legends honored, history made at the 73rd tonys

The 73rd Tony Awards were last night and the big winner of the night was Hadestown starring Reeve Carney, Amber Gray, and André De Shields who led the pack with 14 nominations and 8 wins. Most notably, DeShields scored his first ever Tony Award in the featured actor in a musical category for his role as Hermes. The famed actor/singer/director/choreographer is best known for his work in the original productions of Ain’t Misbehavin’ in 1978, which earned him an Emmy, and The Wiz in 1975, where he played the title role. This was his third nomination. And he offered some advice to budding artists, too, during his acceptance speech.

“Surround yourself with people whose eyes light up when they see you coming; slowly is the fastest way to get to where you want to be; the top of one mountain is the bottom of the next, so keep climbing.”

Other notable winners included Ali Stroker who made history as the first actor in a wheelchair to take home the ceremony’s other top honor of best-featured actress in a musical for her performance as Ado Annie in the Broadway revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!

“This award is for every kid who is watching tonight who has a disability, who has a limitation or a challenge, who has been waiting to see themselves represented in this arena,” Stroker said in her acceptance speech. “You are!”

But one of the highlights of the night was when Choir Boy playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney took the stage to issue a call for love, asking watchers to “love all of them for who they are, not just what they can do.”

Choir Boy took home two Tonys last night for the Special Tony Award and Sound Design of a Play.