“The Lehman Trilogy” a dramatic work on the birth and fall of Lehman Brothers, monopolized the Tony Awards this Sunday and prevailed over the most acclaimed and groundbreaking musicals of the last season in New York, the return of Broadway.
On its 75th anniversary, the considered “Oscar of the theater” they valued the functions of the 2021-2022 stage, after the stoppage imposed by the pandemic but not without complications and which was highly commented throughout the four hours that the event lasted at Radio City Music Hall.
The story about the company that sparked the financial crisis of 2008 generated a clear consensus among the jury, which awarded five of the eight awards to which he aspiredincluding Best Drama, New Play, Director (Sam Mendes) and Lead Actor in Theatrical Performance (Simon Russell Beale).
Mendes, who won an Oscar in 1999 for the film “American Beauty”, highlighted the “creativity and diversity” of the theater sector and thanked his team for the ability to “keep the work alive during the hardest days”, mentioning the three main actors, who shared nomination.
Award-winning actor Russell Beale dedicated his first Tony to his two partners, Adrian Lester and Adam Godley, and commended the audience for having welcomed the piece “with open arms” despite difficulties in complying with “regulations”. of covid-19 in the city.
In the musical category, which this year wore little, the favorite, “A Strange Loop” left a bittersweet taste, a metaplay celebrating the black and queer community starring a Broadway usher who aspires to direct a play about himself.
“A Strange Loop” was the musical, and the piece with the most nominations of the night, eleven of which only won two although they were the highest recognition for their category and the distinction for their script, written by director Michael R. Jackson.
In addition, the actress and singer Jennifer Hudson, one of its producers, became the new standard-bearer for the growing racial diversity in the art world by accessing the select club of the “EGOT”: she has an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and now a Tony.
Award for MJ
The awards were widely distributed, but “MJ” stood out, about the legacy of the king of pop Michael Jackson, who took four statuettes including the one for best leading actor in a musical for Myles Frost, 22, who was making his debut as a professional actor and was competing with veterans.
Photo: JASON SZENES
Frost shone in one of the performances of the night, with a performance of “Smooth Criminal” in which he embodied Michael Jackson in detail, sliding across the floor with his iconic “moonwalking”.
Joaquina Kalukango, who won the award for best musical actress for “Paradise Square”, about race relations in 19th-century New York, also stood out with a performance of her work in which she ended up crying while unleashing her powerful voice, and which was received with an ovation.
Both actors agreed in their speeches by mixing their pride and life experiences as black people, with Frost thanking his mother for being an example and Kalukango claiming “all the anonymous ancestors who have suffered.”
Another big winner was “Company,” a remake of the 1970s Broadway hit, which won four awards including Revival of a Musical, Director (Marianne Elliott), and Supporting Actor and Actress (Matt Doyle and Patti LuPone).
Elliott, who has given legendary playwright Stephen Sondheim’s musical a second life by putting “women at the center,” thanked those who are fighting “for the survival of this art form.”
Other major awards went to “Take Me Out,” for the drama’s revival and its supporting actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson; “Dana. H,” by its lead actress Deirdre O’Connell; or “Six: The Musical”, for its original soundtrack and lyrics, by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss.
The The emcee was actress Ariana DeBose, a Broadway veteran before winning an Oscar for the film “West Side Story.”who demonstrated his skills with a medley of songs to welcome and entertained the gala with sympathy and self-confidence. (AND)
Source: Eluniverso
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