I’ll be updating this page throughout the night. For those of you reading this post in your inbox, you can click the title of the article to head to my webpage for the up-to-date article.

Tune in at any point for my unfiltered thoughts. Just like the Tony Awards this year, I am unscripted. And to quote host Ariana DeBose in her opening monologue, “To anyone who thought last year was a bit unhinged, to them I say – buckle up.”

Opening number:

• All-dance number because all writers are on strike. Good thing host Ariana DeBose is an amazing dancer.
• Does Samuel L. Jackson thinks he’s part of the dance routine? Ariana sits him down.
• Lin-Manuel Miranda is in the audience. He did not boycott.

Opening monologue:

Confirmed, there is no script, but Ariana is embracing it.

Performance #1: New York, New York

• Gorgeous set and dancing. Controversial opinion, but lead actor Colton Ryan’s voice is not my favourite. His tone is nice, but the nasal quality bugs me (sort of like Cher).
• Oh, Colton is playing the piano. Neat.
• Now he’s playing the saxophone. Neat.
• I’ve heard this show is sort of a sleeper.
• Colton and lead actress Anna Uzele are passionately kissing. Seems a bit unprompted…are they dating?
• Googled: no, they are not. Fun convos to have at home later.

***Award: Best Featured Actor in a Play – goes to Brandon Uranowitz in Leopoldstadt. Predictable.

***Award: Best Featured Actress in a Musical – goes to Bonnie Milligan in Kimberly Akimbo. Predictable.

Performance #2: Camelot

• The guy has got a beautiful baritone voice, and great hair.
• Philippa Soo is dancing. Will she sing?
• Yes. Literally one line. Was that it?
• Yup.
• This guy looks like Jamie Tartt.

Best Direction of a Play: Lupita Nyong’o is presenting. She seems to have a design painted on her head. It’s gorgeous – wow. Also, Patrick Marver won for Leopoldstadt. Not surprising.

Best Direction of a Musical: Michael Arden wins for Parade. Parade is about anti-Semitism, yet his speech is exclusively about anti-trans and anti-LGBT hatred. Yes, intolerance of any kind is terrible. But why not take this moment to talk about growing anti-Semitism in America, since that is literally what this play is about?

Performance #3: & Juliet. The actress playing Juliet is singing Roar by Katy Perry. I like that they picked one song and that there was a costume change, but this isn’t Broadway to me. Not a fan.

***Award: Best Featured Actress in a Play. Lol Ariana for writing notes on her forearm and not being able to read them, so she says “please welcome whoever is coming on the stage next.” Miriam Silverman wins. No surprise. Pretty dress.

Performance #4: Some Like it Hot

• This performance screams Broadway to me. The costumes, the tap dancing. It’s very Anything Goes, art deco-ee.
• Very convenient that this song is called “Some Like it Hot”..just in case someone forgot the title of the play.
• Where’s Christian Borle? Is he going to perform? I love him.
• Phew. There he is to sing his one line to say “hey, I’m in this show too.”

Is it just me, or is this awards show super fast-paced? Not complaining, just an observation.

***Award: Best Revival of a Play – goes to Topdog/Underdog. A Doll’s House was heavily favoured to win, so this is a fun surprise.

Performance #5: Into the Woods

• Sara Bareilles has a beautiful rich tone.
• Brian D’Arcy James hip thrusts.
• Shoutout to the guy maneuvering the cow puppet.
• Cute, understated performance. Weak kiss at the end, though. Guess Colton & Anna didn’t give them any tips.

(Mini)-Performance / Award: Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement Award – John Kander & Joey Grey

• Ariana DuBose & Julianne Hough are doing the Hot Honey Rag from Chicago (famous dance).
• These men are adorably old.

**Award: Best Featured Actor in a Musical – goes to Alex Newell in Shucked. Not a surprise. Alex is awesome! And a great efficient speech.

Performance #6: Parade

• That prison cell is stage-sized. Not bad. That sized apartment would go for thousands in NYC.
• What’s up with the hand gestures, Ben Platt? (Mar pointed this out. Hi, Mar).
• I’m sorry. Ben Platt is undeniably incredible. But please, stop closing your eyes like you’re enjoying your own voice so much.
• Micaela Diamond has a powerful voice.
• This was the best sung performance of the night so far.

