Simon Morris on Everything You Need to Know About this Year’s TONY Awards

The TONY Awards have once again come and gone, and if you missed out on the best night in musical theatre, you’re in luck, as this week Simon Morris is here to give you the low down.

The 68^th Annual TONY Awards

The TONY Awards are to the musical theatre world what the Grammy’s are to music and the OSCARS are to film; the one night of the year where players in this world get the recognition they deserve for their stellar work over the past 12 months.

This year’s TONY Awards (68^th) once again took place at the Radio City Music Hall, one of the most renowned and prestigious venues in the  whole of New York City. That alone should let you know what kind of night it was; a truly spectacular one filled with epic wins, disappointing losses and grand performances that had the hair standing up on the back of just about everybody’s next.

A Night of Many Performances

So what happened; let’s start with the performances. Every year stars from some of Broadways must successful productions take to the stage to belt out their signature number, and this year’s awards saw the tradition continue. Tracks were performed from the productions of Les Miserables, After Midnight, Aladdin and If/Then, among others.

Neil Patrick Harris Sizzled on Stage

There were two that I believed stood out. The first was the performance of ‘Sugar Daddy’ from the revival of 90’s classic Hedwig and the Angry Inch. This musical has seen resounding success this year, and went on to win the TONY for the best revival of a musical later in the night. Neil Patrick Harris sizzled and delighted in equal measure in the role of an East German transgender rocker.

As Good as it Was Ten Years Ago

The other performance that stood out to me was the performance of ‘For Good’ from one of my personal favourites, Wicked. Performed in honour of the game-changing musical’s tenth anniversary, it struck a chord with perennial Wicked lovers such as myself, for managing to achieve the same sense of heart-warming melancholy it did ten years ago. There is no greater compliment than that.

Best Actor/Actress

Now onto the winners in the three main categories (who really cares about stuff like best lighting anyway.) Best actor in a musical went to Neil Patrick Harris; as I’ve already mentioned, he was phenomenal and it was totally deserved. Best actress in a musical to Audra McDonald for the role of Billie Holiday in a production about the life and times of the icon; Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill. It was a no brainer, she shone in the role.

Drum Roll Please… And the Award for Best Musical Goes To?

Now the big one, best musical. In the end, despite stiff competition, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder walked away with the night’s most prestigious award. I’m not going to give the plot away, all I’ll say is; I’m really not surprised.

There you have it Simon Morris readers; this year’s TONY’s were yet another night of amazing performances, spectacular wins and devastating loses; I so can’t wait for next year!

By Simon Morris