By Carla Hay
NABJ Black News & Views
NEW YORK — Black artists who were first-time Tony winners—including Maleah Joi Moon and Kecia Lewis from the Alicia Keys musical “Hell’s Kitchen”—were among the highlights at the 77th annual Tony Awards, which took place Sunday at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater in New York City. “Hell’s Kitchen” also made a big splash when Keys and Jay-Z made surprise guest appearances and sang their signature hit “Empire State of Mind” during the “Hell’s Kitchen” ensemble performance. For that, they got a standing ovation. For the third year in a row, Ariana DeBose hosted the Tony Awards, an annual celebration of Broadway, telecast in the United States on CBS and streamed live on Paramount+ with Showtime.
“Hell’s Kitchen”—featuring songs by Keys and a story based on Keys’ youth in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood—went into the ceremony with the most nominations (13), tied with the play “Stereophonic.” But in the end, “Hell’s Kitchen” won two Tony Awards and lost the Best Musical prize to “The Outsiders,” a stage production based on S.E. Hinton’s 1967 novel about rival gangs of young people. “Stereophonic,” which is about a fictional 1970s rock band, won the most Tony Awards this year (five), including Best Play.
Moon, who made her Broadway debut in “Hell’s Kitchen,” won the prize for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for her role as Ali, a character based on Keys. Longtime stage actress Lewis received the award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical. In “Hell’s Kitchen,” Lewis has the role of Miss Liza Jane, who becomes Ali’s musical mentor.
Another first-time Tony winner is Kara Young, who won Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play, for her role in “Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch.” Ossie Davis wrote and starred in the original “Purlie Victorious” (about a preacher of the same name who is seeking to reclaim an inheritance), which had its first Broadway run from 1961 to 1962. Young has the role of Purlie’s partner/love interest Lutiebell Gussie Mae Jenkins, a character originally portrayed by the late Ruby Dee.
Other Black performers who were first-time Tony winners included “Appropriate” playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, who was among the winners for Best Revival of a Play. First-time Tony winner Dede Ayite of “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding” became the first Black woman to win a Tony Award for Best Costume Design of a Play. This year, Ayite was a three-time Tony nominee: She was also nominated in the same category for “Appropriate,” and she received another Tony nomination for Best Costume Design of a Musical, for her work in “Hell’s Kitchen.”
The predominantly Black cast of “Hell’s Kitchen” performed a highly energetic medley of “The Gospel,” “Authors of Forever,” and “Fallin’,” with the medley concluding with Keys and Jay-Z performing their hit “Empire State of Mind.” The “Hell’s Kitchen” performance had the theater audience members on their feet and bouncing to the music.
Another well-received performance was from the “The Outsiders” cast, who sang and danced to “Tulsa ’67” and “Grease Got a Hold.” The ensemble included Joshua Boone and Sky Lakota-Lynch, who were each nominated for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical.
Elijah Lyons, who plays the character of Arctiini in the Tony-nominated musical “Illinoise,” was a featured singer during an “Illinoise” cast performance of “The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!”
In her acceptance speech, Moon thanked her family members for their support.
“I’d like to dedicate this award to my parents Fabia and Steve,” Moon said. “Dad, you’ve been working all of your life. Mom, you came to America at 17, and you’ve been surviving ever since. And ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ is about a 17-year-old on the cusp of a dream.”
Moon continued, “I can’t imagine how many dreams deferred, how many sacrifices each of you made to give me the life that I have today. So, tonight, all I hope is that you get to celebrate because this is for you, and we did this together. I love you more than words.”
Lewis cracked a joke at the beginning of her speech by looking at her phone and saying, “People, stop texting me!” She mentioned there were many times she wanted to quit showbiz, but the support she got from loved ones and trusted associates kept her going.
“Forty years ago yesterday, I walked into the Imperial Theatre to begin my Broadway career at 18 years old,” Lewis said. “I’ve had so many amazing experiences and some heartbreaking ones too. I took a short break from show business and raised a son as a single parent while trying to build a career. This moment is the one I dreamed of for most of those 40 years. So, I say to everyone who can hear my voice: Don’t give up.”
Young gave a shout-out to her late great-grandmother Hazel Baptist, “who made it a point to come to ‘Purlie Victorious’ two weeks before she transitioned [passed away].” Young also thanked “the great Ossie Davis, who posthumously elevated the American theater yet again,” and “the legendary Ruby Dee, who originated this role.” She said the award was “for the vibration of the liberation of humanity.”
“Appropriate” is about a group of siblings who find out family secrets after their father dies. Jacobs-Jenkins wrapped up his speech by showing respect for a rival play in the same category: “I’m going to be honest. I want to share my small part of this big award with the company and Ossie Davis’ family. Because the truth is, without Ossie Davis, I wouldn’t be here. Without ‘Purlie Victorious,’ ‘Appropriate’ would not be here.”
Tony Awards host DeBose kept things lighthearted with her short on-stage quips. She participated in a joyful tribute to Broadway legend Chita Rivera, who died on Jan. 30 at the age of 91. DeBose sang and danced to “America” from “West Side Story,” which was a signature tune for the character of Anita, originally played by Rivera on Broadway, and played by DeBose in her Oscar-winning role in the 2021 movie remake of “West Side Story.” Brian Stokes Mitchell and Audra McDonald also participated in the tribute by introducing other segments.
Other Black presenters at the ceremony were Taraji P. Henson, Danai Gurira, Wendell Pierce, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Tamara Tunie, Adrienne Warren, and Jennifer Hudson.
The non-televised portion of the ceremony had speeches from the winners of most of the technical categories and award winners in noncompetitive categories.
In noncompetitive categories, George C. Wolfe received the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre. Billy Porter won the Isabelle Stevenson Award, given to a person in the Broadway community with outstanding contributions to humanitarian, social, and charitable causes. Actress/hair designer Nikiya Mathis was one of this year’s three recipients of a Special Tony Award, along with Abe Jacob and Alex Edelman.
Colleen Jennings-Roggensack, who is Arizona State University’s vice president of cultural affairs and executive director of the ASU Gammage performing arts center, was one of this year’s six recipients of the Tony Honors for Excellence. The Tony Honors for Excellence go to individuals and institutions who have “demonstrated extraordinary achievement in theater, but are not eligible in any of the established Tony Award categories,” according to a Tony Awards press release.
A complete list of Tony Award winners and nominations can be found at the official Tony Awards website.
According to a Tony Awards press release: “The nominees were selected by an independent committee of 44 theater professionals appointed by the Tony Awards Administration Committee. The 2024 Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing.”
