- Title: John Legend, Andrew Lloyd Webber, other celebs arrive for the Tony Awards
- Date: 27th September 2021
- Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 26, 2021) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF JOHN LEGEND AND CHRISSY TEIGEN POSING FOR PICTURES ACTOR JAKE GYLLENHAAL POSING FOR PICTURES ACTORS SIENNA MILLER AND TOM STURRIDGE WALKING DOWN THE RED CARPET ACTOR COURTNEY B. VANCE POSING FOR PICTURES SINGER CYNDI LAUPER POSING FOR PICTURES ENTERTAINER WAYNE BRADY POSING FOR PICTURES COMPOSER ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER POSING FOR PICTURES WEBBER SPEAKING TO REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) COMPOSER, ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER, SAYING: "I want theater around America to work. I want theater to work all over the world. We're at a time now where we need theater and live entertainment more than we've ever done. That's what I can really say. So, I'm quite emotional. " (SOUNDBITE) (English) HAMILTON CREATOR, LIN MANUEL MIRANDA, SAYING: (ON HAMILTON OPENING AFTER THE PANDEMIC) "It meant the world to me. And it meant the world to me that audiences are getting vaccinated and wearing the masks and, and coming to see us again because we've missed you so much. We had to re rehearse to put that show on and, and everyone sort of keeping mentally and physically in shape. And so, it was a lot it really was like it felt like our opening night all over again. And it was such a thrill." ACTOR DAVID ALAN GRIER POSING FOR PICTURES (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR, DAVID ALAN GRIER, SAYING: "I feel great. I really think also at the end of the day, it's necessary that we get this celebration out of the way. Push on through to the new season and bring these plays back." ACTRESS MARY LOUISE PARKER SPEAKING TO REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTRESS, MARY LOUISE PARKER, SAYING: (ON BEING WORRIED ABOUT BROADWAY DURING THE SHUTDOWN) "I mean, yes, you always were in a small sense, but not, not in an in a larger sense. It was just, I just really missed it, you know, and I missed - I was more worried for people who were out of work and who couldn't support themselves that, you know, that's worrisome, but I knew it was going to come back." ACTRESS BERNADETTE PETERS POSING FOR PICTURES ACTRESS JANE ALEXANDER POSING FOR PICTURES ACTRESS RUTHIE ANN MILES POSING FOR PICTURES ACTRESS BEBE NEUWIRTH SPEAKING TO REPORTER ACTOR BEN PLATT POSING FOR PICTURES ACTOR JOHN LITHGOW POSING FOR PICTURES DIRECTOR KENNY LEON POSING FOR PICTURES ACTOR AARON TVEIT POSING FOR PICTURES ACTOR DANNY BURSTEIN POSING FOR PICTURES (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR, DANNY BURSTEIN, SAYING: (ON BEING BACK ON STAGE AFTER THE SHUTDOWN) "It feels great. We just had our first performance for a live audience two days ago, two nights ago, and it was like a rock concert. It kind of blew the roof off the Al Hirschfeld Theater." ACTRESS ADRIENNE WARREN SAYING POSING FOR PICTURES (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTRESS, ADRIENNE WARREN, SAYING: "I'm just incredibly grateful because when I got this job I didn't think I could do it. You know, so it means that the hard work paid off. It means that Tina Turner is loved and adored and it means that she's empowering people every day. And I'm happy to do that by bringing her story home and hopefully an audience coming and feeling empowered by watching." ACTORS AND HUSBAND AND WIFE, LESLIE ODOM JR. AND NICOLETTE ROBINSON WALKING DOWN STREET (SOUNDBITE) (English) LESLIE ODOM JR. AND NICOLETTE ROBINSON, SAYING: LESLIE: "Date night." NICOLETTE: "Date night, yes." LESLIE: "We learned that a long time ago, that it's like the way to survive nights like this and, and have the most fun is if you look at it like a little date night." ODOM AND ROBINSON SPEAKING TO REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) LESLIE ODOM JR, SAYING: "You know, people think maybe that I'd be most excited about getting on a Broadway stage again. But I'm, I'm most excited about being in a Broadway audience again. Nothing inspires me like, like the work that happens in this town." ACTRESS AND HOST AUDRA MCDONALD POSING FOR PICTURES (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTRESS AND HOST, AUDRA MCDONALD, SAYING: "Oh, it's, it's very exciting. You know, I was honored that they asked. I'm glad that I'm sharing the duties with Leslie (Odom Jr) and we kind of look at it - he's the one who's going to give all the razzle-dazzle and I'm the one who's going to help sort of move things along, make sure we get all those awards handed out. So, between the two of us, I think it's going to be a really evening." ACTOR MICHAEL SHANNON POSING FOR PICTURES (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR, MICHAEL SHANNON, SAYING: (ON WAITING TO GET BACK TO THE STAGE) "Oh, yeah, I'm very, very much so. I'm really, really