In pictures: All you need to know about Tony Awards 2023

Winners and other high points of this year's prestigious honours for plays and musicals

Published: June 12, 2023 12:00 Compiled by Rajagopalan Venkataraman, Assistant Editor-Features and Washington Post

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‘Kimberly Akimbo’, the melodically bright, tenderhearted account of a New Jersey teen who ages at five times the normal rate, was the major winner at the 76th Tony Awards, earning the top honour of best musical and four other prizes, including best book, score, and leading and featured actress in a musical. Image Credit: AP

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As widely expected, the Tony for best play went to ‘Leopoldstadt’ by 85-year-old Tom Stoppard, a Holocaust drama inspired by the playwright’s discovery late in life of his own Jewish roots. It collected four trophies, including best director of a play, costumes and featured actor, winning over ‘Ain’t No Mo’, ‘The Cost of Living’, ‘Between Riverside and Crazy’ and ‘Fat Ham’. Image Credit: AP

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Other trophies in the play categories were divided among other shows, with Jodie Comer voted best actress for her portrayal of a highflying lawyer turned assault victim in ‘Prima Facie'. Image Credit: Reuters

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Sean Hayes named best actor in a play for his impersonation of actor-pianist Oscar Levant in ‘Good Night, Oscar’. The visually vibrant ‘Life of Pi’ dominated the design awards for plays, as it was recognised for sets, sound design and lighting. Image Credit: Reuters

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There were also numbers from all of the best-musical nominees, ‘Some Like It Hot’, ‘Kimberly Akimbo’, ‘Shucked’, ‘& Juliet’ and ‘New York, New York’. The musical revival nominees — ‘Camelot’, ‘Parade’, ‘Into the Woods’ and ‘Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street’ — also performed, in what amounted to live infomercials for their shows Image Credit: AP

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The presentations in 26 categories, chosen by a voting academy of more than 700 theatre producers, actors, designers and others, occurred during a ceremony that lacked a key ingredient from previous telecasts: writers. The Writers Guild of America, whose strike against TV and film studios is in its second month, agreed not to picket the Tonys only if the show proceeded without the contributions of writers. Image Credit: AFP

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“We don’t have a script, you guys. Live and unscripted. You’re welcome!” an out-of-breath Ariana DeBose (left), host of the CBS telecast for the second year in a row, said after the opening number — performed smartly (and wordlessly) by a cadre of dancers in the lobby and aisles. Telling the audience that the script-less event was necessitated by writers “in pursuit of a fair deal”, she explained that there were no teleprompters, only countdown clocks for the speeches. Image Credit: Reuters

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The urgent mandate to be both quick and quick on one’s feet seemed to inspire many of the Tony winners, including Brandon Uranowitz, who won as best featured actor in a play for his dual roles in ‘Leopoldstadt’. Addressing his parents in the audience, Uranowitz said he wanted to repay them for their sacrifices. “But I work in the theatre, so I can’t do that!” he declared. Image Credit: Reuters

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