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PEOPLE & ARTS Tuesday 12 June 2018
A theme of tolerance, inclusion at this year's Tony Awards

By JOCELYN NOVECK tion in Washington, winners
Associated Press did not overtly attack Presi-
NEW YORK (AP) — A small- dent Donald Trump. Then
scale, intimate musical came Robert De Niro, who
about hard-won cultural arrived to present the most
understanding was an al- anticipated moment of the
together apt Tony winner night — a performance by
on a night where tolerance Bruce Springsteen — and
and inclusion were con- began by launching an
stant themes. expletive at the president,
"The Band's Visit," about an pumping his arms for em-
Egyptian police band that phasis. And then he did it
gets stranded in a remote again. Many in the audi-
Israeli desert town, forcing ence stood and cheered,
both sides to get to know while TV censors quickly
each other, triumphed over bleeped out the offending
much flashier shows to win words.
best musical Sunday night "That was the best part of
— and a total of 10 awards. the whole evening!" com-
The closest runner-up, with mented actor John Le-
six, was the blockbuster guizamo later that night at
London import "Harry Pot- the Plaza Hotel after-par-
ter and the Cursed Child," ty. "I jumped to my feet."
which won best play. Cast and crew of "The Band's Visit" pose in the press room with the award for best musical at the He added that "the Tonys
One by one, the winners 72nd annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 10, 2018, in New York. have never been this po-
of "The Band's Visit" refer- Associated Press litical." Leguizamo himself,
enced the show's themes accepting a special Tony,
of acceptance and find- The show also won awards gun control — many social dramatic role — for play- brought up the fate of im-
ing a common human- for its luminous lead ac- issues came up, explicitly ing Roy Cohn in "Angels in migrant children in deten-
ity. Tony Shalhoub, named tress, Katrina Lenk, and its or implicitly, during the cer- America." Glenda Jack- tion centers and the deaths
best actor in a musical, director, book and score, emony, which was hosted son, 82, won best actress of thousands of Puerto Ri-
spoke of his father's arrival among others. Producer with a light (and musical) in a play for her fiery por- cans in Hurricane Maria. He
at Ellis Island from Leba- Orin Wolf said the mes- touch by Sara Bareilles and trayal of an elderly woman also declared, "I'm an immi-
non in 1920. "May we, their sage was one of unity, in a Josh Groban. The night's in "Three Tall Women," and grant, and I'm not an ani-
descendants, never lose world that "more and more first big winner, Andrew her co-star, Laurie Metcalf, mal" — referring to Trump's
sight of what they taught seems bent on amplifying Garfield, best actor in a won featured actress. recent remarks that some
us," he said. Ari'el Stachel, our differences." Composer play for "Angels in Ameri- While there was clearly an people living in a country il-
who won for best featured David Yazbek, speaking ca," earned hearty cheers undercurrent of resistance legally or without legal per-
actor, praised the show for later at the Tony after-par- when he declared, "Let's to the current administra- mission are "animals."q
"telling a small story about ty, said the show had spe- just bake a cake for every-
Arabs and Israelis getting cial resonance amid "the one who wants a cake to
along, at a time that we climate of divisiveness that be baked." He was refer-
need that more than ever." we're seeing." The show ring to last week's Supreme
Addressing his parents in isn't just about Jews and Ar- Court decision in favor of
the audience, Stachel, abs, he said, "It's about any a Colorado baker who re-
whose father was born in Is- tribes that have figured out fused to bake a wedding
rael, confessed that "for so reasons to be at odds with cake for a same-sex cou-
many years of my life I pre- each other." ple because of religious
tended I was not a Middle The Middle East conflict, objections.
Eastern person." immigration, LGBT equality, Garfield dedicated the
award, his first Tony, to the
LGBTQ community, for a
"spirit that says no to op-
pression. It is a spirit that
says no to bigotry, no to
shame, no to exclusion. It is
a spirit that says we are all
made perfectly."
Lindsay Mendez of "Carou-
sel," named best featured
actress in a musical, tear-
fully recalled that early in
her career, "I was told to
change my last name from
'Mendez' to 'Matthews,' or
I wouldn't work." She went
on to say: "To all of you art-
ists out there, just be your
Lucas Leguizamo, from left, Allegra Leguizamo, Justine Maurer true self and the world will Co-hosts Sara Bareilles, left, and Josh Groban dress as each
and John Leguizamo arrive at the 72nd annual Tony Awards at take note." In other acting other at the 72nd annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 10, 2018, in New York. awards, Nathan Lane won on Sunday, June 10, 2018, in New York.
Associated Press his third Tony — his first in a Associated Press