Summer in the City: Broadway Heats Up

July 13, 2015 - The Tony Awards celebrate Broadway’s brightest, new shows take the stage, and a largest musical theatre festival returns to NYC this summer.

At 69th Annual Tony Awards, Fun Home took home five awards, including Best Musical, Best Original Score (Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron), Best Book (Lisa Kron), Best Direction of a Musical (Sam Gold), and Best Lead Actor in a Musical (Michael Cerveris).

Kelli O’Hara won her first Tony Award for her role as Anna Leonowens in The King and I. The musical also received the Tony for Best Revival of a Musical, Best Actress in a Featured Role (Ruthie Ann Miles), and Best Costume Design (Catherine Zuber).

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, a transfer from London, won Best Play, Best Leading Actor in a Play (Alex Sharp), Best Direction (Marianne Elliott), Best Lighting Design (Paule Constable), Best Scenic Design (Bunny Christie and Finn Ross).

Helen Mirren continued her reign as Queen Elizabeth II by taking home a Tony for her role in The Audience. Her co-star Richard McCabe, who plays Prime Minister Harold Wilson, won for Best Actor in a Featured Role.

David Hare’s Skylight was honored as Best Revival of a Play. Annaleigh Ashford took home a Tony for her featured role in You Can’t Take It with You while Christian Borle won Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical in the Renaissance-set Something Rotten!

An American in Paris won four awards, including Best Choreography (Christopher Wheeldon), Best Scenic Design (Bob Crowley and 59 Productions), Best Lighting Design (Natasha Katz), and Best Orchestrations (Christopher Austin, Don Sebesky, Bill Elliott). Wolf Hall Parts One & Two received the Tony for Best Costume Design of a Play (Christopher Oram).

While the action happened at Radio City Music Hall, the ceremony was broadcast live a few blocks away in Times Square to an enthusiastic crowd. At the top of the program, the outdoor audience watched a special video from Mayor de Blasio in which he congratulated all those who helped make this Broadway season the best in history and thanked Tony Award producers the Broadway League and American Theatre Wing, Clear Channel Spectacolor, and Times Square Alliance for making the Tony simulcast possible.

The 2015-2016 theatrical season continues as two new productions find their way to Broadway. At the Marquis Theatre, Penn & Teller on Broadway brings a mix of magic and comedy from illusionists Penn Jillette and Teller. Making its way uptown from the Public Theater, Hamilton is now on Broadway at the Richard Rogers Theatre. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s new musical, in which he also stars, charts the life of founding father Alexander Hamilton.

Looking for the next breakout hit? The New York Musical Theatre Festival returns in July with a full slate of more than 20 new musicals taking to the stage. The festival, which nurtures the creation, production, and public presentation of diverse new musicals, was established in 2004. More than 250 shows have premiered at the festival, including three that made their way to Broadway (Chaplin, Next to Normal, and [title of show]) and 24 that have transferred to Off-Broadway. For a full schedule, visit nymf.org.