Broadway fast-tracked its autumnal rebound at the 2021 Tony Awards Sunday, featuring performances from smash musicals of the past and present.
The months leading up to the festivities were bittersweet at best. COVID-19 has kept all 41 of Broadways theaters shuttered for about 18 months, leading to an estimated loss of $35 million per week. Though established hits like Wicked and Hamilton have resumed performances in recent days, other productions have been postponed or scrapped altogether.
There were a few eyebrow-raising moments on Sunday, too. Actor Lauren Patten nabbed a Tony for her performance in Jagged Little Pill amid a flurry of controversy involving both her character and the musicals alleged treatment of transgender and nonbinary performers. And although Jeremy O. Harris Slave Play received a record 12 nominations for a non-musical production, both he and the show ended the night empty-handed.
Of course, most who tuned in on Sunday came for the Broadway razzle-dazzle, and to that end, the Tonys didnt disappoint.
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Check out 10 of the nights most epic performances below. (This is, by no means, a comprehensive list: Jennifer Holidays powerhouse rendition of And I Am Telling You Im Not Going was worthy of its own entry.)
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