Tony Awards 2023: ‘Buckle up darlings!’ Host Ariana DeBose delivers opening monologue ‘live and unscripted’ as she shows solidarity with WGA amid strike

Ariana DeBose delivered a spirited unscripted monologue Sunday as she hosted the 76th annual Tony Awards at New York City’s United Palace Theater.

The Oscar-winning actress, 32, improvised her monologue amid the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike, making sure to pledge her support for the writers currently fighting the studios for better pay and residuals.

The Raleigh, North Carolina native in her monologue addressed the ongoing labor dispute which has been at the forefront of the entertainment industry the last six weeks.

‘Our siblings over at the WGA are currently on strike in pursuit of the fair deal. Now, yes. And how many of us know what that is?’ she said. ‘I’m sure for some of you at home you are thinking, okay, the Tony Awards? I’m going to tell you – thank for asking.’

DeBose went into detail about the strike, which impacted for the first time in 35 years the Tonys, in which the theater world gathers for an annual celebration of all things Broadway.

DeBose thanked WGA members for compromising with Tonys organizers not to picket the proceedings, creating an uncomfortable position for the entertainers and creatives involved with Sunday’s proceedings.

‘The award shows are traditionally written by members of the WGA,’ she said. ‘In order for us to go on, they had to find a compromise. For every single person that had a hand in finding that compromise, I say a full throated thank you!

‘So now you are asking, well, what’s the compromise? Well, we don’t have a script, you guys. Yeah. I’m live and unscripted. You’re welcome.’

The West Side Story actress said, ‘To anyone who may have thought last year was a bit unhinged, to them I say darlings, buckle up! 

‘But in all seriousness, yes,’ she said. ‘I’m unscripted, as will every presenter who comes on the stage tonight. We’re just making it up as we go along – that’s cool – it is a blessing to be here.

‘So what else does that mean? That also means no teleprompters. We have two monitors in the room. One over there and one over there … I’m glad you liked that one.’

DeBose encouraged winners to say their piece when accepting honors at Sunday’s ceremony.

‘Honeys, take your moment – tonight is about you,’ she said, calling the annual event ‘so special.’

The Oscar-winning actress improvised her monologue amid the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike, making sure to pledge her support for the writers currently fighting the studios for better pay and residuals

The Raleigh, North Carolina native in her monologue addressed the ongoing labor dispute which has been at the forefront of the entertainment industry the last six weeks 

The West Side Story actress said, ‘To anyone who may have thought last year was a bit unhinged, to them I say darlings, buckle up!’

DeBose went into detail about the strike – which impacted for the first time in 35 years the Tonys – in which the theater world gathers for an annual celebration of all things Broadway 

She continued, ‘Everyone here has worked very hard to make a show that not only honors those guidelines, but celebrating your contributions and your achievements this season.

‘I’m so proud. I’ve seen the work. It is incredibly varied. You should be so proud of everything that you’ve given to the Broadway season.’

The ceremony was aired on CBS in an unscripted format, and the union had agreed not to picket the event. 

Broadway icon Lin-Manuel Miranda had also dropped out as writer of the opening segment in solidarity with the WGA. 

Viewers were still set to be entertained with plenty of performances from a variety of Tony-nominated musicals on stage.

Audience members will be treated to performances from casts of Into the Woods, New York, New York, Shucked, Beautiful Noise, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and more.

It will also feature performances from the cast of the Lea Michele-led musical Funny Girl.  

DeBose explained to the crowd in the Big Apple how Sunday’s show would be different due to the unscripted nature 

DeBose said, ‘I’m unscripted, as will every presenter who comes on the stage tonight. We’re just making it up as we go along – that’s cool – it is a blessing to be here’

DeBose thanked WGA members for compromising with Tonys organizers not to picket the proceedings, creating an uncomfortable position for the entertainers and creatives involved with Sunday’s proceedings

As far as nominations, Some Like It Hot, the musical adaptation of the Marilyn Monroe film, is up for the most Tonys with a whooping 13 nominations.

It will be battling it out for Best Musical against & Juliet, Kimberly Akimbo, New York, New York, and Shucked.

Nominations for Best Play consist of Ain’t No Mo’, Between Riverside and Crazy, Cost of Living, Fat Ham, Leopoldstadt.

