The 2023 Tony Awards, your guide to the best of Broadway! It was a night of big wins and historic ones at Sunday’s 76th annual Tony Awards. Broadcast live from the United Palace in Washington Heights. Without a script (due to the Writers Guild of America strike), host Ariana DeBose kicked off the show by introducing some of Broadway’s finest.
They were on hand to pick up their prizes. Some highlights included Jodie Comer winning best actress for her powerhouse turn in the new play Prima Facie. Sean Hayes takes home his sixth acting award for portraying actor-pianist Oscar Levant in the musical Good Night, Oscar! Alex Newell became the first nonbinary actor to win a Tony for her role in the off-Broadway play Shucked.
The 2023 Tony Awards: Your Guide to the Best of Broadway
However, the night’s biggest prize went to the new musical Kimberly Akimbo, which won best musical. The production came from composer Jeanine Tesori and lyricist David Lindsay-Abaire. She tells the story of a teenage girl who experiences rapid aging. The musical also won prizes for its sets, costumes, and lighting. Other top winners include the revivals of Some Like It Hot, Parade, and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, each of which won four awards.
Other notable winners included the acclaimed playwright Suzan-Lori Parks for her work Topdog/Underdog. She won the award for best revival. Tom Stoppard won best play for his decades-spanning drama Leopoldstadt. Both plays were adapted for the stage by their respective authors.
How to watch the 2023 Tony Awards show
While many of the show’s traditional elements were missing, the Tonys still delivered a fun and celebratory evening for theater lovers worldwide. In place of the scripted banter between presenters, viewers saw long clips of each nominated play. The clips highlighted the powerful and thought-provoking subject matter that these shows tackle.
While the lack of a script did not hurt this year’s Tonys, it limited the number of performances featured on the broadcast. The show did feature a few musical numbers from the nominated shows. Including songs from Into the Woods; New York, New York; Angus T. Jones and the Great Comet of 2023; Beautiful Noise; and Shucked.
There was also a dance number by the cast of Broadway’s upcoming revival of Funny Girl. As well as a performance of Billy Strayhorn’s Hot Honey Rag from jazz singer and actress Julieanne Moore and jazz pianist Jonathan Groff. Viewers can watch the entire ceremony, which was presented by CBS and Paramount+, here.
The 2023 Tony Awards were televised on CBS on Sunday, June 11, at 8 p.m. ET. The complete list of winners is here. Despite the WGA strike, a majority of nominees won their categories. This is a record for the most wins in one night. The Tonys were previously canceled in 2018 and 2019 due to pandemics and a writers’ strike, but the show went on this year with some changes.
