'To anyone who may have thought that last year was a bit unhinged, to them I say, 'Darlings, buckle up,' ' DeBose said, before pointing out the lack of teleprompters in the theater.

She then expressed her support for striking Writers Guild of America members and explained what the strike meant for Sunday's ceremony. After leafing through a blank script, she proceeded to twirl, kick, leap and flip through the United Palace with a group of dancers and musicians. Here are the top moments of the night: Ariana DeBose does the thing with unscripted opening numberĪfter starting last year's show with a frenetic mashup of show tunes, DeBose returned to the Tonys with a remarkable, wordless opening number. View Gallery: Tony Awards 2023 red carpet: Jessica Chastain, Jodie Comer, more stars And Emmy winners Sean Hayes ('Good Night, Oscar') and Jodie Comer ('Prima Facie') took top acting honors for their powerhouse turns in new plays. Tom Stoppard's 'Leopoldstadt,' a decades-spanning drama about a Jewish family and the horrors of antisemitism, earned best play. 'Kimberly Akimbo,' a musical about a 16-year-old girl (Victoria Clark) who ages four times faster than the average person, picked up the night's biggest trophy for best musical, along with prizes for best actress (Clark), best score and best book. The result was a surprisingly seamless and performance-heavy show, led by standout numbers from Ben Platt ('Parade') and Lea Michele ('Funny Girl'). Oscar winner Ariana DeBose ('West Side Story') returned to host the telecast on CBS, which featured no scripted banter during the presentation of awards. Watch Video: Sean Hayes reflect on Tony win: 'With age comes more confidence'ĭespite the ongoing Hollywood writers' strike, it wasn't curtains for this year's Tony Awards, which moved forward Sunday with a slightly reworked ceremony at the United Palace Theatre in New York.

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