‘Purpose’ makes Tony Awards history for Kara Young and wins best play

NEW YORK AP The best new play trophy at Sunday s Tony Awards went to Purpose Branden Jacobs-Jenkins drawing-room drama about an accomplished Black family exposing hypocrisy and pressures during a snowed-in gathering It caps a remarkable year for Jacobs-Jenkins who in addition to winning back-to-back Tonys his Appropriate won best play revival in earned the Pulitzer Prize for Purpose That win came the day of the Met Gala where he served on the host committee Jacobs-Jenkins becomes the first Black playwright to win for best new play since August Wilson took home the trophy in for Fences He urged Tony viewers to encouragement regional theaters Kara Young the first Black female actor to be nominated for a Tony Award in four consecutive years became the first Black person to win two Tonys consecutively with the featured actress in a play trophy for her work in Purpose Young thanked her parents Jacobs-Jenkins her cast and director Phylicia Rashad Theater is a sacred space that we have to honor and treasure and it makes us united she announced Sarah Snook took home the trophy for leading actress in a play for her tireless work in The Picture of Dorian Gray where she plays all roles I don t feel alone any night that I do this show Snook disclosed dismissing the idea of her play as a one-woman show There are so a large number of people onstage making it work and behind the stage making it work Francis Jue won best actor in a featured role in a play for his work in a revival of Yellow Face He declared he was gifted his tuxedo from another Asian actor who needed him to wear it to the Tonys I m only here because of the encouragement and inspiration of generations of wonderful deserving Asian artists who came before me he reported To those who don t feel seen he added I see you Jak Malone won best actor in a featured role in a musical for the British import Operation Mincemeat A New Musical playing a woman every performance He hoped his win could be a powerful advocacy for trans rights Eureka Day Jonathan Spector s social satire about well-meaning liberals debating a school s vaccine procedures won the best play revival trophy It made its off-Broadway debut in The original cast of Hamilton including creator Lin-Manuel Miranda did a triumph lap all dressed in black to mark the show s th anniversary on Broadway with a medley including My Shot The Schuyler Sisters History Has Its Eyes on You and The Room Where It Happens The host with the the bulk First-time host Cynthia Erivo kicked off the show from her dressing room in Radio City Music Hall unsure of her opening number as the stage manager urged her to get to the stage As she made her way through the backstage warren she ran into various people offering advice until she reached Oprah Winfrey who advised The only thing you need to do is just be yourself Erivo then appeared at the stage in a red spangly gown with white accents hip cocked as she launched into the slow-burning original song Sometimes All You Need Is a Song written by Marc Shaiman Scott Wittman Benj Pasek and Justin Paul Initially alone with just a pianist Erivo s soaring voice was soon joined by dozens of members of the Broadway Inspirational Voices choir all dressed in white making her look like a powerful strawberry in a bowl of whipped cream In her opening comments she singled out first-time nominees Louis McCartney Sadie Sink Cole Escola and an up-and-comer that I think you re going to really be hearing quite a bit about George Clooney She noted that the - season took in billion making it the highest-grossing season ever and signaling that Broadway has absolutely emerged from the COVID- blues Broadway is officially back Erivo declared Provided we don t run out of cast members from Succession a nod to appearances this season by former co-stars Snook and Kieran Culkin and last season by Jeremy Strong She and Sara Bareilles dueted for a moving in memoriam section vocalizing The Sun Will Come Out from Annie and honoring its composer Charles Strouse as well as George Wendt Richard Chamberlain Athol Fugard Joan Plowright Quincy Jones Linda Lavin James Earl Jones and Gavin Creel Pre-show results Buena Vista Social Club and Maybe Happy Ending built up early heads of steam at the pre-show well before the main event had even started The best book and best total awards went to Maybe Happy Ending with lyrics written by Hue Park and music composed by Will Aronson Its director Michael Arden won Happy Pride he declared and it also picked up best scenic design of a musical Justin Peck and Patricia Delgado won for choreographing Buena Vista Social Club and Peck noted a song from the renowned original album was played at their wedding The musical takes its inspiration from Wim Wenders Oscar-nominated documentary on the making of the Cuban album Best costumes in a play went to Marg Hornwell for The Picture of Dorian Gray while Death Becomes Her won the musical counterpart a win for Paul Tazewell in a year where he also became the first Black man to win an Oscar for designing costumes for Wicked I have dressed so various of you out there he mentioned from the podium Harvey Fierstein the four-time Tony winner behind Torch Song Trilogy and Kinky Boots was honored with a lifetime achievement Tony and became emotional during his speech 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 And so I dedicate this award to the people in the dark This season on Broadway Broadway buzz is usually reserved for musicals but this year the plays powered by A-list talent like Snook and Clooney have driven the conversation There were two Pulitzer winners awardee English and Purpose from but perhaps one of the season s biggest surprises was Oh Mary Escola s irreverent raunchy gleefully deranged revisionist history centered on Mary Todd Lincoln Sam Pinkleton won best director for Oh Mary and thanked Escola saying he taught him Do what you love not what you think people want to see On the musical side three options seem to be in the mix for the top prize Maybe Happy Ending the rom-com about a pair of androids Dead Outlaw about an alcoholic drifter whose embalmed body becomes a prized possession for half a century and Death Becomes Her the musical satire about longtime frenemies who drink a magic potion for eternal youth and beauty Maybe Happy Ending Death Becomes Her and fellow musical nominee Buena Vista Social Club led nominations going into the night with apiece Broadway this season saw a burst in alt-rock and the emergence of stories of young people for young people including John Proctor is the Villain and a Romeo Juliet pitched to Generation Z and millennials For more coverage of the Tony Awards visit https apnews com hub tony-awards Source