by Rachel Hauck; Bradley King’s lighting design; sound design by Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz; and orchestrations by Michael Chorney and Todd Sickafoose.
Best Musical Revival went to Daniel Fish’s reinterpretation of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! which also made theatre history with the award for Featured Actress going to Ali Stroker (as Ado Annie), the first wheelchair-bound performer to either be nominated for or win a Tony.
Santino Fontana went home with the ‘Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical’ honours for his portrayal of the title character in Tootsie and the show’s book writer Robert Horn also triumphed. Lead actress Stephanie J. Block proved a popular win for her performance in The Cher Show which also came out on top in the costumes category thanks to designer Bob Mackie.
There was a single but much prized win for Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations for the show’s choreographer Sergio Trujillo.
There was also an earlier announced special award for the incredible puppetry featured in King Kong, won by Sonny Tilders and Creative Technology Company. Other special awards included one for the late Marin Mazzie, the Tony-nominated actress who died last September, for her advocacy as she fought ovarian cancer.
See below for the list of musical theatre winners:
Best Musical
Hadestown
Best Revival of a Musical
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
Best Book of a Musical
Tootsie (Robert Horn)
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Hadestown (Music & Lyrics: Anaïs Mitchell)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Santino Fontana, Tootsie
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Stephanie J. Block, The Cher Show
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
André De Shields, Hadestown
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Ali Stroker, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Rachel Hauck, Hadestown
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Bob Mackie, The Cher Show
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Bradley King, Hadestown
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz, Hadestown
Best Direction of a Musical
Rachel Chavkin, Hadestown
Best Choreography
Sergio Trujillo, Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations
Best Orchestrations
Michael Chorney and Todd Sickafoose, Hadestown
