The Tony Awards returned to Radio City Music Hall

 It’s official! The Tony Awards returned to Radio City Music Hall. For decades, the Great Stage was where the Great White Way gathered on Broadway’s biggest night until three years ago when the theater district’s lights went dim due to the pandemic before slowly opening back up. At the 75th Annual Awards ceremony on Sunday, the theme of the evening was to celebrate those who made the show go on again (and again), from the understudies to the ushers.

The opening number featured Julianne Hough and Darren Criss, who did a foot-tapping jig to an original song Criss wrote called “Set the Stage.” With catchy lyrics like: “When producers from the Tony’s called us up, they said . . . we’re hoping you can open up with ‘Broadway is back,’” they danced up ladders, spun round laundry hampers, and slid down theater seats while giving the audience a literal peak at the geniuses behind the red velvet curtain without missing a beat.  note:The Northman

The message was underscored when understudy turned Oscar winner Ariana DeBose took the stage as the evening host, mere months after earning a statuette for her portrayal of Anita in Stephen Spielberg’s West Side Story. DeBose dazzled the crowd by performing a dizzying mash-up of the most memorable Broadway musical song and dances spanning three-quarters of a century in under five minutes flat, from A Chorus Line to Cabaret, Hairspray to Hamilton.  note:Massive Talent

DeBose also reminded the audience that this season was nothing short of record-breaking, as it featured new shows written by seven black playwrights, a gender-flipped production of Company, and the first openly transgender performer to be nominated for a Tony, among other noteworthy ways Broadway is becoming “more reflective of the community that adores it.”  note:Avatar 2: The Way of Water

Case in point: A Strange Loop, the Pulitzer-prize winning “big, Black and queer-ass American Broadway” show, not only won Best Musical, playwright Michael R. Jackson nabbed Best Book of a Musical. When the cast and crew celebrated at The Times Square EDITION, Jackson rubbed elbows with the likes of Jennifer Hudson and Billy Porter with his Tony Award still in hand. “I started off as a fledgling playwright who wanted to be a soap opera writer. And so all these years later, to be actually given an award for my playwriting essentially means that all the years of hard work paid off.” Hard work includes (yes) being an usher for The Lion King like the show’s leading man.It was Myles Frost, however, who was crowned the unofficial King of Pop when he took home the award for Best Actor in a Musical for his Broadway debut in “MJ,” a category that included industry heavy-hitters like Hugh Jackman and Billy Crystal. After performing “Smooth Criminal,” during the broadcast, he remained in character. Shimmying his way onto the stage in a studded Khangle jacket and jet-black sunglasses that oozed Michael Jackson vibes, Frost burst into song mid-acceptance speech. And during the after-party at Tavern on the Green, the Tony-winner moonwalked on the dancefloor, not in white socks and black loafers, but in Christian Louboutins. note:Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Meanwhile, at the gala at The Plaza, Jordan Roth gave new meaning to fashion peacocking in an iridescent ensemble with laser-cut feathered detailing. “It’s giving me phoenix rising from the ashes,” Roth said of the sartorial masterpiece designed by Luchen; look for her name stitched onto labels as she’s set to launch her own brand soon. “I asked Luchen to create this piece for me, because she is herself an innovative, new, and resilient voice in fashion,” Roth said. “We’re here celebrating the resilience of our industry and our city, and celebrating so many new and innovative voices in the theater.” With an exposed back, Roth made a bold statement coming and going; after all, Broadway veterans know the importance of a dramatic entrance and an exit.