Image source: The Hollywood Reporter

All the award shows this year came in full swing this year and the 74th Tony Broadway Musicals Awards were no different. Held after a year of all Broadway theatres shutting down due to the pandemic, the awards were grander and bigger than ever. As audiences have once again started booking tickets and making houses full, Broadway shows have started playing in all their previous glory. 

Audra McDonald, the host of the award show, expressed his delight on Broadway, coming back finally. "I want to be a part of whatever we can do to get the word out that Broadway is back. I hope that we can remind people of the power of live performance, which is a challenging thing to do on television, but it's what we're tasked to do, and it's our best hope in this moment."

Herself six times Tony Awards winner, McDonald starred in The Good Wife's spinoff The Good Fight. She began the prestigious ceremony along with presenting the awards to the winners. The task was then taken over by Odom Jr. and set to host The Tony Awards Present: Broadway's Back!

Image source: Independent.co.uk

The Broadway actor has starred in Black awareness films like One Night in Miami and came up with a compelling speech on the Awards night. "We have music and dance and great writers and a slew of talent, and we want first and foremost to entertain folks. But beyond that, then the show needs to come out of the truth of where we are. We need to honour this moment that we're in and deal with it honestly."

The awards night featured many celebrities like Stephanie J. Block, Tituss Burgess, Idina Menzel and Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, Beanie Feldstein, Darren Criss and Andrew Garfield. John Legend was one of the best musicians on stage and was then followed by the Hairspray cast. The musical event was brought to an end by Lin-Manuel Miranda.  

The concert event itself was used to distribute three musical trophies by Odom Jr. The three prestigious awards are Best Musical, Best Play and Best Revival of a Play. Aaron Tveit got his big win in this award show by bagging the prize for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for Moulin Rouge. 

Talking about the ceremony and his single nomination for the category back in January, Tveit said, "It's not something I thought or expected or had ever seen or heard before, but I was very happy that the Tonys committee decided to go ahead with the awards for this year. I think that the Tony Awards are a celebration of this community, and I felt it provided a bit of a lift for the whole community when they were announced. … And then for me personally, I was just nothing but grateful."

Continuing, he talked about the nomination's "unique circumstance" being the only nominee for the category and said, "The Tonys are a mainstay. I've had my own personal up-and-down experiences with them with shows before, so to me, it just meant the absolute world."

Read on for the full list of winners and nominees.

Best Play

"The Inheritance" – Matthew Lopez — Winner

"Grand Horizons" – Bess Wohl

"Sea Wall/A Life" – Simon Stephens and Nick Payne

"Slave Play" – Jeremy O. Harris

"The Sound Inside" – Adam Rapp

Best Musical

"Moulin Rouge! The Musical" — Winner

"Jagged Little Pill"

"Tina: The Tina Turner Musical”

Best Revival of a Play

"A Soldier's Play" — Winner

"Betrayal"

"Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune"

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical

Image source: CBS

Aaron Tveit – "Moulin Rouge! The Musical" — Winner

Best Book of a Musical

Diablo Cody – "Jagged Little Pill" — Winner

John Logan – "Moulin Rouge! The Musical"

Katori Hall, Frank Ketelaar, and Kees Prins – "Tina: The Tina Turner Musical"

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play

Andrew Burnap – "The Inheritance" — Winner

Ian Barford – "Linda Vista"

Jake Gyllenhaal – "Sea Wall/A Life"

Tom Hiddleston – "Betrayal"

Tom Sturridge – "Sea Wall/A Life"

Blair Underwood – "A Soldier's Play"

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play

Mary-Louise Parker – "The Sound Inside" — Winner

Joaquina Kalukango – "Slave Play"

Laura Linney – "My Name Is Lucy Barton"

Audra McDonald – "Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune"

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical

Image source: Us Weekly

Adrienne Warren – "Tina: The Tina Turner Musical" — Winner

Karen Olivo – "Moulin Rouge! The Musical"

Elizabeth Stanley – "Jagged Little Pill"

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play

David Alan Grier – "A Soldier's Play" — Winner

Ato Blankson-Wood – "Slave Play"

James Cusati-Moyer – "Slave Play"

John Benjamin Hickey – "The Inheritance"

