The just-ended Broadway season, its first since the pandemic shut down, will be remembered for a variety of reasons – the persistence of Covid, the death of Stephen Sondheim, shrinking travel, and the inevitable lack of people follow. It’s a season for new reviews: about song and storytelling and shared experiences, about a beloved art form and a recovering industry. And it’s been an exceptionally high-volume season by Black artists, catalyzed by the 2020 social unrest. The 2022 Tony Awards, which take place on June 12, offer the opportunity to honoring some of Broadway’s finest productions; Prior to that event, we photographed and interviewed many of the performers, and several writers, directors and choreographers, nominated for the award. Below are portraits and edited excerpts from the interviews.
“MACBETH”
Ruth Negga
“I’ve always wanted to be an actress, ever since I was a real kid. I just love stories of any kind. And for me, there’s a completely different point: There’s a performer side, the peacock – something that’s lovely to look at, and at the same time I’m pretty shy in my normal life, so that’s an interesting dichotomy. – Ruth Negga
“POTUS”
Rachel Dragch and Julie White
“People really, really want to laugh. Laughter is like exaggerated jokes. Maybe it’s the pandemic flavor. Obviously I’ve done a lot of comedies, but this one you can feel the audience’s admiration. I think it’s because people have been closed for so long.” – Rachel Dratch
“All the ladies shows – we’re all keeping our clothes on. Those are the boys who are taking them away. I feel it is a step in the right direction.” – Julie White
“LET ME OUT”
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jesse Williams and Michael Oberholtzer
“When I was 5 years old, I decided I would be an actor, a baker or a zookeeper. My dad reminded me that zookeepers would have to pick up a lot of poop, and so I narrowed it down to the baker and the actor, and acting seemed more fun. So it was a very early decision, and I’m glad it worked out. – Jesse Tyler Ferguson
“I’m exploring every day. It’s really liberating. It’s extremely stressful. And that’s a lot of pressure.” – Jesse Williams
“This is something I never really thought about, and it was all I ever thought about at once. Not so much about the Tonys, but being in a position to have the opportunity to be in a play, in a work that is seen by everyone, that excites people, that’s what has been said. – Michael Oberholtzer
“I would become a ski instructor at a time if the acting didn’t work out. Came back after getting that degree, and then I was in a movie. ” – Alfie Allen
“Paradise Square”
Joaquina Kalukango, AJ Shively and Sidney DuPont
“There is hope in the community. There is hope in love. There is hope for this country. And I think the more we see the same things inside of us, the less we see the difference. ” – Joaquina Kalukango
“There are 40 of us in this cast. To be able to sing in such a large group that has not been safe for so long, it feels great. That first rehearsal when we all sang together, we all just cried.” – AJ Shively
“I hope that when I am in this space and by what I am doing, I can inspire young black men and boys and inspire young deaf people. believe they can do it – that nothing, nothing at all can stand in your way as long as you push for it. ” – Sidney DuPont
“Dana h.”
Deirdre O’Connell
“Because everything has come to a complete halt, it feels like there’s a real openness to the way people get to the theater.” – Deirdre O’Connell
“funny girl”
Jared Grimes
“I started dancing on the subway. We will form the board, and we will just dance. ” – Jared Grimes
“To experience any of Steve’s work is to realize the potential of a human being. He’s complex, deeply human, nuanced and daring. He dared to write about every aspect of the human condition with a beating heart.” – Patti LuPone, on Sondheim
“Thank God Stephen really came to the first preview. It’s like a rock concert. He loved it, and he laughed from head to toe. ” – Jennifer Simard
“The first preview back was epic and overwhelming. And to have Stephen Sondheim sit there with us, it was a night that I will never forget.” – Matt Doyle
“Music Man”
Hugh Jackman, Sutton Foster and Jayne Houdyshell
“I was bored with myself. I think that’s why I like acting. With acting, you have complete freedom to do anything. ” – Hugh Jackman
“The pandemic is crazy. I remember when the theater closed and suddenly you realized, ‘Wait a minute, what I do for a living doesn’t exist right now.’ I don’t think anyone planned that.” – Sutton Foster
“It feels like a great privilege to be part of the group of people that have come together to get Broadway reopened and do it as safely as possible.” – Jayne Houdyshell
“For Black Girls Who Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Appears”
Camille A. Brown and Kenita R. Miller
“I didn’t grow up in the Internet age, so we would go to the library and get videos of our favorite musicals and we would watch them over and over again and dance pieces, and I would learn they.” – Camille A. Brown (nominated as director and choreographer)
“I understand this sister tribe has shown me what it really means to be a sister.” – Kenita R. Miller
“How I Learned to Drive”
Mary-Louise Parker, Paula Vogel and David Morse
“I don’t think the play will ever be produced. I don’t think I’ll find actors who can do that. I thought I would be judged and condemned for writing it. I realized I shouldn’t be afraid to tell the truth.” – Paula Vogel (nominated as playwright)
