Kinky Boots—a musical about a drag queen who helps a man save his father's shoe factory—dominated this year's Tony Awards, shown on CBS June 9.
The musical Kinky Boots (which started with a pre-Broadway run in Chicago) led with six awards, including wins for best musical, leading actor Billy Porter and choreographer Jerry Mitchell (both whom are openly gay), and composer Cyndi Lauper.
USA Today reported that upon accepting the award, Lauper said, "I gotta thank my mom for sharing all that wonderful music. I wrecked all her Broadway musicals when I was a kid, the cast albums. ... And I want to thank Harvey Fierstein for calling me up. I'm so glad I was done with the dishes and I answered the phone."
Pippin won four Tonys, including best revival, lead actress in a musical (Patina Miller) and featured actress in a musical (Andrea Martin).
In other news, 79-year-old Cicely Tyson won her first-ever Tony for her role in The Trip to Bountiful. "I had a burning desire to do one more great role. I didn't want to be greedy. Just one more," Tyson said.
Another Tyson—former boxer Mike (who had a one-man show)—was among those featured in host Neil Patrick Harris' opening number. Harris also included a number on Broadway stars who were in failed TV shows. (The New Normal's Andrew Rannells, Go On's Laura Benanti and Smash's Megan Hilty appeared with Harris, who is on the long-running How I Met Your Mother.)
Harris mostly received raves for his hosting duties. Even the New York Times stated that Harris "set the bar so high with his introductory flourish that fears of another familiar Tony malady haunted the rest of the CBS broadcast: the dreaded How Do We Top the Opening Number Disease." (The Times, though, did give the closing number a mixed review.)
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? took home the top play honors. Virginia Woolf—Edward Albee's play about a middle-aged couple's dissolving marriage—won for best revival, best actor (star Tracy Letts) and best director (Pam MacKinnon). Letts and MacKinnon mentioned Chicago and Steppenwolf Theater in their speeches. In winning, Letts bested Nathan Lane, Tom Hanks, David Hyde Pierce and Tom Sturridge.
Lauper also performed her hit song "True Colors" during the "In Memoriam" segment.
