It took an entire village to bring a struggling Broadway back. Even the people checking the vax cards at the theater’s doors, as COVID-era patrons fretted over missing curtains that had struggled to rise at all.
“Broadway’s back, baby,” sad Tony Awards host Ariana DeBose, “and she’s waiting for you.”
That was the message of the affirmative, disciplined 75th annual Tony Awards as the major awards were spread across several productions and DeBose gave shoutouts to Broadway’s entire unsung crew — including the swings and understudies who helped Michael R. Jackson’s singularly personal “‘A Strange Loop” snag the Tony for best musical as well as best book, “Company” win the Tony for best musical revival, the pop pastiche “Six” take home best score, “The Lehman Trilogy” hoist best play and “Take Me Out” win best revival of a play.
