‘Kimberly Akimbo’ Is Triumphant at 76th Tony Awards

Tim Teeman

June 12, 2023 at 1:11 PM·10 min read

The musical Kimberly Akimbo—acclaimed by critics and audiences, and the little engine that could in a sea of more traditionally razzle-dazzle competitors—took home the biggest honors at the 76th Tony Awards, with five awards, including best musical, lead actress in a musical (Victoria Clark), and featured actress in a musical (Bonnie Milligan).

It beat out Some Like It Hot, whose four Tony Awards including a history-making win for J. Harrison Ghee, who, alongside Alex Newell (Shucked), became the first non-binary actors to win Tony Awards. Both actors gave powerful, moving speeches, directly addressed to LGBTQ, trans and non-binary youth.

Leopoldstadt, Sir Tom Stoppard’s play about generations of a Jewish family, won Best Play and four other Tony awards. Will & Grace star Sean Hayes won Best Actor (Play) for his role as Oscar Levant in Good Night, Oscar, while Jodie Comer beat out Jessica Chastain for the Lead Actress (Play) award for her searing performance in Prima Facie.

"The company of Kimberly Akimbo."

Joan Marcus

Yes, there were awards on Sunday night—without a script because of the ongoing WGA strike—but it was more emphatically a showcase for Broadway, a massive advertising billboard in CBS primetime to get as many people as possible to book tickets to support a theater industry still struggling to find its post-pandemic footing.

Not for nothing did the evening open with a roof-raising rendition of “New York, New York” from the musical of the same name. That was the message of the evening: Book those tickets now! No awards were given out before the first commercial break. “Buckle up,” said host Ariana DeBose said at the beginning, envisioning what surprises and mischief a scriptless evening could unleash.

‘Some Like It Hot’ Leads the Race for the 2023 Tony Awards

There was a lot of pointed and emotional speechmaking, perfectly timed for Pride month. After such a long and sustained period of homophobia and transphobia being voiced and signed into law—and broadcast by news programs with very little questioning of those behind it by ill-informed anchors and reporters—members of the queer community on Broadway took an opportunity to vocalize resistance and pride, and tell queer youth watching that they were not alone.

Ghee said, “For every trans, nonbinary, gender nonconforming human who ever was told you couldn't be, you couldn't be seen, this is for you.”

Newell said: “Thank you for seeing me, Broadway. I should not be up here, as a queer, non-binary, fat, Black little baby from Massachusetts. To anyone who thinks they can’t do it…you can do anything you put your mind to.”

that’s Tony winner Alex Newell to you!!!

“Thank you for seeing me, Broadway. I should not be up here, as a queer, non-binary, fat, Black little baby from Massachusetts. To anyone who thinks they can’t do it…you can do anything you put your mind to.”#TonyAwards pic.twitter.com/DaQtK7vAIL
— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) June 12, 2023

Michael Arden, who won the Best Direction of a Play Tony for Parade, gave a powerful speech, highlighting how the show revealed the importance of fighting all the forces of hatred around anti-Semitism, white supremacy, homophobia, and transphobia. Arden said trans, non-binary, and queer youth could count his and others’ support.

Michael Arden’s bleeped-out Tony Award speech is instantly iconic:

"Growing up, I was called the F-word more times than I could remember. And all I can say now is I'm a faggot with a Tony!"#TonyAwards pic.twitter.com/pJYzfgIJoh
— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) June 12, 2023

“Growing up I’ve been called the f-word more times than I can count and now I can say I’m a f----- with a Tony,” Arden added to huge cheers and applause—with CBS muting the f-word itself. Will they also mute all those Republican presidential candidates, politicians and their supporters propagating homophobia and transphobia on their various programs, one wonders.

Denée Benton called Ron DeSantis the “current Grand Wizard” of Florida. Wishing the audience a happy Pride month, actor Wilson Cruz thanked the vast majority of Americans watching who support LGBTQ people and equality.

"Leopoldstadt."

Joan Marcus

Accepting the Tony for Best Featured Actor in a Play, Brandon Uranowitz (Leopoldstadt) joked that he had long wanted to repay his parents for the sacrifices they had made for him, but he worked in theater so could not. They could keep the Tony at their place, he said, adding—more seriously—all parents should accept their children when they say who they are.

Bonnie Milligan, who won the featured actress in a musical Tony for Kimberly Akimbo, paid moving tribute to her family, and said to all those who had been told they did not look right, or that their identities—or who they loved—were wrong, “Well, guess what, you’re right.”

Some Like It Hot had led the field for the Tony Awards, with 13 nominations. Musicals & Juliet, Shucked, and New York, New York followed with 9 nominations apiece. Kimberly Akimbo, the critical favorite and a true Broadway original, scored 8 nominations.

Out of 38 eligible productions in 26 categories, this year there were 17 new plays, nine new musicals, six play revivals, and six musical revivals. The campaigns for all the nominees now begin in earnest. Big-name contenders included Audra McDonald, Samuel. L. Jackson, Jessica Chastain, Wendell Pierce (though Death of a Salesman did not receive a nomination for Best Play Revival), Comer, Ben Platt, Sara Bareilles, and Josh Groban.

"Some Like It Hot."

Marc J. Franklin

Notable snubs had included Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Bad Cinderella facing the same fate in the Best Musical category, Laura Linney going un-nominated for Summer, 1976 (her co-star Jessica Hecht was nominated), Oscar Isaac and Rachel Brosnahan going un-nominated for The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window, and the acclaimed Sharon D. Clarke not being nominated for Death of a Salesman. Phillipa Soo was not nominated for Camelot or Into the Woods.

Eleven productions were shut out completely of all categories: musicals A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical and Bad Cinderella, plays Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man & The Pool, Peter Pan Goes Wrong, Pictures From Home, The Collaboration, The Kite Runner, The Thanksgiving Play, and Walking With Ghosts, and musical revivals Bob Fosse’s Dancin’ and 1776: The Musical.