The 76th annual Tony Awards took place on Sunday night and the top winners of the evening included Kimberly Akimbo for Best Musical, and Leopoldstadt for Best Play. Meanwhile, Topdog/Underdog won Best Revival of a Play while Parade picked up the trophy for Best Revival of a Musical.
Hosted by Ariana DeBose, the ceremony was on the verge of being canceled because of the WGA writers strike, but luckily they pulled through and created a fairly good show. More than that, the show included very queer moments from the night’s biggest winners.
Michael Arden, who won Best Direction of a Music for his work with Parade said in his acceptance speech: “To our beautiful, trans, non-binary queer youth — know that your queerness is what makes you beautiful and powerful. Everyone in this room sees you and needs you and we will fight alongside you — and we will win. Growing up I was called the F-word more times than I can remember…” It was at this point where Arden was bleeped out.
However, according to caption police people across the internet, Arden said: “Growing up, I was called the F-word more times than I can remember, and now I’m a ‘faggot’ with a Tony. So, keep raising your voices, my friends.” He encouraged people to continue to stand up against intolerance and “keep loving and uplifting each other standing up for each other”. He also encouraged his peers to “continue making challenging art and vote every chance you get.”
Leopoldstadt‘s, Brandon Uranowitz, who won the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play, said “To anyone who’s watching who is a parent.. when your child tells you who they are, believe them.” He continued, “Protect, celebrate and water that truth because an authentic life is a limitless life.”
“The only reason I am standing here is because my parents did that for me growing up,” he said. “They stood beside me and they believed me when I said who I am so thank you. I love you all.”
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
The buzz and rave reviews of Alex Newell‘s performance in Shucked came to fruition tonight when she won the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical.
After commenting how hot the room was, Newell took a moment to admit that she has been waiting for this her entire life. “I thank each and every one of you in this room right now and Mommy, I love you. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for loving me unconditionally. Thank you for teaching me what strength is.”
Newell went on to thank their fellow Shucked cast and crew calling them “her rock.”
They closed with: “Thank you for seeing me Broadway. I should not be up here as a queer, non-binary, fat, Black, little baby from Massachusetts… and to anyone that thinks that they can’t do it, I’m going to look you dead in your face that you can do anything you put your mind to.”
View this post on Instagram
In an interview with Variety, Newell, who identifies as non-binary, said he chose to compete in the actor category based not he English language. “Everyone who does acting is an actor. That is genderless,” she said.
Adding to the non-binary representation for the evening, J. Harrison Ghee was met with thunderous applause when they were announced as the winner for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for their performance in Some Like It Hot.
“My mother raised me to understand that the gifts that God gave me were not about me… to use them to be effective in the world and to help somebody else’s journey,” said Ghee. “So thank you for teaching me how to live; how to love; how to give.”
They continued: “For every trans, non-binary gender, non-conforming human — whoever was told you couldn’t be seen — this is for you.”
View this post on Instagram
Ghee thanked the show’s producers and allowing them to let “lives be seen”.
“Thank you [to] my incredible company who raised me up every single day, who loved me, who support me and helped me do the work,” they said. “As we say in the show, ‘some like it hot…and that a bad, honey! And that’s the gospel according to Jay!”