Tony Awards slammed for not letting winners Joel Grey and John Kander speak
The 76th annual Tony Awards, held at United Palace Theater on Sunday, were not without controversy.
The annual show celebrating all things Broadway received backlash after Lifetime Achievement Award winners Joel Grey, 91, and John Kander, 96, were not allowed to speak after receiving their award.
The iconic duo were announced as winners and joined on stage by host Ariana DeBose and Julianne Hough.
However, just as soon as they appeared they were awkwardly ushered off, all without saying a word.
Grey was previously given the opportunity to make a speech as he accepted the award, however it was at the pre-show. Kander also received his award at the pre-show from New York, New York writing partner Lin-Manuel Miranda – who dropped out as writer of the opening segment in solidarity with the Writers Guild of America Strike.
Backlash: The 76th annual Tony Awards received backlash after Lifetime Achievement Award winners Joel Grey, 91, and John Kander, 96, were not allowed to speak onstage
The pair stood on stage for a quick beat while getting a standing ovation, before the ladies walked them back out.
Fans quickly took to social media to point out the situation, with one writing on Twitter, ‘So why Joel Gray and John Kander not allowed to say something about their lifetime Tony awards.’
‘I wanted to hear Joel Gray and John Kander speak for their lifetime achievement awards,’ another added.
Comments from disappointed fans continued to pour in, with someone else writing, ‘Please, there is NO REASON that these aren’t in the “main” show. It’s infuriating.’
‘Disrespectful to John Kander and Joel Gray. They are living legends. Stop pandering to people who were born since 2000.’
‘Wait no recap for Joel Gray and John Kander?? Good thing they and their moment moment in Act 1,’ someone else chimed in.
Earlier on Sunday Grey received his award from daughter Jennifer Grey, 63, during the Tony Awards: Act One, Live Pre-Show.
‘It’s ultimately the people, the community… all of you… who have made this ride more outstanding than I could have imagined,’ the actor proudly stated.
No speech? The iconic duo were announced as winners and joined on stage by host Ariana DeBose and Julianne Hough
Leaving without a word: However, just as soon as they appeared they were awkwardly ushered off, all without saying a word
Pre-show: Grey was previously given the opportunity to make a speech as he accepted the award, however it was at the pre-show
Writing partner: Meanwhile Kander received his award from New York, New York writing partner Lin-Manuel Miranda, also at the pre-show
Upset: Fans quickly took to social media to point out the situation, with one writing on Twitter, ‘So why Joel Gray and John Kander not allowed to say something about their lifetime Tony awards’
Infuriating: ‘Please, there is NO REASON that these aren’t in the “main” show. It’s infuriating’
Unfair: ‘I wanted to hear Joel Gray and John Kander speak for their lifetime achievement awards,’ another added
Living legends: ‘Disrespectful to John Kander and Joel Gray. They are living legends. Stop pandering to people who were born since 2000’
Disappointed: ‘Wait no recap for Joel Gray and John Kander?? Good thing they and their moment moment in Act 1’
Meanwhile an emotional Jennifer teared up as she watched her father accept the honor.
She introduced him earlier saying, ‘Hello, friends and colleagues of my dad.’
The star added that it was an ‘honor’ to present the award to her father, who is best known for playing the Master of Ceremonies in the film and stage versions of Cabaret, which earned him an Oscar, a Tony and a Golden Globe award.
She already started getting choked up before a video package was played showing footage from her father’s work.
After the presentation she concluded by presenting, ‘your hero, my hero, Joel Grey’ to the stage, earning a standing ovation.
‘My daughter, my beauty, my sweetness. Seven pounds, 11 ounces, no more. No more! Thank you, darling!’ Joel said.
Eight years earlier, Jennifer Grey also presented her father Joel with another lifetime achievement award, and she also got teared up as well.
Jennifer honored Joel with the Douglas Watt Lifetime Achievement Award at the 33rd Annual Fred & Adele Astaire Awards in New York City back in 2015.