Special Award: For best educator or something. I’m sorry, what did Denee Benton just say about the governor of Florida? Lol.

**Award: Best Book of a Musical goes to Kimberly Akimbo. Not a surprise. Full disclosure, I went to the bathroom during this speech, and I came back and the guy was still speaking. Should’ve taken a note from Alex Newell.

Performance #7: Sweeney Todd

• Hey, my friend Leryn’s husband, Paul-Jordan Jansen, is singing on the Tony Awards. Hi!!
• This performance is creepy cool. Lots of flinching and shrugging and body rolling. I’m into it.
• Hi Dustin from Stranger Things.
• Hi Josh Groban. Heavy eye makeup. Yet the small peek of chest hair creeping out of his slightly unbuttoned shirt is giving me life.

Performance #8: the Neil Diamond musical

• Meh.

**Award: Best Revival for a Musical – goes to Parade. Lots of people on stage. I’m happy this show is getting recognition. Sad JRB got cut off though.

Performance #9: Phantom of the Opera. It closed this year, so I guess they’re paying homage to it in addition to saying goodbye to all the people that died this year. I guess they thought they had enough Sondheim already. Glad they’re singing “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again” – underrated song from the show.

*It’s at this point that I take a break to sing “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again” with a Youtube backing track. Ok, back to the Tony Awards.*

**Award: Best Leading Actor in a Musical – goes to J. Harrison Ghee. No surprise. Nice outfit.

**Award: Best Leading Actress in a Play – Julie Comer. Jodi Comer? Love a name mixup. Jodi wins for Prima Facie.

Performance #10: Kimberly Akimbo

• Paid ad for Uno?
• Kimberly Akimbo is about a young woman with a rare disorder that makes her physically age quickly and apparently also sound like a 70 year old opera singer.
• It was a sweet performance, but I don’t find this ground-breaking. I’m a bit underwhelmed.

**Award: Best Play – goes to Leopoldstadt. As I’ve said before, I have mixed feeling about this show, but I’m glad it won. Sonia Friedman has great glasses. Tom Stoppard dissing ChatGPT is great.

Performance #11: Shucked

• The corn kid cameo! Yes!
• Hi former camp counselor Grey Henson.
• That guy looks like Matthew Gray Gubler from Criminal Minds.
• Corn La Vie Boheme?
• This performance is sort of all over the place, jumping from song to song.
• Now they’re doing Chorus Line with corn. I feel like I’ve missed a bunch of references.
• I can’t tell the tone of this show – does it take itself seriously, or is this number like watching the Producers’ Springtime for Hitler out of context? I need to see this show to decide if I like it.

***Award: Best Leading Actress in a Musical – goes to Victoria Clark for Kimberly Akimbo. Nice, nice. Not thrilling, but nice.

**Award: Best Leading Actor in a Play – Sean Hayes in Good Night, Oscar. Booooring.

Performance #12: Funny Girl

• Funny Girl premiered last season and didn’t get any Tony nominations. So they replaced the lead actress with Lea Michele and now everyone loves it.
• That was a 7/10 kiss. In between the other two.
• Lea Michele’s red outfit is 50% brighter than the other costumes on stage.
• I know Lea has an incredible voice, but her eyebrows are the star of this performance.
• Flawless vocal performance.

***Award: Best Musical – the big one. Goes to Kimberly Akimbo. Blehsdufsdifurfgyuhinjokmlguljtxdsztersnf.

Overall Thoughts: I actually preferred having no script, because the show felt a bit chaotic..like the energy of high school kids being excited to be in a show. Lots of performances, little unnecessary chatter. The only performance that is cemented in my mind is the one by the non-nominated Lea Michele, and not just because her bright red outfit required sunglasses. Controversial as she has been, her voice is remarkable. But we’ve all seen her sing this song before many times, including at the 2010 Tony Awards, so it didn’t feel fresh.

Hope you enjoyed my commentary. Signing off for the night. This has been fun. Please share your thoughts below!