The Awardist Tony Awards Tony Awards 2021: See the full list of winners By Jessica Derschowitz Jessica Derschowitz Jessica Derschowitz is the former digital features director at Entertainment Weekly. She left EW in 2022. EW's editorial guidelines Updated on September 26, 2021 11:14PM EDT The 74th annual Tony Awards were finally handed out on Sunday, another milestone for Broadway as the theater industry reemerges from the long pandemic shutdown. The sparkly, spectacle-laden stage adaptation of Moulin Rouge! won 10 awards in total, including Best Musical, during a night celebrating not just the nominated shows but the return of Broadway as a whole, hoping to entice theatergoers to come back as productions reopen and new shows join them. Moulin Rouge! The Musical's Tonys tally also included awards for leading actor Aaron Tveit, featured actor Danny Burstein, and prizes for choreography, costumes, and director Alex Timbers. The Inheritance, Matthew Lopez's two-part play inspired by Howards End and following generations of gay men affected by the AIDS crisis, won the award for Best Play, along with prizes for director Stephen Daldry and featured actors Andrew Burnap and Lois Smith (her win, at age 90, makes her the oldest performer to win a Tony). David Alan Grier and Burstein both won first-time Tony Awards for their featured roles in A Soldier's Play (which also won Best Revival of a Play) and Moulin Rouge!, respectively. Burstein, who won on his seventh nomination, thanked the Broadway community for their support following the death of his wife, fellow Broadway star Rebecca Luker, last December from complications of ALS. "You were all there for us," he said. "It meant the world to us, and it's something I'll never forget." Theo Wargo/Getty Images (3) Lauren Patten, winning for her featured role in the musical Jagged Little Pill, addressed the recent controversy around the show's depiction of her character's gender identity, for which producers have apologized. "I want to thank my trans and nonbinary friends and colleagues who have engaged with me in difficult conversations that have joined me in dialogue about my character, Jo," Patten said. "I believe that the future for the change we need to see on Broadway comes from these kinds of conversations that are full of honesty and empathy and respect for our shared humanity. And I am so excited to see the action that comes from them and to see where that leads our future as theatre artists in this country." The award for lead actress in a musical went to Adrienne Warren for playing Tina Turner in Tina—The Tina Turner Musical, while Mary-Louise Parker won the lead actress in a play prize for The Sound Inside. And in one of the many twists from this unusual theater season, Tveit was the sole nominee in the lead actor in a musical category for his Moulin Rouge! role, but still needed to capture 60 percent of the vote to win—which he did. In what might have been the night's biggest surprise, Slave Play, Jeremy O. Harris' searing Broadway debut exploring race, sex, and power, got shut out despite earning 12 nominations, making it the most nominated play in Tonys' history. It's been a very long road to get to this Tonys night: COVID-19 forced theaters in New York to close in March 2020, right in the middle of the 2019–2020 theatrical season. That shortened timeline meant fewer productions were eligible than usual—just four musicals, 10 new plays, and four revivals of plays. Nominations were announced in October 2020, but voting wasn't held until March of this year. The winners were revealed across two shows and platforms—the Tonys ceremony itself on Paramount+, hosted by Audra McDonald, followed by a concert special called The Tony Awards Present: Broadway's Back! hosted by Leslie Odom Jr. on CBS. The night also featured performances from the three Best Musical nominees—Jagged Little Pill, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, and Tina—The Tina Turner Musical—as well as reunions of cast members from Wicked and Hairspray, a show-stopping rendition of "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" from Dreamgirls from Jennifer Holliday, and David Byrne (one of the night's special Tony honorees) taking the stage for a number from American Utopia. The night then ended with a performance from Lin-Manuel Miranda and members of Freestyle Love Supreme, rapping and singing a recap of the show we all just watched. Check out the full list of winners below. Best PlayGrand HorizonsWINNER: The InheritanceSea Wall/A LifeSlave PlayThe Sound Inside Best MusicalJagged Little PillWINNER: Moulin Rouge! The MusicalTina—The Tina Turner Musical Best Revival of a PlayBetrayalFrankie and Johnny in the Clair de LuneWINNER: A Soldier's Play Best Book of a MusicalWINNER: Diablo Cody, Jagged Little PillJohn Logan, Moulin Rouge! The MusicalKatori Hall, Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins, Tina—The Tina Turner