The somewhat jarring juxtaposition showed this is still by far not a “normal” Broadway season. While nominees and guests in the orchestra were maskless (having submitted COVID-19 tests), those in the balconies were all masked - including a group of COVID-19 safety managers being honored - as Broadway theater audiences are still required to be. But a quick glance around the room at Radio City Music Hall showed that challenges remain. The night was hosted by a supremely confident and versatile (and recent Oscar winner) Ariana DeBose, who declared at the beginning that Broadway had gotten its groove back. “A Strange Loop” beat out crowd-pleasing fare like “Six: The Musical,” a pop reimagining of the six wives of Henry VIII, and “MJ,” about the king of pop, Michael Jackson. Jackson’s 2020 Pulitzer Prize winner about a Black gay man writing a show about a Black gay man. The marquee award, best new musical, went to the highly innovative “A Strange Loop,” Michael R. But if the ceremony was meant to recapture the razzle-dazzle of Broadway seasons past, marking the 75th anniversary of the Tonys with a dollop of nostalgia, it was also a celebration of groundbreaking work by a hugely diverse group of artists.
