‘Death of a Salesman’ Is the Big Winner at the 79th Tony Awards

The 79th Tony Awards took place last night, between Sunday and Monday, at Radio City Music Hall in New York. The biggest winner of the ceremony was the revival of Arthur Miller’s play “Death of a Salesman,” which took home six awards, led by the prize for Best Revival of a Play. Meanwhile, the musical “Schmigadoon!” won Best Musical, “Liberation” took Best Play, and “Ragtime” won Best Revival of a Musical. The ceremony marked a historic moment when costume designer Qween Jean became the first transgender woman to win a Tony Award, for her work on the revival of the musical “Cats.”

In the acting categories, John Lithgow won Best Leading Actor for his role as British children’s author Roald Dahl in the play “Giant.” Lesley Manville won the corresponding category for her role as Jocasta in “Oedipus.” Elden Ehrenreich took the Best Featured Actor award for his first Broadway role in “Becky Shaw.”

Several acceptance speeches this year included social and political remarks. Ali Louis Bourzgui, who won Best Featured Actor in a Musical for “The Lost Boys,” dedicated the award to immigrant rights, the LGBTQ community, and called for the liberation of the Palestinian people. Lesley Manville used the stage to call on playwrights to write more leading roles for women and noted the box-office power of actresses.

The evening opened with host Pink performing “Lady Marmalade” from the musical “Moulin Rouge!” She was joined by musical star and rapper Megan Thee Stallion, along with a lineup of actors from various productions that appeared on Broadway over the past year. Later, Pink led a tribute to the musical “Chicago” with a performance of the hit “All That Jazz.” Rachel Zegler, the star of the musical “Evita,” which will arrive on Broadway next year, marked the 50th anniversary of “A Chorus Line” on stage with a performance of “What I Did for Love.”