Sweet moment: Earlier on Sunday Grey received his award from daughter Jennifer Grey, 63, during the Tony Awards: Act One, Live Pre-Show
Touching: ‘It’s ultimately the people, the community… all of you… who have made this ride more outstanding than I could have imagined,’ the actor proudly stated
Emotional: Meanwhile an emotional Jennifer teared up as she watched her father accept the honor
Cute: At one point she sweetly cuddled up to her dad
Fab trio: The duo later posed with host Ariana backstage
No hard feelings: They appeared to have no hard feelings about being snubbed from the main show and smiled for snaps
Relaxing: They relaxed at the event sitting side by side backstage
‘I didn’t expect to feel like that,” Jennifer said to the crowd at the NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, already getting choked up.
She joked, ‘I feel like Liza [Minnelli], all gaspy and stuff!’ She started to speak again but added, Just give me a moment, sorry about that,’ as the crowd broke out in applause.
‘I’m so inspired by my dad. By the sheer breadth of his work, his love of life,’ Grey continued.
‘As someone who has clung to his every move my entire life his incredible career only pales in comparison to the accomplishment of how he lives his life, his gigantic heart. This world is just markedly better for him being here,’ she added.
This year’s ceremony was the latest production to have been impacted by the ongoing Writers Guild of America Strike.
It marks the first time in 35 years that the Tonys had been afflicted by the WGA strike.
The ceremony aired on CBS in an unscripted format, and the union agreed not to picket the event.
TONY AWARD WINNERS 2023
Best Musical
& Juliet
Kimberly Akimbo — WINNER
New York, New York
Shucked
Some Like It Hot
Some Like It Hot
Best Play
Ain’t No Mo’
Between Riverside and Crazy
Cost of Living
Fat Ham
Leopoldstadt — WINNER
Best Musical Revival
Bob Fosse’s Dancin’
Camelot
Into The Woods
Parade — WINNER
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street
Best Revival of a Play
A Doll’s House
The Piano Lesson
The Sign In Sidney Brustein’s Window
Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog — WINNER
Best Leading Actress of a Musical
Annaleigh Ashford — Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street
Sara Bareilles — Into The Woods
Victoria Clark — Kimberly Akimbo — WINNER
Lorna Courtney — & Juliet
Micaela Diamond — Parade
Jessica Chastain, A Doll’s House
Best Leading Actress of a Play
Jessica Chastain — A Doll’s House
Jodie Comer — Prima Facie — WINNER
Jessica Hecht — Summer, 1976
Audra McDonald — Ohio State Murders
Best Leading Actor of a Musical
Christian Borle — Some Like It Hot
J. Harrison Ghee — Some Like It Hot — WINNER
Josh Groban — Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street
Brian D’Arcy James — Into The Woods
Ben Platt at the Met Gala 2023
Ben Platt — Parade
Colton Ryan — New York, New York
Best Leading Actor of a Play
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II — Topdog/Underdog
Corey Hawkins — Topdog/Underdog
Sean Hayes — Good Night, Oscar — WINNER
Stephen McKinley Henderson — Between Riverside and Crazy
Wendell Pierce — Death of a Salesman
Best Book of a Musical
& Juliet — David West Read
Kimberly Akimbo — David Lindsay-Abaire — WINNER
New York, New York — David Thompson & Sharon Washington
Shucked — Robert Horn
Some Like It Hot — Matthew López & Amber Ruffin
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Jordan E. Cooper — Ain’t No Mo’
Samuel L. Jackson — August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson
Arian Moayed — A Doll’s House
Brandon Uranowitz — Leopoldstadt — WINNER
David Zayas — Cost Of Living
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Kevin Del Aguila — Some Like It Hot
Kevin Cahoon — Shucked
Justin Cooley — Kimberly Akimbo
Jordan Donica — Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot
Alex Newell — Shucked — WINNER
Best Scenic Design of a Play
