A Strange Loop, Billy Porter, and More Make the Tonys Gay
Above: Tony Awards host Ariana DeBose (right) with Chita Rivera, who presented the Best Musical award. Rivera originated the role of Anita in West Side Story on Broadway, and DeBose won the Best Actress Oscar for the same role in the most recent film of the musical.
It was a gloriously queer night Sunday at the 75th Tony Awards.The ceremony was hosted by out performer Ariana DeBose, who starred in an opening number that spotlighted the contributions of many LGBTQ+ artists along with others, and several queer or inclusive productions won awards.A Strange Loop, Michael R.
Jackson’s musical about a queer Black man writing a musical about a queer Black man writing a musical, while working as a theater usher and being assailed by thoughts that threaten to undermine him, was nominated for 11 Tonys and won two, for Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical.
Jackson wrote the book along with the music and lyrics. The show had already had acclaimed productions off-Broadway and in Washington, D.C., and won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