In a statement, Jack Sussman, executive vice president of specials, music, live events and alternative programming at CBS, said of the show: ‘CBS has been home to the Tony Awards for more than 40 years.

‘We are proud to once again celebrate the best of theater this season, and continue our support for Broadway, the broader theater community and all the incredible artistic talents both on stage and behind the scenes who bring the shows to life.’

‘This year’s Tony Award nominees are a reflection of a tremendous year of Broadway,’ Charlotte St. Martin, president of The Broadway League and Heather Hitchens, president and CEO of the American Theatre Wing, said in a statement. 

‘The show will feature performances by Broadway’s brightest lights – from breakthrough performers to industry icons – in recognition of the momentous productions wowing audiences worldwide.’ 

The Tony Awards marks the latest product impacted by the ongoing walkout. 

Drew Barrymore dropped out of hosting the MTV Movie & Television Awards last month in solidarity with the writers, and the event moved forward in stripped down, pre-recorded fashion. 

Film and television writers are on strike over complaints that studios have underpaid them for years, particularly when it comes to streaming programs that offer almost no residuals over time. 

They are also fighting back against studios’ attempts to shrink writers’ rooms, to shorten the number of episodes of television seasons and to leave open the possibility of replacing human writers with so-called ‘AI’ programs.

TONY AWARD WINNERS 2023

Best Musical

& Juliet

Kimberly Akimbo — WINNER

New York, New York

Shucked

Some Like It Hot

 

Some Like It Hot

Best Play

Ain’t No Mo’

Between Riverside and Crazy

Cost of Living

Fat Ham

Leopoldstadt — WINNER

 

Best Musical Revival

Bob Fosse’s Dancin’

Camelot

Into The Woods

Parade — WINNER

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street

 

Best Revival of a Play

 A Doll’s House

The Piano Lesson

The Sign In Sidney Brustein’s Window

Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog — WINNER

 

Best Leading Actress of a Musical

Annaleigh Ashford — Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street

Sara Bareilles — Into The Woods

Victoria Clark — Kimberly Akimbo — WINNER

Lorna Courtney — & Juliet

Micaela Diamond — Parade

 

Jessica Chastain, A Doll’s House

Best Leading Actress of a Play

Jessica Chastain — A Doll’s House

Jodie Comer — Prima Facie — WINNER

Jessica Hecht — Summer, 1976

Audra McDonald — Ohio State Murders

 

Best Leading Actor of a Musical

Christian Borle — Some Like It Hot

J. Harrison Ghee — Some Like It Hot — WINNER

Josh Groban — Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street

Brian D’Arcy James — Into The Woods

Ben Platt at the Met Gala 2023

Ben Platt — Parade

Colton Ryan — New York, New York

 

Best Leading Actor of a Play

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II — Topdog/Underdog

Corey Hawkins — Topdog/Underdog

Sean Hayes — Good Night, Oscar — WINNER

Stephen McKinley Henderson — Between Riverside and Crazy

Wendell Pierce — Death of a Salesman

 Best Book of a Musical

 & Juliet — David West Read

Kimberly Akimbo — David Lindsay-Abaire — WINNER

New York, New York — David Thompson & Sharon Washington

Shucked — Robert Horn

Some Like It Hot — Matthew López & Amber Ruffin 

 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play

Jordan E. Cooper — Ain’t No Mo’

Samuel L. Jackson — August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson

Arian Moayed — A Doll’s House

Brandon Uranowitz — Leopoldstadt — WINNER

David Zayas — Cost Of Living 

 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical 

Kevin Del Aguila — Some Like It Hot

 Kevin Cahoon — Shucked

Justin Cooley — Kimberly Akimbo

Jordan Donica — Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot

Alex Newell — Shucked — WINNER

 

Best Scenic Design of a Play 

Tim Hatley & Andrzej Goulding — Life Of Pi — WINNERS

Miriam Buether — Prima Facie

Rachel Hauck — Good Night, Oscar

Richard Hudson — Leopoldstadt

Dane Laffrey & Lucy Mackinnon — A Christmas Carol 

 

