'Moulin Rouge' musical dominates pandemic delayed Tony Awards

Musical "Moulin Rouge!" won the top honours at Broadway's Tony Awards on Sunday in a four-hour ceremony that promoted the return of live theatre and called for better opportunities for Black writers and performers.

"Tonight feels like a homecoming," said host Audra McDonald. "The lights are on, we are here, we are back."

The annual awards show was never held in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic that shut down live performances for 18 months.

Many of the big shows, including Hamilton, The Lion King and Wicked had emotional reopenings earlier this month marked by tears and joy both on and off stage. Audiences must be fully vaccinated and masks are required.

"It's been over a year but the Tonys are here," sang Hamilton star Leslie Odom Jr, opening the TV special called Broadway's Back that featured appearances by stars ranging from John Legend and Jake Gyllenhaal to Chita Rivera and Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Moulin Rouge! The Musical, based on the 2001 movie, won 10 awards, including best musical, and for lead actor Aaron Tveit.

Carmen Pavlovic, a co-producer of Moulin Rouge!, said every show deserved to get an award after the punishing last 18 months, including "the shows that opened, the shows that closed not to return, the shows that nearly opened, and of course the shows that paused and were fortunate enough to be reborn".

A Soldier's Play, about the murder of a black officer on a US army base in 1944, was voted best play revival. Yet it was a disappointing night for Slave Play, a provocative show about race that went into Sunday's ceremony with a leading 12 nominations, but won none of them.

"The table's got to be bigger," said Kenny Leon, director of A Soldier's Play, saying Broadway needs to do better to elevate Black voices.

The anti-racism non-profit Broadway Advocacy Coalition that fights to make theatre more diverse, was given an honourary award.

The TV special saw live song and dance performances from many shows, including Jagged Litle Pill, Ain't Too Proud, American Utopia, and Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth, the original stars of Wicked.

A Christmas Carol, a stage adaptation with music of the Charles Dickens novel, won five awards, while newcomer Adrienne Warren won best actress in a musical for playing rock singer Tina Turner in Tina - The Tina Turner Musical.

None of the Tony-nominated plays are currently playing on Broadway or plan to return, after closing because of the pandemic or finishing their runs shortly before it broke.