As expected, the musical Hamilton dominated this year's Tony Awards in the wake of its 16 nominationsbut there was also an activist element in relation to the June 12 Orlando, Florida, tragedy at gay nightclub Pulse that was the worst mass shooting in U.S. history.
Before the Tonys, the show's organizers released a statement saying, "Our hearts are heavy for the unimaginable tragedy that happened last night in Orlando. Our thoughts are with the families and friends of those affected. The Tony Awards dedicate tonight's ceremony to them."
Of course, the link between Broadway and the LGBT community has been strong for decades, including have out individuals such as Neil Patrick Harris hosting the Tonys over the years.
As for the winners, Hamilton took 11 awards, including Best Musical. The Humans took four, including Best Play. Shuffle Along had 10 nods, but did not win anything.
Deadline noted that for the first time in the Tonys' 70-year history, all four winners for acting in a musical were African-American ( Renee Elise Goldsberry, Daveed Diggs and Leslie Odom Jr.edging Lin-Manuel Mirandafor Hamilton, and Cynthia Erivo for The Color Purple ). Miranda did win for Best book of a Musical.
Among the other actors who won were Frank Langella ( The Father ) and Jessica Lange ( Long Day's Journey Into Night ).
James Corden hosted the show ( addressing the Orlando tragedy in his opening monologue ), and attendees wore silver ribbons in memory of the shooting victims.