Best Costume Design of a Play

Brigitte Reiffenstuel — Leopoldstadt — WINNER

Tim Hatley, Nick Barnes & Finn Caldwell — Life Of Pi

Dominique Fawn Hill — Fat Ham

Emilio Sosa — Ain’t No Mo’

Emilio Sosa — Good Night, Oscar

 

Best Lighting Design of a Play 

Neil Austin — Leopoldstadt

Natasha Chivers — Prima Facie

Jon Clark — Jon Clark

Bradley King — Fat Ham

Tim Lutkin — Life Of Pi — WINNER

Jen Schriever — Arthur Miller’s Death Of A Salesman

Ben Stanton — A Christmas Carol 

 

Best Direction of a Play

Saheem Ali — Fat Ham

Jo Bonney — Cost Of Living

Jamie Lloyd — A Doll’s House

Patrick Marber — Leopoldstadt — WINNER

Stevie Walker-Webb — Ain’t No Mo’ 

Max Webster — Life Of Pi 

 

Best Sound Design of a Play

Carolyn Downing — Life Of Pi — WINNER

Joshua D. Reid — A Christmas Carol

Ben & Max Ringham — A Doll’s House

Ben & Max Ringham — Prima Facie

Jonathan Deans & Taylor Williams — Ain’t No Mo’ 

 

Best Choreography

Casey Nicholaw — Some Like It Hot — WINNER

Steven Hoggett — Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street

Susan Stroman — New York, New York

Jennifer Weber — & Juliet

Jennifer Weber — KPOP 

 

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre 

Joel Grey

John Kander 

 

Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre

Victoria Bailey

Lisa Dawn Cave

Robert Fried 

Best Original Score (music and/or lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Kimberly Akimbo — David Lindsay-Abaire/Jeanine Tesori — WINNER

Almost Famous — Tom Kitt/Cameron Crowe & Tom Kitt

KPOP — Helen Park & Max Vernon

Shucked — Brandy Clark & Shane McAnally

Some Like It Hot — Marc Shaiman/Scott Wittman & Marc Shaiman

 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play 

Nikki Crawford — Fat Ham

Crystal Lucas-Perry — Ain’t No Mo’

Miriam Silverman — The Sign In Sidney Brustein’s Window — WINNER

Katy Sullivan — Cost Of Living

Kara Young — Cost Of Living 

 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical 

Julia Lester — Into The Woods

Ruthie Ann Miles — Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street

Bonnie Milligan — Kimberly Akimbo — WINNER

NaTasha Yvette Williams — Some Like It Hot

Betsy Wolfe — & Juliet 

 

Best Scenic Design of a Musical 

Beowulf Boritt — New York, New York — WINNER

Mimi Lien — Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street

Scott Pask — Shucked

Scott Pask — Some Like It Hot

Michael Yeargan & 59 Productions — Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot

 

Best Costume Design of a Musical

Gregg Barnes — Some Like It Hot — WINNER

Clint Ramos & Sophia Choi — KPOP

Susan Hilferty — Parade

Jennifer Moeller — Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot

Paloma Young — & Juliet 

 

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

Ken Billington — New York, New York

Lap Chi Chu — Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot

Heather Gilbert — Parade

Howard Hudson — & Juliet

Natasha Katz — Some Like It Hot

Natasha Katz — Sweeney Todd: THe Demon Barber Of Fleet Street — WINNER

 

Best Direction of a Musical

Michael Arden — Parade — WINNER

Lear deBessonet — Into The Woods

Casey Nicholaw — Some Like It Hot

Jack O’Brien — Shucked

Jessica Stone — Kimberly Akimbo

 

Best Sound Design of a Musical

Kai Harada — New York, New York

Scott Lehrer & Alex Neumann — Into The Woods 

Gareth Owen — & Juliet

John Shivers — Shucked

Nevin Steinberg — Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street — WINNER

 

Best Orchestrations

Charlie Rosen & Bryan Carter — Some Like It Hot — WINNERS

John Clancy — Kimberly Akimbo

Daryl Waters & Sam Davis — New York, New York

Bill Sherman & Dominic Fallacaro — & Juliet

Jason Howland — Shucked 

 

Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award

Jerry Mitchell 

 

Regional Theatre Tony Award

Pasadena Playhouse