Tony Awards Host Ariana DeBose Hails Broadway Diversity In High-Energy Show Opening: “‘The Great White Way’ Is Becoming More Of A Nickname Than A How-To Guide”
deadline.comDazzling in a bright white topcoat and pants, Tony Awards host Ariana DeBose trumpeted progress on Broadway in a high-energy opening number and monologue. (See video clip below.)The West Side Story Oscar winner rattled off a number of “firsts” for this year’s Tonys, which feature a field with a large number of Black and LGBTQ+ nominees.
A Strange Loop‘s L. Morgan Lee is the first openly trans Tony-nominated performer and Toby Marlow (composer of Six) and Montana Levi Blanco (costume designer for The Skin of Our Teeth) became the first non-cisgender Tony winners.
Plus, James Earl Jones and Lena Horne are having Broadway theaters named for them.75th Annual Tony Awards: Deadline’s Full CoverageSumming up, DeBose declared, “‘The Great White Way’ is becoming more of a nickname as opposed to a how-to guide.”The host also hailed Broadway’s ability to navigate the coronavirus pandemic, describing the period as a “roller coaster, with starts, stops, twists and turns, companies being reunited after nearly two years apart.”The opening musical number blended motifs, lines and references to a number of shows from Broadway’s roster of all-time favorites, among them Evita, The Wiz, Chicago, Rent, DreamGirls and even The Sound of Music.
It also wove in a few bars from “Somewhere,” the signature number from West Side Story.Contrasting with DeBose’s beacon-of-white attire, an ensemble of dancers clad all in black surrounded her, at times hoisting her above their heads.
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