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

‘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.

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’.

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'.

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.

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

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.

“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.

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.