Tim Hatley & Andrzej Goulding — Life Of Pi — WINNERS
Miriam Buether — Prima Facie
Rachel Hauck — Good Night, Oscar
Richard Hudson — Leopoldstadt
Dane Laffrey & Lucy Mackinnon — A Christmas Carol
Best Costume Design of a Play
Brigitte Reiffenstuel — Leopoldstadt — WINNER
Tim Hatley, Nick Barnes & Finn Caldwell — Life Of Pi
Dominique Fawn Hill — Fat Ham
Emilio Sosa — Ain’t No Mo’
Emilio Sosa — Good Night, Oscar
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Neil Austin — Leopoldstadt
Natasha Chivers — Prima Facie
Jon Clark — Jon Clark
Bradley King — Fat Ham
Tim Lutkin — Life Of Pi — WINNER
Jen Schriever — Arthur Miller’s Death Of A Salesman
Ben Stanton — A Christmas Carol
Best Direction of a Play
Saheem Ali — Fat Ham
Jo Bonney — Cost Of Living
Jamie Lloyd — A Doll’s House
Patrick Marber — Leopoldstadt — WINNER
Stevie Walker-Webb — Ain’t No Mo’
Max Webster — Life Of Pi
Best Sound Design of a Play
Carolyn Downing — Life Of Pi — WINNER
Joshua D. Reid — A Christmas Carol
Ben & Max Ringham — A Doll’s House
Ben & Max Ringham — Prima Facie
Jonathan Deans & Taylor Williams — Ain’t No Mo’
Best Choreography
Casey Nicholaw — Some Like It Hot — WINNER
Steven Hoggett — Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street
Susan Stroman — New York, New York
Jennifer Weber — & Juliet
Jennifer Weber — KPOP
Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Joel Grey
John Kander
Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre
Victoria Bailey
Lisa Dawn Cave
Robert Fried
Best Original Score (music and/or lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Kimberly Akimbo — David Lindsay-Abaire/Jeanine Tesori — WINNER
Almost Famous — Tom Kitt/Cameron Crowe & Tom Kitt
KPOP — Helen Park & Max Vernon
Shucked — Brandy Clark & Shane McAnally
Some Like It Hot — Marc Shaiman/Scott Wittman & Marc Shaiman
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Nikki Crawford — Fat Ham
Crystal Lucas-Perry — Ain’t No Mo’
Miriam Silverman — The Sign In Sidney Brustein’s Window — WINNER
Katy Sullivan — Cost Of Living
Kara Young — Cost Of Living
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Julia Lester — Into The Woods
Ruthie Ann Miles — Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street
Bonnie Milligan — Kimberly Akimbo — WINNER
NaTasha Yvette Williams — Some Like It Hot
Betsy Wolfe — & Juliet
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Beowulf Boritt — New York, New York — WINNER
Mimi Lien — Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street
Scott Pask — Shucked
Scott Pask — Some Like It Hot
Michael Yeargan & 59 Productions — Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Gregg Barnes — Some Like It Hot — WINNER
Clint Ramos & Sophia Choi — KPOP
Susan Hilferty — Parade
Jennifer Moeller — Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot
Paloma Young — & Juliet
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Ken Billington — New York, New York
Lap Chi Chu — Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot
Heather Gilbert — Parade
Howard Hudson — & Juliet
Natasha Katz — Some Like It Hot
Natasha Katz — Sweeney Todd: THe Demon Barber Of Fleet Street — WINNER
Best Direction of a Musical
Michael Arden — Parade — WINNER
Lear deBessonet — Into The Woods
Casey Nicholaw — Some Like It Hot
Jack O’Brien — Shucked
Jessica Stone — Kimberly Akimbo
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Kai Harada — New York, New York
Scott Lehrer & Alex Neumann — Into The Woods
Gareth Owen — & Juliet
John Shivers — Shucked
Nevin Steinberg — Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street — WINNER
Best Orchestrations
Charlie Rosen & Bryan Carter — Some Like It Hot — WINNERS
John Clancy — Kimberly Akimbo
Daryl Waters & Sam Davis — New York, New York
Bill Sherman & Dominic Fallacaro — & Juliet
Jason Howland — Shucked
Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award
Jerry Mitchell
Regional Theatre Tony Award
Pasadena Playhouse