missing it. But I, but I don't want to just do it for the sake of doing it. It has to be something that's worth the people's time. So, I'm still figuring out exactly when and where it'll be." ACTOR BLAIR UNDERWOOD POSING FOR PICTURES WITH HIS SISTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR, BLAIR UNDERWOOD, SAYING: "It's my sister, so, you know, all those early dreams as a little boy saying, I want to, I want to, I want to be an actor, I want to be in the theater, I want to be on Broadway one day, all those things to get a chance to, to, to be here and to work in this industry and to have her be a part of it on Broadway's biggest night it's exciting." UNDERWOOD POSING FOR PICTURES (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR, BLAIR UNDERWOOD, SAYING: (ON BEING SHIRTLESS ON STAGE) "Listen, that's not my idea, no it's not in the contract." [REPORTER: But the audience goes crazy, does that throw you off every night? "It can, it can. It doesn't throw you off, you just got to, you know… I think the first you just adjust, like, oh, ok, that's happening. Alright, ok, good, let me dial that in. Alright." DAVID BYRNE POSING WITH CAST OF UTOPIA PHOTOGRAPHERS TAKING PICTURES VARIOUS CHITA RIVERA POSING FOR PICTURES PRESIDENT OF THE BROADWAY LEAGUE CHARLOTTE ST. MARTIN POSING FOR PICTURES (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRESIDENT OF THE BROADWAY LEAGUE, CHARLOTTE ST. MARTIN, SAYING: "It actually is the beginning of a great time for the league. I mean, for 18 months we've had 44 task forces, 300 people working on getting us back and we're getting back. I mean, we now have 15 shows open. In the month of October, we'll have 12 more. And by the end of December, we'll be back to normal. We'll have 38 shows out of 39 theaters on the books. So, Broadway is back, which means New York is back." ACTOR TOM HIDDLESTON POSING FOR PICTURES DIRECTOR DIANE PAULUS POSING FOR PICTURES ACTOR JOHN BENJAMIN HICKEY SPEAKING TO REPORTER SINGER DARLENE LOVE POSING FOR PICTURES ACTOR MATTHEW MORRISON SPEAKING TO REPORTER ACTOR RON CEPHAS JONES SPEAKING TO REPORTER ACTRESS SHERYL LEE RALPH POSING FOR PICTURES ACTRESS PATINA MILLER POSING FOR PICTURES SINGER JENNIFER NETTLES POSING FOR PICTURES ACTRESS LACHANZE (MOTHER) AND CELIA ROSE GOODING (DAUGHTER) POSING FOR PICTURES ACTOR JEREMY POPE POSING FOR PICTURES ACTRESS BEANIE FELDSTEIN POSING FOR PICTURES SINGER JOSH GROBAN POSING FOR PICTURES ACTRESS KRISTIN CHENOWETH POSING FOR PICTURES EXTERIOR OF WINTER GARDEN THEATER
- Embargoed: 11th October 2021 05:20
- Keywords: arrivals awards broadway musicals play red carpet stage theater tony awards
- Location: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
- City: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Theatre,United States
- Reuters ID: LVA001EWHUXXP
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Broadway stars hit the red carpet outside the Winter Garden theater in New York on Sunday (September 26) to celebrate the best in theater and the return of Broadway.
AIDS play "The Inheritance" and musical "Moulin Rouge!" won the top honors in a four-hour ceremony that promoted the return of live theater and called for better opportunities for Black writers and performers.
The annual awards show was never held in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic that shut down live performances for 18 months.
Many of the big shows, including "Hamilton," "The Lion King," and "Wicked" had emotional reopenings earlier this month marked by tears and joy both on and off stage. Audiences must be fully vaccinated and masks are required.
"It's been over a year but the Tonys are here," sang "Hamilton" star Leslie Odom Jr, opening the TV special called "Broadway's Back" that featured appearances by stars ranging from John Legend and Jake Gyllenhaal to Chita Rivera and Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber.
"Moulin Rouge! The Musical," based on the 2001 movie, won 10 awards, including best musical, and for lead actor Aaron Tveit.
"A Soldier's Play," about the murder of a black officer on a U.S. army base in 1944," was voted best play revival. Yet it was a disappointing night for "Slave Play," a provocative show about race and sexuality that went into Sunday's ceremony with a leading 12 nominations but won none of them.
"The table's got to be bigger," said Kenny Leon, director of "A Soldier's Play," saying Broadway needs to do better to elevate Black voices.
The anti-racism non-profit Broadway Advocacy Coalition that fights to make theater more diverse, was given an honorary award.
Newcomer Adrienne Warren won best actress in a musical for playing rock singer Tina Turner in "Tina - The Tina Turner Musical."
None of the Tony-nominated plays are currently playing on Broadway or plan to return, after closing because of the pandemic or finishing their runs shortly before it broke.
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