The 79th Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall delivered a night of spectacle, records and surprises, hosted by Pink, who opened the ceremony with a large-scale “Lady Marmalade” performance celebrating Broadway and show business unity. The evening quickly became defined by one of the season’s most unexpected success stories: “Schmigadoon!,” the Apple TV musical-comedy adaptation written entirely by Cinco Paul, which won book of a musical, original score and best musical. Paul became only the fourth person in Broadway history to win both book and score in the same year his show captured the Tony for best musical, joining a select group that includes Rupert Holmes, Jonathan Larson and Lin-Manuel Miranda. The show’s sweep also gave Apple a rare entertainment milestone, completing what can be described as a “studio EGOT” with wins across the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards.
But “Schmigadoon!” was not the night’s biggest overall winner. Joe Mantello’s revival of “Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman” led all productions with six Tonys, placing it among the most decorated plays in Tony history. The play’s cast and creative team had a strong showing, while John Lithgow won best actor in a play for playing Roald Dahl in “Giant.” His victory set a new record for the longest span between competitive acting Tony wins, at 53 years, and made him the oldest male acting winner in Tony history. Laurie Metcalf also added to the play’s momentum by winning for her performance as Linda Loman, turning the role into a two-time Tony-winning part and earning her third competitive acting Tony.
The ceremony also featured several notable surprises and snubs across the acting and craft categories. Ali Louis Bourzgui won featured actor in a musical for “The Lost Boys” on his first Tony nomination, beating veteran contenders and emerging as one of the night’s breakout stars. Alden Ehrenreich scored a surprise win for featured actor in a play in “Becky Shaw,” taking his first Tony over a competitive field. Kai Harada won sound design of a musical for “Ragtime,” despite also being nominated for “Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” and the result marked his second Tony in the category. On the directing front, Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch won best direction of a musical for “Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” a co-directing triumph that placed them among the few pairs ever to share the honor.
Not every acclaimed production translated into awards. “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)” left empty-handed despite multiple nominations, while “Titaníque” also failed to convert its four nominations into a win. Still, the overall night was shaped by a wide spread of winners, with “Ragtime,” “Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” “Schmigadoon!,” “Death of a Salesman” and other productions each claiming major moments in a Tony Awards ceremony that mixed celebration, records and surprise outcomes.