Paul Hilton – "The Inheritance"

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play

Lois Smith – "The Inheritance" — Winner

Jane Alexander – "Grand Horizons"

Chalia La Tour – "Slave Play"

Annie McNamara – "Slave Play"

Cora Vander Broek – "Linda Vista"

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical

Danny Burstein – "Moulin Rouge! The Musical" — Winner

Derek Klena – "Jagged Little Pill"

Sean Allan Krill – "Jagged Little Pill"

Sahr Ngaujah – "Moulin Rouge! The Musical"

Daniel J. Watts – "Tina: The Tina Turner Musical"

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical

Lauren Patten – "Jagged Little Pill" — Winner

Kathryn Gallagher – "Jagged Little Pill"

Celia Rose Gooding – "Jagged Little Pill"

Robyn Hurder – "Moulin Rouge! The Musical"

Myra Lucretia Taylor – "Tina: The Tina Turner Musical"

Best Direction of a Play

Stephen Daldry – "The Inheritance" — Winner

David Cromer – "The Sound Inside"

Kenny Leon – "A Soldier's Play"

Jamie Lloyd – "Betrayal"

Robert O'Hara – "Slave Play"

Best Direction of a Musical

Alex Timbers – "Moulin Rouge! The Musical" — Winner

Phyllida Lloyd – "Tina: The Tina Turner Musical"

Diane Paulus – "Jagged Little Pill"

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics Written for the Theatre)

Christopher Nightingale (music) – "A Christmas Carol" — Winner

Paul Englishby (music) – "The Inheritance."

Fitz Patton and Jason Michael Webb (music) – "The Rose Tattoo."

Lindsay Jones (music) – "Slave Play."

Daniel Kluger (music) – "The Sound Inside."

Best Choreography

Sonya Tayeh – "Moulin Rouge! The Musical" — Winner

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui – "Jagged Little Pill"

Anthony Van Laast – "Tina: The Tina Turner Musical"

Best Scenic Design of a Play

Rob Howell – "A Christmas Carol" — Winner

Bob Crowley – "The Inheritance"

Soutra Gilmour – "Betrayal"

Derek McLane – "A Soldier's Play"

Clint Ramos – "Slave Play"

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Derek McLane – "Moulin Rouge! The Musical" — Winner

Riccardo Hernández and Lucy MacKinnon – "Jagged Little Pill"

Mark Thompson and Jeff Sugg – "Tina: The Tina Turner Musical"

Best Costume Design of a Play

Rob Howell – "A Christmas Carol" — Winner

Dede Ayite – "Slave Play"

Dede Ayite – "A Soldier's Play"

Bob Crowley – "The Inheritance"

Clint Ramos – "The Rose Tattoo"

Best Costume Design in a Musical

Catherine Zuber – "Moulin Rouge! The Musical" — Winner

Emily Rebholz – "Jagged Little Pill"

Mark Thompson – "Tina: The Tina Turner Musical"

Best Lighting Design of a Play

Hugh Vanstone – "A Christmas Carol" — Winner

Jiyoun Chang – "Slave Play"

Jon Clark – "The Inheritance"

Heather Gilbert – "The Sound Inside"

Allen Lee Hughes – "A Soldier's Play"

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

Justin Townsend – "Moulin Rouge! The Musical" — Winner

Bruno Poet – "Tina: The Tina Turner Musical"

Justin Townsend – "Jagged Little Pill"

Best Sound Design of a Play

Simon Baker – "A Christmas Carol" — Winner

Paul Arditti and Christopher Reid – "The Inheritance"

Lindsay Jones – "Slave Play"

Daniel Kluger – "Sea Wall/A Life"

Daniel Kluger – "The Sound Inside"

Best Sound Design of a Musical

Peter Hylenski – "Moulin Rouge! The Musical" — Winner

Jonathan Deans – "Jagged Little Pill"

Nevin Steinberg – "Tina: The Tina Turner Musical"

Best Orchestration

Image source: Tony Awards

Katie Kresek, Charlie Rosen, Matt Stine and Justin Levine – "Moulin Rouge! The Musical" — Winner

Tom Kitt – "Jagged Little Pill"

Ethan Popp – "Tina: The Tina Turner Musical"