Tony Awards 2013

A scene from the Broadway production of Kinky Boots. Picture: Matthew Murphy

Kinky Boots danced away from the Tony Awards on Sunday night in New York with top honours, being celebrated as Best Musical of  the 2012-2013 Broadway season, alongside plaudits for Best Original Score (by pop queen Cyndi Lauper) and Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical (Billy Porter as the irresistible drag queen who saves a failing British shoe factory). It also picked up Tonys for its choreography by Jerry Mitchell, orchestrations by Stephen Oremus and sound design by John Shivers.

Matilda the Musical, the acclaimed British import which at one time seemed to be a shoo-in for top Tony laurels before Kinky Boots hit Broadway and made it a close contest, didn’t go home empty-handed, though. Gabriel Ebert was anointed for the Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical for his portrayal as Matilda’s scalawag father and Dennis Kelly won best book. The show also garnered awards for Rob Howell’s scenic design and Hugh Vanstone’s lighting.

But even more impressive were the wins scored by the glorious return of Pippin. In addition to being named Best Revival of a Musical, its Diane Paulus won for Best Direction of a Musical, Patina Miller who slithers and shimmers as the show’s Leading Player won for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical, and Andrea Martin, who plays Pippin’s rambunctious grandmother, won for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical.

Rounding out the awards for musicals was the best costume design nod to William Ivey Long for his lush creations for Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella.

Ron Cohen

* Watch host Neil Patrick Harris perform the much-praised opening number to the ceremony – http://tinyurl.com/qasge3v

And the winners are:

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical: Billy Porter (Kinky Boots)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical: Patina Miller (Pippin)

Best Musical: Kinky Boots

Best Revival of a Musical: Pippin

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical: Gabriel Ebert (Matilda the Musical)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical: Andrea Martin (Pippin)

Best Direction of a Musical: Diane Paulus (Pippin)

Best Book of a Musical: Dennis Kelly (Matilda the Musical)

Best Original Score (music and/or lyrics) written for the theatre: Cyndi Lauper (Kinky Boots)

Best Scenic Design of a Musical: Rob Howell (Matilda the Musical)

Best Costume Design of a Musical: William Ivey Long (Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella)

Best Lighting Design of a Musical: Hugh Vanstone (Matilda the Musical)

Best Sound Design of a Musical: John Shivers (Kinky Boots)

Best Choreography: Jerry Mitchell (Kinky Boots)

Best Orchestrations: Stephen Oremus (Kinky Boots)

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre: Bernard Gersten, Paul Libin, Ming Cho Lee

Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre: the four actresses who created the title role of Matilda the Musical on Broadway — Sophia Gennusa, Oona Laurence, Bailey Ryon and Milly Shapiro