Photo: Michael Arden | By Parade Magazine | Michael Arden gave one of the most rousing speeches of the night at the 2023 Tony Awards. Accepting the trophy for Best Director of a Musical for this season’s production of Parade, he used his time at the microphone to send a message to the LGBTQ community.
“Growing up, I was called the f-word more times than I can count,” he said. “But now, I’m a f—-t with a Tony.”
CBS, the network airing the event, bleeped Arden’s remarks, but it was clear from the audience’s electric response that his message — one of great pride and inspiration — was well received. Parade star Ben Platt and fiancé Noah Galvin were especially animated, jumping out of their seats to cheer.
Backstage, Arden repeated the crux of his speech.
Speaking directly to queer, trans and nonbinary youth, he said, “So keep making challenging art, keep loving each other, supporting each other, standing up for those who don’t have the strength or courage to do so, and … vote at every possible moment.”
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/2023-tonys-speech-got-whole-014525671.html
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Tony Awards 2023: See the Complete List of Winners
By Benjamin VanHoose, People
[Was so good to see Alex Newell win Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical for their role in Shucked. You may remember that Alex was introduced as a character named “Unique” in the critically acclaimed and loved tv series Glee!]
On Sunday, Ariana DeBose returned to host the 76th annual Tony Awards, a broadcast that was nearly canceled due to the ongoing WGA writers strike, though an agreement was reached to let the show go on.
Going into the awards ceremony, the musical Some Like It Hot led with the most nominations, 13 total. That was followed by Shucked, & Juliet and New York, New York with nine nominations each.
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Read on for a complete list of this year’s winners.
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/tony-awards-2023-see-complete-231829882.html
The Tony Awards aired live on CBS and Paramount+.
Photo: Michael Arden – Director
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The 2023 Tonys Speech That Got the Whole Audience on Its Feet
