Hamilton-born Broadway star Caissie Levy was among those who took home a Tony Award on Sunday night — winning best actress in a leading role in a musical for her powerhouse performance as Mother in the revival of Ragtime.
And she gave a shoutout to her home and native land in her acceptance speech, along with her parents.
“I grew up in Canada, watching the Tonys and dreaming of a life on Broadway,” she said at Radio City Music Hall.
“I’m 20 years in, and the most important thing I’ve learned is that no one does it alone. My parents, Mark and Lisa Levy, who are here tonight, I love you so much. Thank you for teaching me by example, how to be a good person and a team player.”
Levy added thanks to “every babysitter who’s made it possible for me to be both a Broadway actor and a mother.”
She was among several Canadians who won big at the 79th annual Tonys. Winnipeg-born four-time nominee Joshua Henry won his first Tony as best leading actor in a musical for his performance as Coalhouse Walker Jr., also in Ragtime, and Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels took home his first Tony as producer for Schmigadoon! — an adaptation of the Apple TV series, which won best new musical.
“Sometimes singing, dancing, jokes and a happy ending are all you need,” said Michaels.
Schmigadoon! creator Cinco Paul also won Tonys for the score and the book.
The prize for the best new play went to Bess Wohl’s Liberation, about a consciousness-raising women’s group in 1970s Ohio, which earlier this year also won the Pulitzer Prize for drama.
The play collects stories from second-wave feminists from all walks of life as they tackle misogyny, racism and traditional gender roles. Wohl is only the fourth woman to win a best play Tony, joining Wendy Wasserstein, Yasmina Reza and Frances Goodrich.
“I want to honour women everywhere who have the courage to use their voice,” said Wohl, who thanked her mom, daughters and female producers. “And to all the girls out there: May you speak your truth, and may the world be wise enough to listen.”
Best play revival went to Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller’s masterpiece that looks at the unraveling of the American Dream, which won the 1949 Tony for best new play and previous best revival crowns in 1984, 1999 and 2012.
It earned a leading six Tonys in all: Laurie Metcalf won her third Tony for playing Linda Loman — wife of the title character, opposite Nathan Lane — which also won for lighting, scenic design and sound design. Joe Mantello won best director.
Lithgow makes history
Ragtime — a big, soaring musical that depicts an America being remade by immigration, racial violence, industrial wealth and political unrest — won the best musical revival.
John Lithgow won his third Tony — best lead actor in a play for Giant, playing children’s writer Roald Dahl, making the 80-year-old star the oldest man ever to win a competitive acting Tony.
“Two Tony bookends with 53 years between them,” said Lithgow. “In those years, I have worked with hundreds of just fantastic theatre artists. I’ve had dozens and dozens of ecstatic moments on the stage, but I have to tell you right now, this moment has got to be one of the best.”
Shoshana Bean, who won best featured actress in a musical for playing a single mom in The Lost Boys, echoed the themes of Liberation in her speech.
“This is for the mamas. This is for the single mamas. This is for my single mama. You are the wild heroes. This is for the incredible army of women that surround and uplift me,” she said.
Cats: The Jellicle Ball, which reimagines the 1980s hit musical as a celebration of queer ballroom culture, won for best direction of a musical by Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch.
“We honour the Black and brown trans women and gay men who were ballroom’s pioneers, as well as today’s icons, and our cast of astonishing triple-threats, including people from their 20s to their 80s, and every decade in between,” Levingston said.
Lesley Manville won best lead actress in a play, making her Broadway debut in a modern retelling of Sophocles’ classic tragedy Oedipus.
Pink genial, exuberant as host
Pink, the gala’s host, started the show spinning and then dangling uncomfortably from a harness over the stage, dressed like Peter Pan. Former host Neil Patrick Harris stepped in to suggest the first-time host just be herself.
“You’re Pink, Pink. You can do anything,” he told her.
After lifting Harris off the stage with her legs, Pink relented, added a top hat and belted out Lady Marmalade with contributions from dozens of performers including Lea Michele and Megan Thee Stallion.
After the opening number, Pink was generally a genial, exuberant figure, popping up in new outfits for a few self-deprecating bits, but then roaring to life while leading All That Jazz as Chicago celebrated its 30th anniversary.
The “In Memoriam” section was led by Leslie Odom Jr. singing a powerful Without You from Rent, honouring such lost figures as Robert Duvall, Robert Redford and Diane Keaton, as well as playwright Tom Stoppard. Rachel Zegler then stunned with a version of What I Did For Love from A Chorus Line, which last year celebrated its 50th anniversary.
Other performances included the original lead cast members of The Book of Mormon — Josh Gad, Andrew Rannells, Rory O’Malley and Nikki M. James — reuniting to celebrate its 15th anniversary.
