"I'm live and unscripted. You're welcome." This is how Ariana DeBose began her speech at the 76th Tony Awards. The actress, who hosted the gala, made it clear that the writers' strike had also affected the event, which honors the best of Broadway theater. "So to anyone who thought I was a little unhinged last year, to them I say, 'Darlings, fasten your seatbelts,'" continued the performer who also unveiled the only phrase that appeared written on her teleprompter: "Please finish."
It did not mean that the actors did not support the writers' hiatus. In fact it was quite the opposite, the show was full of Broadway actors' support for the screenwriters, and even DeBose herself dedicated part of her opening monologue to this strike. "I'm sure some of you caught that I opened the number by opening a script. Blank pages... Very good reason for that! Our siblings at the WGA are currently on strike in persue of a fair deal," the actress said, drawing applause from the audience:
This was not the only allusion; several of the award winners also took a few minutes to send messages of support to the Screenwriters Guild of America (WGA). One of them was Miriam Silverman. The winner of the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Play for “The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window” ended her thank you speech by dedicating the following words to the screenwriters, "My parents raised me to believe in the power of workers, and their rights to be paid and treated fairly. We stand with the WGA in solidarity!"
List of Tony Award Winners
The 76th Tony Awards will also be remembered for being the first time two non-binary actors were honored for their Broadway performances: J. Harrison Ghee and Alex Newell took the stage at New York's United Palace to collect their awards. Ghee picked up the Tony for Best Actor in a Leading Role in “Some Like It Hot,” while Newell earned his award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for “Shucked.”
They were not the only winners of the 76th edition of the awards. The winners (marked in bold) of the 2023 Tony' s were as follows:
Best Musical
- “Kimberly Akimbo”
- “& Juliet”
- “New York, New York”
- “Shucked”
- “Some Like It Hot”
Best play
- “Leopoldstadt”
- “Ain't No Mo'”
- “Between Riverside and Crazy”
- “Cost of Living”
- “Fat Ham”
Best new production of a musical
- “Parade”
- “Camelot”
- “Into the Woods”
- “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”
Best new production of a play
- “Topdog / Underdog”
- “A Doll's House”
- “The Piano Lesson”
- “The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
- Victoria Clark, “Kimberly Akimbo”
- Annaleigh Ashford, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”
- Sara Bareilles, “Into the Woods”
- Lorna Courtney, “& Juliet”
- Micaela Diamond, “Parade”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
- Sean Hayes, “Good Night, Oscar”
- Yayha Abdul-Mateen II, “Topdog/Underdog”
- Corey Hawkins, “Topdog/Underdog”
- Stephen McKinley Henderson, “Between Riverside and Crazy”
- Wendell Pierce, “Death of a Salesman”
Best performance by an actress in a lead role
- Jodie Comer, “Prima Facie”
- Jessica Chastain, “A Doll's House”
- Jessica Hecht, Summer, “1976”
- Audra McDonald, “Ohio State Murders”
Best book of a musical
- “Kimberly Akimbo,” David Lindsay-Abaire
- “& Juliet,” David West Read
- “New York, New York,” David Thompson and Sharon Washington
- “Shucked,” Robert Horn
- “Some Like It Hot,” Matthew Lopez and Amber Ruffin
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
- J. Harrison Ghee, “Some Like It Hot”
- Christian Borle, “Some Like it Hot”
- Josh Groban, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”
- Brian d'Arcy James, “Into the Woods”
- Ben Platt, “Parade”
- Colton Ryan, “New York, New York”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
- Alex News, “Shucked”
- Kevin Cahoon, “Shucked”
- Justin Cooley, “Kimberly Akimbo”
- Kevin Del Aguila, “Some Like It Hot”
- Jordan Donica, “Camelot”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
- Miriam Silverman, “The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window”
- Nikki Crawford, “Fat Ham”
- Crystal Lucas-Perry, “Ain't No Mo'”
- Katy Sullivan, “Cost of Living”
- Kara Young, “Cost of Living”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
- Bonnie Milligan, “Kimberly Akimbo”
- Julia Lester, “Into the Woods”
- Ruthie Ann Miles, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”
- NaTasha Yvette Williams, “Some Like It Hot”
- Betsy Wolfe, “& Juliet”
Best performance by an actor in a leading role in a play
- Brandon Uranowitz, “Leopoldstadt”
- Jordan E. Cooper, “Ain't No Mo'”
- Samuel L. Jackson, “The Piano Lesson”
- Arian Moayed, “A Doll's House”
- David Zayas, “Cost of Living”
Best direction of a play
- Patrick Marber, “Leopoldstadt”
- Saheem Ali, “Fat Ham”
- Jo Bonney, “Cost of Living”
- Jamie Lloyd, “A Doll's House”
- Stevie Walker-Webb, “Ain't No Mo'”
- Max Webster, “Life of Pi”
Best direction of a musical
- Michael Arden, “Parade”
- Lear deBessonet, “Into the Woods”
- Casey Nicholaw, “Some Like It Hot”
- Jack O'Brien, “Shucked”
- Jessica Stone, “Kimberly Akimbo”
Best choreography
- Casey Nicholaw, “Some Like It Hot”
- Steven Hoggett, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”
- Susan Stroman, “New York, New York”
- Jennifer Weber, “& Juliet”
- Jennifer Weber, “KPOP”
Best original score
- “Kimberly Akimbo,” music by Jeanine Tesori and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire
- “Almost Famous,” music and lyrics by Tom Kitt and lyrics by Cameron Crowe
- “KPOP,” music and lyrics by Helen Park and Max Vernon
- “Shucked,” music and lyrics by Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally
- “Some Like It Hot,” music and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and lyrics by Scott Wittman
Best orchestrations
- Charlie Rosen and Bryan Carter, “Some Like It Hot”
- John Clancy, “Kimberly Akimbo”
- Sam Davis and Daryl Waters, “New York, New York”
- Dominic Fallacaro and Bill Sheman, “& Juliet”
- Jason Howland, “Shucked”
Best costumes for a musical
- Gregg Barnes, “Some Like It Hot”
- Sophia Choi and Clint Ramos, “KPOP”
- Susan Hilferty, “Parade”
- Jennifer Moeller, “Camelot”
- Paloma Young, “& Juliet”
- Donna Zakowska, “New York, New York”
Best costumes for a play
- Brigitte Reiffenstuel, “Leopoldstadt”
- Nick Barnes, Finn Caldwell and Tim Hatley, “Life of Pi”
- Dominique Fawn Hill, “Fat Ham”
- Emilio Sosa, “Ain't No Mo'”
- Emilio Sosa, Good Night, “Oscar”
Best lighting design of a construction site
- Tim Lutkin, “Life of Pi”
- Neil Austin, “Leopoldstadt”
- Natasha Chivers, “Prima Facie”
- Jon Clark, “A Doll's House”
- Bradley King, “Fat Ham”
- Jen Schriever, “Death of a Salesman”
- Ben Stanton, A Christmas Carol
Best lighting design of a musical
- Natasha Katz, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”
- Ken Billington, “New York, New York”
- Lap Chi Chu, “Camelot”
- Heather Gilbert, “Parade”
- Howard Hudson, “& Juliet”
- Natasha Katz, “Some Like It Hot”
