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| 73rd Tony Awards | |
|---|---|
 Official poster | |
| Date | June 9, 2019 |
| Location | Radio City Music Hall, Midtown Manhattan, New York City |
| Hosted by | James Corden |
| Most awards | Hadestown (8) |
| Most nominations | Hadestown (14) |
| Website | tonyawards |
| Television/radio coverage | |
| Network | CBS |
| Viewership | 5.4 million[1] |
| Produced by | James Corden Ricky Kirshner Glenn Weiss Ben Winston |
| Directed by | Glenn Weiss |
The 73rd Annual Tony Awards were held on June 9, 2019, to recognize achievement in Broadway productions during the 2018–19 season. The ceremony was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City and was broadcast live by CBS.[2] James Corden served as host.[3]
Hadestown was the most awarded show of the season, with eight including Best Musical. The Ferryman won four awards, including Best Play. Musicals The Cher Show and Tootsie, the revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!, and the new play Ink each won two awards.
The ceremony received mixed reviews, with many criticizing the performance of Corden as host. At the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards, it was nominated for three awards: Outstanding Variety Special (Live), Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special, and Outstanding Lighting Design / Lighting Direction for a Variety Special.[4]
Eligibility
The official eligibility cut-off date for Broadway productions opening in the 2018–2019 season was April 25, 2019.[2][5][6] 34 shows were eligible.
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Events
Nominations
The Tony Award nominations were announced on April 30, 2019 by Bebe Neuwirth and Brandon Victor Dixon and broadcast on CBS.[7]
Hadestown received 14 nominations, the most of any production of the season. Ain't Too Proud followed, with 12 nominations. The plays The Ferryman and To Kill a Mockingbird each received nine nominations.[8]
Other events
The annual Meet the Nominees Press Reception took place on May 1, 2019 at the Sofitel New York Hotel.[9] The annual Nominees Luncheon took place on May 21, 2019 at the Rainbow Room. A cocktail party was held on June 3, 2019 at the Sofitel New York Hotel to celebrate the season's Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre and Special Award recipients.[10][11]
Creative Arts Awards
The Creative Arts Tony Awards ceremony was presented prior to the televised award ceremony. The ceremony was hosted by Danny Burstein, Karen Olivo and Aaron Tveit. The awards presented include honorary awards and technical categories.[12]
Ceremony
Presenters
The ceremony's presenters included:[13][14]
- Tina Fey and Jake Gyllenhaal – presented Best Featured Actress in a Play
- Samira Wiley and Abigail Breslin – presented Best Featured Actor in a Play
- Samuel L. Jackson and LaTanya Richardson Jackson – presented Best Actress in a Play
- Jane Krakowski – introduced Tootsie
- Darren Criss and Sienna Miller – presented Best Featured Actor in a Musical
- Shirley Jones and Aasif Mandvi – introduced Oklahoma!
- Danai Gurira and Christopher Jackson – presented Best Direction of a Musical
- Catherine O'Hara – introduced Beetlejuice
- Lucy Liu – special presentation on the Tonys' history
- Laura Benanti and Anthony Ramos – presented Best Featured Actress in a Musical
- Kristin Chenoweth – introduced The Prom
- Michael Shannon and Marisa Tomei – presented Best Revival of a Play
- BeBe Winans – introduced Choir Boy
- Rachel Brosnahan and Jesse Tyler Ferguson – presented Best Direction of a Play
- Billy Porter – presented Excellence in Theatre Education Award
- David Byrne and Vanessa Carlton – presented Best Original Score
- Kelli O'Hara – introduced Kiss Me, Kate
- Sutton Foster and Andrew Rannells – presented Best Revival of a Musical
- Karen Olivo, Aaron Tveit, and Danny Burstein – presenters of the Creative Arts winners
- Regina King and Laura Linney – presented Best Actor in a Play
- Judith Light – presented Best Play
- Brian Stokes Mitchell – presenter of the In Memoriam tribute
- Ben Platt – presented Best Actor in a Musical
- Audra McDonald – presented Best Actress in a Musical
- Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban – presented Best Musical
Performances
The following shows and performers performed on the ceremony's telecast:[15][16]
- "We Do It Live" – James Corden
- "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" / "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" / "I Can't Get Next to You" – Ain't Too Proud
- "Unstoppable" – Tootsie
- "I Cain't Say No" / "Oklahoma" – Oklahoma!
