For as long as I can remember, I’ve tuned in to watch The Tony Awards. On various late Sunday nights, I watched all four Matilda actresses do a power pose, listened as Lin Manuel-Miranda told us love is love is love, and ate pun-named snacks with friends.
This year, I got to be in the room where it happens. (I promise that’s the last time I’ll make that Hamilton reference.) The Tony Awards sells tickets to the public for insane prices, but slightly less insane prices through a lottery system that goes live about 10 days before.
After last night, I’m already saving up for next year’s. Here’s what I learned.
The Night Begins at 5 P.M.
Awards shows are long, and The Tony Awards are no exception. Doors opened to Radio City Music Hall at 5 p.m., with the expectation that everyone was in their seats by 6:15 p.m. I’m glad we got there right on time. It was just long enough to get through security, buy merch (more on that next), take tons of pictures, and wait in line for the bathroom with the nominees.
At 6:30 p.m., Act One began. The Tony Awards take place in two parts: Act One, hosted by a different set of celebrities, and goes through the design and writing awards; and Act Two, the traditional broadcast with the official host and all of the performances.
Things wrapped up a little after 11 p.m., six hours after we had gotten there. It flew by.
There’s Merch!
The Tony Awards have merch and concessions, just like any Broadway theater. Cocktails were indeed $25, but with a seven-hour ceremony with no food, I did get the overpriced popcorn.
Tony winners, they’re just like us.
Merch included themed hats, magnets, umbrellas, sweatshirts, and tote bags. I did buy a hat and tote bag, because how else is everyone going to know I went to The Tony Awards?
They Have Their Own Playbill
One of my favorite parts of going to the theater is reading through the playbill. They include bios of all the cast and crew, of course, but also tons of articles about the season from Playbill, the media company that writes about Broadway and Off-Broadway news.
The Tony Awards also had a playbill—the thickest I’ve ever seen, complete with all of the awards categories and their nominees, featured bios of all Broadway debuts, and trivia. This season, there were 12 musicals, 20 plays, three shows that featured very cute dogs, four based on a film, and eight actors from “The Gilded Age.”
There’s Nothing Like the Magic of Live Performance
Right before the curtain opened for the start of the official broadcast and Pink’s opening number, I whacked my sister with excitement. Through the bottom of the stage curtain, I could see a shadow twirling. Pink was definitely flying on stage.
The curtain opened, and there was Pink in a Peter Pan costume, suspended above the stage. Soon, Neil Patrick Harris (who has led some legendary Tony Awards openers) joined her, along with dozens of stars from the night and beyond. My personal favorite was Megan Thee Stallion, who was on Broadway in Moulin Rouge earlier this year.
Watching from home, it’s still clear that the whole show is live, but I think seeing it happen in real time made it feel all the more awe-astounding. And from a bird’s eye view, it was unmissable just how many freaking stars they had brought together to perform. The Radio City stage is huge, and it was filled to the brim with theater’s biggest stars.
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
The Camera Work is Flawless
The broadcast isn’t a static view of the stage, but rather a beautifully coordinated mix of camera angles. Somehow, The Tony Awards are able to make magic of both on-screen and on-stage views.
While we could see the camera people darting around the stage and theater during the performances, they weren’t in any way obtrusive to the viewing. It was almost like watching added choreography—a little dance between performer and videographer.
Commercial Breaks are a Party
I’m sorry to my dad who works in advertising, but it was really nice to not have the commercial breaks. Instead, there was a DJ playing some bops—surprisingly, pop songs, not musical theater.
The choreographer of the opening number also came out at a few points to give us instructions to engage with during the different performances: to wave fans during “Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” do the Time Warp during “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” and sing along during “Titanique.”
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
While Presenters Open Envelopes…
The crowd does NOT wait with bated breath.
Instead, I heard whispers all around me of people predicting who was going to win in excited, hushed tones.
One of the most highly anticipated races of the night was for Best Revival of a Musical: between “Cats: The Jellicle Ball” and “Ragtime.” Were voters going to award a total re-imaginination of a beloved musical, or a very beloved but traditional production? The crowd was rumbling right up until the envelope was opened.
There were some negative murmurs, too, once awards had been announced—specifically surrounding the production of “Death of a Salesman.” While critics adored the show and it was favored to take home many Tony Awards (which it did) the show’s producer, Scott Rudin, has a history of abusive behavior. None of the speeches mentioned him by name, but I could hear whispers when the team quickly thanked “the producers” instead.
The Theater Community Shows Up
Undeniably, the best part about going to The Tony Awards was being in a room with hundreds of people who all love theater. People sang and danced along when asked. For every nominee, winner, and performance, there were giant cheers, whoops and hollers. There were dozens of standing ovations; people leapt to their feet when big awards were announced.
It is a wonderful thing to love something so much and be with people who love it like you do.
I can’t wait to go back.
STUNNING!!!