The Pulitzer Prize-winning musical "A Strange Loop" bagged the best musical at the 75th Tony Awards, which kicked off at Radio City Music Hall in New York on Sunday night.
"The Lehman Trilogy," by Stefano Massini and Ben Power of the rise and fall of the Lehman Brothers investment house, scooped up a Tony for best play. Newcomer Myles Frost won as best actor in a musical as a work-obsessed Michael Jackson in "MJ" and Joaquina Kalukango was voted best actress in a musical for her portrayal of a tough-minded 19th-century tavern owner in "Paradise Square."
The awards show, which honours the best of stage performances Broadway plays and musicals resumed its regular schedule after an epidemic hiatus since June 2019.
The three-hour-long web cast event was hosted by actress Ariana DeBose who won best supporting actress in "West Side Story" at this year's Academy Awards.
This season of comebacks hasn't always been easy. After COVID outbreaks, practically every play has had to cancel performances or lose important actors for numerous shows, and new waves of the virus and variants like Omicron have impacted ticket sales at times. Despite the hurdles and losses, 34 plays and musicals premiered this season, with 29 of them being nominated for awards.
This season on Broadway, a record number of shows by Black playwrights were staged, setting a new high, as reported by Variety.
Following the Black Lives Matter movement, Broadway has been pushed to tell more stories about marginalised groups. Many of the Tony Award winners this year, including "Skeleton Crew," "Paradise Square," and "for coloured females who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf," deals with race issues.
Here's an updated list of Tony winners in 2022.
Best Revival of a Musical
Company
Best Book of a Musical
A Strange Loop Michael R. Jackson
Featured Actor/Musical
Matt Doyle, Company
Best Revival/Play
Take Me Out
Best Featured Actress/Play
Phylicia Rashad, Skeleton Crew
Best Direction/Musical
Marianne Elliott, Company
Best Direction/Play
Sam Mendes, The Lehman Trilogy
Best Featured Actress/Musical
Patti LuPone, Company
Best Featured Actor/Play
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Take Me Out
WINNERS ANNOUNCED DURING 'ACT ONE' PRE-SHOW
Best Choreography
Christopher Wheeldon, MJ
Best Orchestrations
Simon Hale, Girl From The North Country
Best Sound Design of a Play
Mikhail Fiksel, Dana H.
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Gareth Owen, MJ
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Six: The Musical Music and Lyrics: Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss
Best Costume Design of a Play
Montana Levi Blanco, The Skin of Our Teeth
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Gabriella Slade, SIX: The Musical
Best Scenic Design of a Play
Es Devlin, The Lehman Trilogy
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Bunny Christie, Company
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Jon Clark, The Lehman Trilogy
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Natasha Katz, MJ