Musical Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the TheatreWINNER: A Christmas Carol, Music: Christopher NightingaleThe Inheritance, Music: Paul EnglishbyThe Rose Tattoo, Music: Fitz Patton and Jason Michael WebbSlave Play, Music: Lindsay JonesThe Sound Inside, Music: Daniel Kluger Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a PlayIan Barford, Linda VistaWINNER: Andrew Burnap, The InheritanceJake Gyllenhaal, Sea Wall/A LifeTom Hiddleston, BetrayalTom Sturridge, Sea Wall/A LifeBlair Underwood, A Soldier's Play Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a PlayJoaquina Kalukango, Slave PlayLaura Linney, My Name is Lucy BartonAudra McDonald, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de LuneWINNER: Mary-Louise Parker, The Sound Inside Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a MusicalWINNER: Aaron Tveit, Moulin Rouge! The Musical **From The Tony Awards Rules: If the Tony Awards Nominating Committee has determined that if there is only one nominee in a category listed, such category shall be submitted to the Tony Voters which may, by the affirmative vote of sixty (60%) percent of the total ballots cast, grant an Award in that category. Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a MusicalKaren Olivo, Moulin Rouge! The MusicalElizabeth Stanley, Jagged Little PillWINNER: Adrienne Warren, Tina—The Tina Turner Musical Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a PlayAto Blankson-Wood, Slave PlayJames Cusati-Moyer, Slave PlayWINNER: David Alan Grier, A Soldier's PlayJohn Benjamin Hickey, The InheritancePaul Hilton, The Inheritance Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a PlayJane Alexander, Grand HorizonsChalia La Tour, Slave PlayAnnie McNamara, Slave PlayWINNER: Lois Smith, The InheritanceCora Vander Broek, Linda Vista Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a MusicalWINNER: Danny Burstein, Moulin Rouge! The MusicalDerek Klena, Jagged Little PillSean Allan Krill, Jagged Little PillSahr Ngaujah, Moulin Rouge! The MusicalDaniel J. Watts, Tina—The Tina Turner Musical Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a MusicalKathryn Gallagher, Jagged Little PillCelia Rose Gooding, Jagged Little PillRobyn Hurder, Moulin Rouge! The MusicalWINNER: Lauren Patten, Jagged Little PillMyra Lucretia Taylor, Tina—The Tina Turner Musical Best Scenic Design of a PlayBob Crowley, The InheritanceSoutra Gilmour, BetrayalWINNER: Rob Howell, A Christmas CarolDerek McLane, A Soldier's PlayClint Ramos, Slave Play Best Scenic Design of a MusicalRiccardo Hernández and Lucy Mackinnon, Jagged Little PillWINNER: Derek McLane, Moulin Rouge! The MusicalMark Thompson and Jeff Sugg, Tina—The Tina Turner Musical Best Costume Design of a PlayDede Ayite, Slave PlayDede Ayite, A Soldier's PlayBob Crowley, The InheritanceWINNER: Rob Howell, A Christmas CarolClint Ramos, The Rose Tattoo Best Costume Design of a MusicalEmily Rebholz, Jagged Little PillMark Thompson, Tina—The Tina Turner MusicalWINNER: Catherine Zuber, Moulin Rouge! The Musical Best Lighting Design of a PlayJiyoun Chang, Slave PlayJon Clark, The InheritanceHeather Gilbert, The Sound InsideAllen Lee Hughes, A Soldier's PlayWINNER: Hugh Vanstone, A Christmas Carol Best Lighting Design of a MusicalBruno Poet, Tina—The Tina Turner MusicalJustin Townsend, Jagged Little PillWINNER: Justin Townsend, Moulin Rouge! The Musical Best Sound Design of a PlayPaul Arditti & Christopher Reid, The InheritanceWINNER: Simon Baker, A Christmas CarolLindsay Jones, Slave PlayDaniel Kluger, Sea Wall/A LifeDaniel Kluger, The Sound Inside Best Sound Design of a MusicalJonathan Deans, Jagged Little PillWINNER: Peter Hylenski, Moulin Rouge! The MusicalNevin Steinberg, Tina—The Tina Turner Musical Best Direction of a PlayDavid Cromer, The Sound InsideWINNER: Stephen Daldry, The InheritanceKenny Leon, A Soldier's PlayJamie Lloyd, BetrayalRobert O'Hara, Slave Play Best Direction of a MusicalPhyllida Lloyd, Tina—The Tina Turner MusicalDiane Paulus, Jagged Little PillWINNER: Alex Timbers, Moulin Rouge! The Musical Best ChoreographySidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Jagged Little PillWINNER: Sonya Tayeh, Moulin Rouge! The MusicalAnthony Van Laast, Tina—The Tina Turner Musical Best OrchestrationsTom Kitt, Jagged Little PillWINNER: Katie Kresek, Charlie Rosen, Matt Stine, and Justin Levine, Moulin Rouge! The MusicalEthan Popp, Tina—The Tina Turner Musical Recipients of Awards and Honors in Non-Competitive Categories Special Tony Awards for Lifetime Achievement in the TheatreGraciela Daniele Isabelle Stevenson Tony AwardJulie Halston Special Tony AwardsBroadway Advocacy CoalitionDavid Byrne's American UtopiaFreestyle Love Supreme Tony Honors for Excellence in the TheatreFred GalloIrene GandyBeverly JenkinsNew Federal Theatre (Woody King Jr., founder) Related content: See all the stars at the 2021 Tony Awards Look back at the best moments from the 2019 Tony Awards