The Oscar equivalent of the theatre, the Tony awards provided a host of surprises at The Beacon Theatre in New York yesterday evening.
Judith Light, who initially found fame in the ‘80s sitcom Who’s The Boss, found herself an early winner for Best Actress in a Play for ‘Other Desert Cities’.
The shock of the night, an expression also seen in the comedian’s facial expression, saw James Corden walk away with prize for the Best Actor in a Play for his lead role in ‘One Man, Two Guvnors’ beating the likes of Hollywood greats Philip Seymour Hoffman and James Earl Jones to the award.
Other news from the awards ceremony saw Mike Nichols win a record-setting sixth Tony for Best Direction of a Play with his work on Arthur Miller’s ‘Death of a Salesman’, which also won the Best Revival of a Play award.
However the big winners of the night saw the musical ‘Once’ take home the nights top accolades including those of Best Director, Best Actor in a Musical and the sought after prize of the Best Musical. ‘Once’ presents an intimate tale of an Irish busker who falls in love with a Czech pianist.
It was refreshing to see a little show take on the blockbusters of Broadway – and walk away with the biggest prizes. As ever, the Tonys have been an annual celebration of true excellence: where size really doesn’t matter.
