"A Strange Loop," the story of a black gay man and his mental struggle as a playwright, won the Tony Award for Best New Musical on Sunday as Broadway honored its first season after a long pandemic shutdown.
"The Lehman Trilogy," about the rise and fall of the investment firm Lehman Brothers, took home the award for Best New Drama at a live ceremony held at Radio City Music Hall in New York.
"Strange Loop" conquered "MJ," a crowd-pleasing musical about Michael Jackson. Star Miles Frost won Best Actor in a Musical for playing the King of Pop.
Being on stage to accept Tony felt like a "miracle," said "Lehman Trilogy" writer Ben Powers after COVID-19 halted the play's preview show for 577 days.
"In New York, after everything, even today, anything is possible," Powers said, adding that the play was written as "a hymn to New York City".
Simon Russell Beale, star of the "Lehman Trilogy," won a Tony for Lead Actor in a Drama. Joaquina Calucango won Best Actress in a Musical for "Paradise Square".
For Best Revival of a Musical, Tony voters awarded "The Company," the last project backed by composer and theater veteran Stephen Sondheim, who died in November.
The new "company" reverses the gender roles of the original, which focused on a man contemplating his life choices at age 35. Producer Chris Harper thanked him for "getting us to re-imagine classic music".
Patti LuPone won her third Tony Award for her supporting role in "The Company" and thanked "all the COVID safety people," among others, for making her return to Broadway possible. There were 150 COVID-19 safety managers in the audience who kept the show going.
The best drama revival went to "Take Me Out," the story of a gay baseball player.
Deere O'Connell won a Tony for Lead Actress in a Play for "Dana H." As she accepted her trophy, she encouraged aspiring writers to "make weird art."