5 lessons from the 2018 Tony Awards
The annual awards show offered theatre fans and communicators a look at performance styles that resonate with audiences—and spectacles that transport distant viewers.
This year’s Tony Awards weren’t an overly flashy affair.
Hosts Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban moved the night along with music and crisp dialogue. Some honorees quipped about politics but addressed human concerns instead of partisan party lines.
Then Robert De Niro got on the mic. The veteran actor, known for his work on the silver screen, dropped some expletives on President Donald Trump.
However, most of the night’s speeches were lessons in subtlety, as honorees took sideswipes and used oblique references to make their political points.
Here are five moments that made an impact:
1. Andrew Garfield’s passionate acceptance speech
Garfield won his award for his performance in “Angels in America,” the Tony Kushner play about the LGBTQ community and the AIDS epidemic of the 80s and 90s. Garfield spoke movingly about the human spirit, saying all humans are created perfectly, and he honored the warriors who fought and died for LGBTQ rights.
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