2014 Tony Awards Winners!!!

Hugh Jackman is back baby and in full effect hosting the 2014 Tony Awards!!! Needless to say Neil Patrick Harris wasn’t available this year between ending How I Met Your Mother and beginning rehearsals for Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
Musical highlights included a number from After Midnight featuring Fantasia, Patti Labelle, Gladys Knight and Dule’ Hill.
Idina Menzel showed off her “pipes singing a hit from the Broadway musical IF/THEN for which she was nominated this evening and Neil Patrick Harris joined Lena Hall for a fantabulous number from Hedwing and the Angry Inch introduced by RuPaul.

Hugh Jackman, LL Cool J and T.I. doing a rap version the The Music Man….hmmmm.

Jennifer Hudson sang her face-off with the title song from a new musica coming to Broadway called “Neverland”.

Here is a list of the big winners and a clip from the show stopping opening number…

Best Play
“All the Way”
Originating at the Oregon Shakespeare FEstival and championed by Tony winner Diane Paulus was the big winner of a play centering around Lyndon Baines Johnson.

Best Musical
“A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder”

Best Revival of a Play
“A Raisin in the Sun”

Best Revival of a Musical
“Hedwig and the Angry Inch”

Best Book of a Musical
“A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder”

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
“The Bridges of Madison County”

Best Play
“All the Way”

Best Musical
“A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Bryan Cranston, “All the Way”
After all his success and multipleEmmy wins on “Breaking Bad”, started his speech recounting sneaking into the theater to see the second act o f “Hair”. To this day he still hasn’t seen the second act…lol

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Audra McDonald, “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill”
Making history winning her 6th Tony Award cried her way through her speech thanking her deceased parents for letting their hyperactive daughter explore her creativity. Thanked Lena Horne, Ruby Dee, Diahann Carroll and Bille Holiday for letting her stand on their shoulders.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Neil Patrick Harris, “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”
Winning his first Tony gave a shout out to the entire production team and his parents.

I particularly loved watching Carole King sing with her musical theater alter ego Jessie Mueller and seeing more “people of color” than ever in the new revival of Les Miserables.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Jessie Mueller, “Beautiful — The Carole King Musical”
After doing the running man in her gown with host Hugh Jackman won her first Tony. With hand shaking thanked EVERYONE, especially Carole King.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Mark Rylance, “Twelfth Night”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Sophie Okonedo, “A Raisin in the Sun”
Won her first Tony gave a shout out to the Broadway community for being so warm and welcoming. She also gave homage to her ancestry of being Jewish, Nigerian and British

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
James Monroe Iglehart, “Aladdin”
Winning his first Tony Award gave a stellar performance of “You Ain’t Never Had a Friend Like Me”. Gave shout out to Disney, saying saying he has wanted to work for them since he was 10 years old” and then kept it real by doing the “praise dance”. Love him!!!!

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Lena Hall, “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”
Loved that she gave a shout out to her sister for doing her hair…lol. “Friendship is magic”

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Beowulf Boritt, “Act One”
Dedicated his Tony to his grandmother…a fellow scenic designer

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Christopher Barreca, “Rocky”

Best Costume Design of a Play
Jenny Tiramani, “Twelfth Night”

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Linda Cho, “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder”

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Natasha Katz, “The Glass Menagerie”

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Kevin Adams, “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”

Best Sound Design of a Play
Steve Canyon Kennedy, “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill”

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Brian Ronan, “Beautiful — The Carole King Musical”

Best Direction of a Play
Kenny Leon, “A Raisin in the Sun”
Winning his first Tony Award…said Denzel, Denzel, Denzel is truly an inspiration and thanked his Mom. He went on to say, …”I look forward to the day when every child in American can have a little theatre in their lives”

Best Direction of a Musical
Darko Tresnjak, “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder”
Winning his first Tony Award…thanked his artistic home The Hartford Stage and his Mom (who was a skydiver in WW II)

Best Choreography
Warren Carlyle, “After Midnight”

Best Orchestrations
Jason Robert Brown, “The Bridges of Madison County”

http://youtu.be/_YRAHf19hO8