‘The Book of Mormon’ Triumphs at the Tony Awards
The Book of Mormon, the irreverent and hilarious Broadway debut of South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, won nine awards at last night’s Tonys, including Best Musical, Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical. The show, which was nominated for a total of 14 awards, also won for sound, lighting, direction, orchestration, set design and actress in a featured role.
War Horse, a drama about an English boy and his horse in World War I featuring innovative use of puppetry, won for Best Play. The show, which will soon be adapted for film by Steven Spielberg, also won for direction, set design, lighting and sound in the play categories.
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Other major winners last night included John Larroquette taking home the prize for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical for his Broadway debut in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Ellen Barkin winning Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play for The Normal Heart and Frances McDormand getting Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play for Good People.
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The show also featured several memorable performances.
In this amusing bit, host Neil Patrick Harris and three-time Tony host Hugh Jackman compete against one another to prove who is the better host and all-around entertainer.
In this clip, Harris joins Stephen Colbert, Christina Hendricks, Jon Cryer and Patti LuPone for a rendition of “Side by Side” from Stephen Sondheim’s Company, which the group had performed together for four nights at the New York Philharmonic in April.
Reeve Carney and Jennifer Damiano showcased the softer side of Bono and the Edge’s Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark by singing “If the World Should End,” a tender ballad that echoes the romantic melancholy of the U2 song “If You Wear That Velvet Dress.”
Andrew Rannells, the star of The Book of Mormon, performed the show highlight “I Believe,” a show stopping ballad in which every punchline is an actual obscure belief of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Neil Patrick Harris closed out the show with this impressive, tongue-twisting rap recapping all of the night’s events in under two minutes.
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