The Divine Miss M, who won best actress for "Hello, Dolly!" was not going to be denied and signaled she was in a feisty mood early: "I'd like to thank all the Tony voters - many of whom I've actually dated", she joked.
Kevin Spacey is giving his regards to Broadway as he hosts the 71st Annual 2017 Tony Awards tonight live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City. He went on to do impersonations of former President Bill Clinton and Johnny Carson. Platt himself was nominated for Best Actor in a Musical, while Dear Evan Hansen was nominated for Best Musical in awards that were set to presented later in the night. Andy Blankenbuehler won his second choreography Tony in as many years - last year for "Hamilton" and this time for "Bandstand".
But one thing they won't get to hear is Bette Midler sing after talks failed to land the diva, who is starring in a hit revival of "Hello, Dolly".
"It's such a great season for musicals", said Astrid Van Wieren, who stars in "Come From Away", a show based on real events about how a Canadian town opened its arms to stranded people on 9/11. "Between you and me, you might be a better singer, but after seeing your show, there's no doubt Hillary is much better at creating fake email accounts than you!" "Oslo", J.T. Rogers' behind-the-scenes look at the 1993 Middle East peace accords, and Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer Prize-winner "Sweat", about factory life, racial tension and down-sizing, are seen as the top contenders.
Irish-Moroccan Involved in London Attack
The journalist from London is the business editor of the Sunday Express and was injured while bravely confronting the attackers. The number of police officers in England and Wales has fallen by around 20,000 since 2009, according to Home Office figures.
Christopher Ashley paid tribute to the people of Newfoundland as he accepted his Tony for best director of a musical.
After a slew of costume changes - including Norma Desmond's iconic gown from Sunset Boulevard and a tux-and-tails dance number - Spacey sang that he was finally ready to take on the role of host, and celebrated being "Broadway bound". After the hectic number, he requested that his cardiologist be nearby. That provided a nice showcase for the musical and the meteoric success story of star Ben Platt, who capped a huge Broadway debut with a Tony win on his first at-bat.
The 2017 Tony Awards got off to a fittingly theatrical start with host Kevin Spacey's opening musical number, which took a tour of the best musicals and plays of the year.
Broadway producers will be thankful this year that the telecast won't have to compete with any NBA Finals games, but there will be a Stanley Cup playoff game and a soccer game pitting the US and Mexico. They'll also be keeping their fingers crossed that they avoid any technical or human snafus that have marred previous awards shows this year, including the wrong victor announced at the Oscars and sound issues at the Grammys.
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