After years of stories about his own sexuality, Kevin Spacey kicked off his hosting duties at the 2016 Tony Awards with an all-singing, all-dancing opening medley that openly courted controversy.
The two-time Oscar-winner, who claimed his only Tony Award in 1991, also mocked the current state of American politics, appearing on the New York stage in his current guise as President Frank Underwood. The House of Cards star was joined by his onscreen wife Robin Wright, with Spacey also going on to impersonate former Democratic President Bill Clinton during the live telecast.
At one point, dressed as Sunset Boulevard’s Norma Desmond, Spacey turned to the crowd and sang, "I'm coming out," then adding: "Wait, no... wait."
The energetic 11-minute opening number saw Spacey tap dancing and going through several costume changes, with nods to many of the show’s nominated for the biggest night for Broadway performers.
“I can’t believe how many people do that eight times a week,” a panting Spacey quipped after the opening number ended.
There were few surprises as the awards were handed out; Oscar-winner Kevin Kline took home ‘Best Leading Actor in a Play’ for Present Laughter, using his acceptance speech to criticise the Trump administration’s cutting funding for the National Endowment for the Arts.
Dear Evan Hansen was named ‘Best Musical’, with its lead Ben Blatt taking home the prize for ‘Best Leading Actor in a Musical’ as well.
Veteran actress Bette Midler took the equivalent prize for her role in the revival of Hello, Dolly! Giving a crowd-pleasing acceptance speech, the actress battled the orchestra when it tried to play her off, shouting to them “Shut that crap off!”
The full list of this year’s Tony Winners reads as follows:
Best play
Winner: Oslo
Also nominated: A Doll's House, Part 2; Indecent; Sweat
Best musical
Winner: Dear Evan Hansen
Also nominated: Come From Away; Groundhog Day; Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812
Best revival of a play
Winner: Jitney
Also nominated: The Little Foxes; Present Laughter; Six Degrees of Separation
Best revival of a musical
Winner: Hello, Dolly!
Also nominated: Falsettos; Miss Saigon
Best book of a musical
Winner: Dear Evan Hansen
Also nominated: Come From Away; Groundhog Day; Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812
Best original score
Winner: Dear Evan Hansen
Also nominated: Come From Away; Groundhog Day; Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812
Best leading actor in a play
Winner: Kevin Kline, Present Laughter
Also nominated: Denis Arndt, Heisenberg; Chris Cooper, A Doll's House, Part 2; Corey Hawkins, Six Degrees of Separation; Jefferson Mays, Oslo
Best leading actress in a play
Winner: Laurie Metcalf, A Doll's House, Part 2
Also nominated: Cate Blanchett, The Present; Jennifer Ehle, Oslo; Sally Field, The Glass Menagerie; Laura Linney, The Little Foxes
Best leading actor in a musical
Winner: Ben Platt, Dear Evan Hansen
Also nominated: Christian Borle, Falsettos; Josh Groban, Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812; Andy Karl, Groundhog Day; David Hyde Pierce, Hello, Dolly!
Best leading actress in a musical
Winner: Bette Midler, Hello, Dolly!
Also nominated: Denee Benton, Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812; Christine Ebersole, War Paint; Patti LuPone, War Paint; Eva Noblezada, Miss Saigon
Best featured actor in a play
Winner: Michael Aronov, Oslo
Also nominated: Danny DeVito, The Price; Nathan Lane, The Front Page; Richard Thomas, The Little Foxes; John Douglas Thompson, Jitney
Best featured actress in a play
Winner: Cynthia Nixon, The Little Foxes
Also nominated: Johanna Day, Sweat; Jayne Houdyshell, A Doll's House, Part 2; Condola Rashad, A Doll's House, Part 2; Michelle Wilson, Sweat role as Miranda in
Best featured actor in a musical
Winner: Gavin Creel, Hello, Dolly!
Also nominated: Mike Faist, Dear Evan Hansen; Andrew Rannells, Falsettos; Lucas Steele, Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812; Brandon Uranowitz, Falsettos
Best featured actress in a musical
Winner: Rachel Bay Jones, Dear Evan Hansen
Also nominated: Kate Baldwin, Hello, Dolly!; Stephanie J Block, Falsettos; Jenn Colella, Come From Away; Mary Beth Peil, Anastasia
Best scenic design of a play
Winner: The Play That Goes Wrong
Also nominated: The Front Page, Jitney; Oslo
Best scenic design of a musical
Winner: Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812
Also nominated: Groundhog Day; Hello, Dolly!; War Paint
Best costume design of a play
Winner: The Little Foxes
Also nominated: A Doll's House, Part 2; Jitney; Present Laughter
Best costume design of a musical
Winner: Hello, Dolly!
Also nominated: Anastasia; Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812; War Paint
Best lighting design from a play
Winner: Indecent
Also nominated: A Doll's House, Part 2; Jitney; Oslo
Best lighting design from a musical
Winner: Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812
Also nominated: Come From Away; Dear Evan Hansen; Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812
Best direction of a play
Winner: Rebecca Taichman, Indecent
Also nominated: Sam Gold, A Doll's House, Part 2; Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Jitney; Bartlett Sher, Oslo; Daniel Sullivan, The Little Foxes
Best direction of a musical
Winner: Christopher Ashley, Come From Away
Also nominated: Rachel Chavkin, Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812; Michael Greif, Dear Evan Hansen; Matthew Warchus, Groundhog Day; Jerry Zaks, Hello, Dolly!
Best choreography
Winner: Bandstand
Also nominated: Come and Away; Groundhog Day; Holiday Inn; Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812
Best orchestrations
Winner: Dear Evan Hansen
Also nominated: Bandstand; Hello, Dolly!; Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812
Special Tony Award for lifetime achievement in the theatre
James Earl Jones
Special Tony Award
Gareth Fry and Pete Malkin, sound designers for The Encounter
Regional Theatre Tony Award
Dallas Theater Center, Dallas
Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award
Baayork Lee
Tony Honours for excellence in the theatre
Nina Lannan; Alan Wasser