- "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" / "The Whole Being Dead Thing" – Beetlejuice
- "Tonight Belongs to You" / "It's Time to Dance" – The Prom
- "James in the Bathroom" (parody of "Michael in the Bathroom" from Be More Chill – James Corden, Sara Bareilles, and Josh Groban, cameo by Neil Patrick Harris
- "Rockin' Jerusalem" – Choir Boy
- "Road to Hell" / "Wait For Me" – Hadestown
- "Too Darn Hot" – Kiss Me, Kate
- "Believe" – The Cher Show
- "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" – Cynthia Erivo
The playwrights of the nominated plays spoke of their work. As noted by The Hollywood Reporter "Presenting the play nominees has always been the telecast's biggest challenge, and having the writers themselves take the stage to discuss the genesis and themes of their work felt particularly appropriate in such an uncommonly strong season for new plays. It helped that they were so entertaining."[17] The playwrights included James Graham (Ink), Jez Butterworth (The Ferryman), Tarell Alvin McCraney (Choir Boy), Taylor Mac (Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus) and Heidi Schreck (What the Constitution Means to Me).[18]
Broadway Karaoke
During the broadcast's commercial breaks, Corden started Broadway Karaoke, whereby Broadway performers in the audience would karaoke a show tune without preplanning or rehearsal.[19] Equipped with a songbook, microphone, and with a pianist to accompany, Corden would pick various stars to sing during three of the telecast commercials.[19] Although the performances weren't broadcast, audience members and Corden's own film crew recorded the proceedings with some videos being posted online.[20] Corden, whose own late-night show has a successful and similar ongoing segment, Carpool Karaoke, which led to television's Carpool Karaoke: The Series, revealed the scheme on his show the following night of the Tonys.[19]
The first of three karaokes was Dear Evan Hansen's Ben Platt who sang "Tomorrow" from Annie.[21] During the next karaoke break was a performance of "96,000" from In the Heights by the upcoming film's Anthony Ramos who plays Usnavi, who was soon duetting with Christopher Jackson, who originated the role of Benny.[22] The third performance was a "showstopper" shared by Corden on his show the next night, weaving online videos as well as from his own crew.[20] Toward the end of the show he approached Pose's Billy Porter, who garnered media attention for his red and pink haute couture gown upcycled from Kinky Boots' curtains, to deliver what Corden said was an incredible performance of "Everything's Coming up Roses" from Gypsy,[20] which received a standing ovation from the roughly 6,000 attendees.[23]
Non-competitive awards
The non-competitive Special Tony Award was presented to Rosemary Harris, Terrence McNally and Harold Wheeler for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.[24]
The Isabelle Stevenson Award was awarded to Judith Light for her work to end HIV/AIDS and support for LGBTQ+ and human rights.[25]
The Excellence In Theatre Education Award recipient was Madeleine Michel of Monticello High School in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The Regional Theatre Tony Award winner was TheatreWorks (Silicon Valley), Palo Alto, California.[26]
The Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre was awarded to Broadway Inspirational Voices; Peter Entin, retired vice president of Theatre Operations for the Shubert Organization; Joseph Blakely Forbes, founder and president of Scenic Art Studios, Inc.; and FDNY Engine 54, Ladder 4, Battalion 9 (firehouse, New York City).[27]
Special Tony Awards were presented to the late Marin Mazzie, music director Jason Michael Webb, and Sonny Tilders and Creature Technology Company, creator of the gorilla in King Kong among others.[28]
Winners and nominees
‡ The award is presented to the producer(s) of the musical or play.
Nominations and awards per production
| Production | Nominations | Awards |
|---|---|---|
| Hadestown | 14 | 8 |
| Ain't Too Proud | 12 | 1 |
| Tootsie | 11 | 2 |
| The Ferryman | 9 | 4 |
| To Kill a Mockingbird | 1 | |
| Oklahoma! | 8 | 2 |
| Beetlejuice | 0 | |
| Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus | 7 | 0 |
| The Prom | ||
| Ink | 6 | 2 |
| Network | 5 | 1 |
| Choir Boy | 4 | 1 |
| Kiss Me, Kate | 0 | |
| The Cher Show | 3 | 2 |
| All My Sons | 0 | |
| Burn This | ||
| King Kong | ||
| The Boys in the Band | 2 | 1 |
| The Waverly Gallery | ||
| Bernhardt/Hamlet | 0 | |
| Torch Song | ||
| What the Constitution Means to Me | ||
| Be More Chill | 1 | 0 |
| Hillary and Clinton | ||
| King Lear |