The Outsiders and Stereophonic took home the top prizes of best musical and best play at the 77th Annual Tony Awards on Sunday.
The best musical race had been one of the closest categories heading into Sunday’s ceremony, with The Outsiders, a story about young boys growing up in a rough setting, based on S.E. Hinton’s best-selling novel, and Hell’s Kitchen, featuring a score by Alicia Keys, seen as the top contenders, amid other contenders including Water for Elephants, Illinoise and Suffs. The two battled for awards throughout the night, with The Outsiders picking up a key win for director Danya Taymor and Hell’s Kitchen earning first-time acting wins for Maleah Joi Moon and Kecia Lewis.
Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along took home the prize for best revival of a musical, while Branden Jacobs-Jenkins family drama Appropriate won the Tony Award for best revival of a play.
Going into the night, Stereophonic was the most nominated play in Tony Awards history and had the chance to win 13 possible Tony Awards. It still had a strong showing, winning five Tony Awards, including an acting nod for Will Brill and for director Daniel Aukin, but fell just short of winning the most Tonys for a play in history.
It was also a night of first Tony Award wins for such Hollywood names as Jeremy Strong, for his role of the steadfast small town doctor in the revival of Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People; Sarah Paulson, for her role as the fiery oldest sister in Jacobs-Jenkins’ Appropriate; and Daniel Radcliffe, for his role as neurotic composer Charley Kringas in the revival of Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along.
“This play is a cry from the heart and an exhortation to face up to the difficult truths that are staring us all down right now,” Strong said as he accepted the Tony Award.
(Excerpt) Read more and see a List of Winners in: The Hollywood Reporter