“We now live in a world where the judgment of others comes quickly and it is very severe. And what Paula wrote, it doesn’t let you do that. It is only open to you. ” – David Morse
“We all have darkness. We all have things that need to be forgiven. And I think that’s important to keep in mind. ” – Mary-Louise Parker
“I am a writer because I have questions, and I have things that scare me, and the only way I can overcome my fears is to face them directly.” – Michael R. Jackson (nominated as writer and score)
“I grew up watching musicals. I was obsessed with them. Movie ‘Dreamgirls’: As soon as I saw Jennifer Hudson singing, I thought ‘I want to do that!’ – Jaquel Spivey
“In many ways, it felt like the world had turned upside down for me to begin to find some sense of visibility.” – L Morgan Lee
“When I first moved to this city, and I was going to audition, I would hear things like, ‘Oh, your pearls are falling out of your mouth,’ or ‘You’re not thug enough. So, to be able to be on a show where I can be as weird and flamboyant, as gay and as big as I can be, and that’s not only necessary but also celebrated, it’s amazing. ” – John-Andrew Morrison
“Mr. Saturday Night”
Billy Crystal and the Shoshana Bean
“People are starving for fun, and you look out and they’re all wearing masks, but they’re laughing as hard as they can and we’re getting the same energy we’re going to have. The important thing is that everyone is entertained and that we get a little bit of a sense of normalcy. This performance has been very healing for all of us in so many different ways. ” – Billy Crystal
“The first night that we met the audience and heard laughter: It was a drug. It’s crazy.” – Shoshana Đậu Bean
“There is a lot of anxiety, and a lot of second guessing. I’m not sure if one showed up or not. But one of the things I discovered is that people need theaters just as badly as we need people to need theatres. Humans need to do what’s innate in us, and those are social creatures and share experiences with each other. ” – Ruben Santiago-Hudson
“MJ”
Myles Frost and Christopher Wheeldon
“What I cherish most is being here – a journey I went through even before I stepped on stage for the first time, and learned about myself, learned more about Michael, met my co-stars for the first time. . It’s the little moments like that that stick with me the most. ” – Myles Frost
“The past few months have been filled with ups and downs and a lot of fear, just about whether we can really get up and get going, keeping our cast on stage, engage our audience. I’ve learned a lot about my ability to deal with my fears as an artist, and as the rest of the world, as a human being, and really to find out. What are the best ways I can turn that fear into some positive and creative energy. . ” – Christopher Wheeldon (nominated as director and choreographer)
“Clyde’s”
Uzo Aduba and Kara Young
“It is exciting to be a part of what people are craving, which is community. Theater has always been seen as something more than mere entertainment, but at this point, even more so in the past, it is like a healing. Some days, when the curtain will be lifted, I’m not even sure they’ll appreciate the show. One layer of this feels like it’s for another need.” – Uzo Aduba
“I have to admit that I am really excited to work. And because these are dealt cards, I really embrace this moment with all of myself.” – Kara Young
“Clyde’s” and “MJ”
Lynn Nottage
“I feel very proud to be part of a season where we have more representation of Black writers than in history, perhaps, the whole of Broadway.” – Lynn Nottage (nominated as playwright for “Clyde’s” and book writer for “MJ”)
“Skeletal screw”
Phylcia Rashad
“The theater is always bumpy. That is nothing new. But it’s nice to be back in the cinema.” – Phylicia Rashad
“It came back in such a big, big way. And we closed two years ago. I think that’s why it’s really exciting.” – Sam Rockwell (shown with Neil Pepe, nominated director)
“Trouble in mind”
LaChanze and Chuck Cooper
“We need more stories that reflect the diversity of our community, not just generic stories.” – LaChance
“I just hope that the people who have come to our little theater and are able to continue the journey with us, I hope that they leave the theater touched and thinking and curious.” – Chuck Cooper
“The girl from the northern country”
Mare Winham
“I’ve learned that it’s really good to get into a role.” – Mare Winham
“When I was 15 years old, I watched a community-produced play ‘Sweeney Todd’ that changed me, and by that, I mean my DNA. I went to that theater as one person, and I left that theater as another. It was a magic trick that I didn’t know existed. And then I found out that I could give that magic trick to others. And that’s why I took action.” – Rob McClure
“The SKIN OF OUR TEELS”
Lileana Blain-Cruz and Gabby Beans
“When a theater production is good – and I feel like everyone is fighting and getting there – you walk out of the theater feeling more alive. And for me, grappling with what it means to live is the age-old question. ”—Lileana Blain-Cruz (nominated for director)
“This character is completely free. She has no boundaries or sense of self. So I feel like living in that energy has made me open as a person. ” – Gabby beans
“Minute”
Tracy Letts
“I have never felt closer to my fellow theater artists. This is not a contest for me, these Tony Awards. It’s like a celebration – getting back to our art form. ” – Tracy Letts (nominated as playwright)
