NEW YORK -- "Moulin Rouge! The Musical," a jukebox adaptation of Baz Luhrmann's hyperactive 2001 movie, won the best new musical crown at the Tony Awards on a Sunday night when Broadway looked back to honor shows shuttered by covid-19, mourn its fallen and also look forward to welcoming audiences again.
The show about the goings-on in a turn-of-the-century Parisian nightclub, updated with tunes such as "Single Ladies" and "Firework" alongside the big hit "Lady Marmalade," won 10 Tonys. The record is 12 awards, won by "The Producers."
"The Inheritance" by Matthew Lopez was named the best new play, and Charles Fuller's "A Soldier's Play" won best play revival.
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Lopez's two-part, seven-hour epic uses "Howards End" as a starting point for a play that looks at gay life in the early 21st century. It also yielded wins for Andrew Burnap as best actor in a play, Stephen Daldry as best director, and Lois Smith as best performance by an actress in a featured role in a play.
Lopez, the first Hispanic writer to win in the category, urged more plays to be produced from that community.
"We have so many stories inside us aching to come out. Let us tell you our stories," he said.
"Moulin Rouge! The Musical" won for scenic design, costume, lighting, sound design, orchestrations and a featured acting Tony for Broadway favorite Danny Burstein. Sonya Tayeh won for choreography on her Broadway debut, and Alex Timbers won the trophy for best direction of a musical.
In a surprise to no one, Aaron Tveit won the award for best leading actor in a musical for "Moulin Rouge! The Musical."
Burstein, who won for featured actor in a musical and had not won six previous times, thanked the Broadway community for supporting him after the death last year of his wife, Rebecca Luker.
David Alan Grier won featured actor in a play for his role in "A Soldier's Play," which dissects entrenched Black-white racism as well as internal divisions among Black servicemen during World War II.
"To my other nominees: Tough bananas, I won," he said.
On stage, the director Kenny Leon recited the names Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, killed by police. "We will never, ever forget you."
Adrienne Warren won the Tony for best leading actress in a musical for her electric turn as Tina Turner in "Tina -- The Tina Turner Musical."
Mary-Louise Parker won her second best lead actress Tony Award, winning for playing a Yale professor who treasures great literature but has made no room in her life for someone to share that love with in "The Sound Inside."
Burnap made his Broadway debut in "The Inheritance."
The sobering musical "Jagged Little Pill," which plumbs Alanis Morissette's 1995 breakthrough album to tell a story of an American family spiraling out of control, came into the night with a leading 15 Tony nominations. It won for best book, and Lauren Patten won the award for best featured actress in a musical.
"A Christmas Carol" cleaned up with five technical awards: scenic design of a play, costumes, lighting, sound design and score. No one from the production was on hand to accept any of the awards.
Members of Broadway's royalty -- Norm Lewis, Kelli O'Hara and Brian Stokes Mitchell -- mourned the list of those who have died, which included icons like Harold Prince and Larry Kramer.
Sunday's show was expanded from its typical three hours to four, with Audra McDonald handing out Tonys for the first two hours and Leslie Odom Jr. hosting a "Broadway's Back!" celebration for the second half with performances from the three top musicals.
The live special also included David Byrne and the cast of "American Utopia" playing "Burning Down the House" to a standing and clapping crowd. Byrne told them they might not remember how to dance after so long but they were welcome to try.
This season's nominations were pulled from just 18 eligible plays and musicals from the 2019-2020 season, a fraction of the 34 shows the previous season. During most years, there are 26 competitive categories. This year there are 25 with several depleted ones.
The last Tony Awards ceremony was held in 2019. The virus forced Broadway theaters to abruptly close on March 12, 2020, knocking out all shows and scrambling the spring season. Several have restarted, including the so-called big three of "Wicked," "Hamilton" and "The Lion King."
