The 2023 Tony Awards were the biggest of Broadway’s glitzy season, with the biggest names in theater descending on Manhattan’s Washington Heights neighborhood to celebrate the best of the year. The event’s most significant moment came when Alex Newell and J. Harrison Ghee shattered barriers as the first openly nonbinary actors to win Tonys for acting. Newell won for their performance in Jack O’Brien’s Shucked, while Ghee took home the best leading actor in a musical for Casey Nicholaw’s reimagining of Billy Wilder’s Some Like It Hot. Both actors use they/them pronouns and address their gender identity in their acceptance speeches.
In their words, Newell and Ghee aimed to set the record straight, noting that their victories wouldn’t have been possible without everyone who helped them. Ghee urged that theaters and award shows “expand their reach and their hearts to allow everyone, including trans, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming people, the ability to see themselves onstage and in film.” Newell’s speech was similarly heartfelt, thanking their mother for “their unconditional love and teaching them the true essence of strength.”
The two wins were among the highlights of an unscripted show, which aired on CBS and was streamed on Paramount+. The annual celebration of Broadway shows went forward without a script, despite the ongoing Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike that has left many significant productions on hiatus or in danger of cancellation. According to The Hollywood Reporter, producers of the Tonys sought compromises with the writers union that allowed the telecast to go forward. WGA members nominated for acting awards reportedly agreed to waive their right to picket, and playwrights—many of whom belong to the WGA—advocated for the show.
Miriam Silverman, who won a Tony for her performance in Sidney Brustein’s The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window, also addressed the WGA in her acceptance speech, noting that she is a “staunchly pro-union household” and believes in the power of workers being paid. In addition to the acting winners, this year’s ceremony included a special tribute to legendary actress Chita Rivera and the late Julie Harris.
The Tonys are a reminder of the power and relevance of live theatre, even in these challenging times. The 76th annual Tony Awards was executive produced by Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss and hosted by Ariana DeBose.
