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A Very Gay-Friendly Tony Awards

A Very Gay-Friendly Tony Awards

Funhome_alison_bechdelx400d

Sunday night's Tony Awards honored the lesbian-themed musical Fun Home as it celebrated queer performers and favorites.

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On Broadway's biggest night of the year, five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, were bestowed upon Fun Home, the groundbreaking show based on Alison Bechdel's graphic memoir of growing up as a lesbian in a dysfunctional family with a gay father.
The show racked-up wins for Sam Gold (Best Director of a Musical), Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron (Best Original Score of a Musical), which made them the first female songwriting team in history to win a Tony, plus wins for Lisa Kron (Best Book of a Musical) and Michael Cerveris (Leading Actor in a Musical).
Perhaps the emotional high point of the ceremony hosted by LGBT heroes and activists Alan Cumming and Kristin Chenoweth at Radio City Music Hall, was when Kelli O'Hara finally won for best actress in a musical. The New York Times reported this was her sixth Tony nomination, but until now she had not one win; the acclaimed Broadway veteran was recognized for her performance in the revival of The King And I, which also won for best revival of a musical.
The Tony for best new play went to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, about a young boy with Asperger's syndrome, and "Skylight" won for best revival of a play. Skylight is about a couple caught in the aftermath of an affair during economic upheaval.
In addition to reporting to you the official awards that were presented by the American Theater Wing and the Broadway League at Sunday night's star-studded event, The Advocate dreamed-up a few of our own.
Most Meta Choice of Presenters: Jennifer Grey and her (recently out) father Joel Grey, introducing a scene from Fun Home - about a young woman trying to understand her gay father.
Most Moving Gay-themed Musical Number: Fun Home's "Ring of Keys" in which a young girl (Sydney Lucas) is awestruck and inspired by seeing her first butch lesbian.
Most Memorable Number Award: not the showtune, the actual number 5. Fun Home andThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time each won five Tony awards, and Kelli O'Hara's losing streak ended at five.
All Hail the Queen Award: not to Helen Mirren, who won her first Tony Award as Queen Elizabeth in The Audience, but the Lifetime Achievement Award to ten-time Tony Award winning dancer, singer, director and choreographer, Tommy Tune.
The Trans Punk Rocker Award: otherwise known as the Special Tony Award to Hedwig and the Angry Inch creator and star, John Cameron Mitchell.
Best Performance by an 82-year-old Legend: to Chita Rivera, who's back on Broadway in Kander and Ebb's musical The Visit.
Best Subliminal Tributes to MGM Musical Stars: to Leslie Caron, whose iconic films An American in Paris and Gigi are now on Broadway -- and to Gene Kelly, whose An American in Paris and On the Town are now on Broadway. (What, no one's doing Singin' in the Rain?)
Get the Hook Award: not to Kelsey Grammer as Captain Hook in the rousing number from Finding Neverland, but to the cast of Jersey Boys, who seem to have shown up on every other Tony Awards ceremony since the show first opened ten years ago. Enough already!
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