Tony Awards 2004

Keep it gay!

Broadway had a gay old time at the 2004 Tony Awards. And camping it up with the best of them was that paragon of Australian hunkiness, Hugh Jackman, who stole the show as both host and award winner.

Jackman scored the Tony for best actor in a musical for his role in The Boy from Oz, the glitzy musical about Australian icon and proud gay man, Peter Allen. To make the moment even more delicious, he accepted it from Australia’s favourite acting daughter, Nicole Kidman. The Boy from Oz was the first Australian musical to even make it to Broadway, and Jackman’s award must give great heart to the local industry. As they say, if you can make it there…

Jackman’s consummate MC’s performance and his slipping effortlessly into character for an energetic performance during the ceremony won over the notoriously tough New York crowd. His on stage dalliance with Sarah Jessica Parker will surely be remembered for years to come.

Sadly, Jackman’s success couldn’t propel the show itself to an award, with The Boy from Oz being pipped by Avenue Q for best musical. That show however has been receiving plaudits from the day it opened. It’s a daring blend of live actors and puppets (more like Muppets actually) dealing with the hard issues of life on the Brooklyn street that gives the show its title. While not strictly a gay themed production, it does deal with some very adult concepts. Avenue Q also took out the awards for best original score and best book of a musical.

Apart from those two, the main competition in the musicals categories came from Wicked, a “prequel” if you will to The Wizard of Oz; and Tony Kushner’s (Angels in America) new work Caroline, or Change. While both missed out on the main awards, they were rewarded for their acting, with Idina Menzel taking out best actress in a musical for her part in Wicked; and Aniki Noni Rose winning the nod for featured actress in a musical for Caroline, or Change. Michael Cerveris took out featured actor in a musical for his role in the Roundabout Theatre Company’s revival of Assassins.

In the play categories, the gay theme continued with the award for best play going to I Am My Own Wife by Doug Wright. The win was significant as the play also won the Pulitzer Prize for drama, making it the first play since David Auburn’s Proof in 2001 to win the Pulitzer/Tony double. Last year’s Pulitzer winner Anna in the Tropics was nominated, but lost out.

I Am My Own Wife is a one-person show about the life of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf. Openly gay and defiantly transvestite, von Mahlsdorf survived oppressive regimes in both Nazi Germany and Communist East Germany to become a powerful symbol of gay pride. Jefferson Mays won the award for best actor in a play for his portrayal of von Mahlsdorf in I Am My Own Wife.

Phylicia Rashad (probably best known here as the mother on The Cosby Show) took out best leading actress in a play for her performance in the revival of A Raisin in the Sun (the play which also marked to stage debut of rapper and ex-J. Lo accessory P. Diddy). Irish actor Brían F. O’Byrne won the award for featured actor in a play for Frozen; while Audra Phillips was awarded best featured actress in a play, also for A Raisin in the Sun.

In the directing area, the Tonys went to revivals. Jack O’Brien took out best direction of a play for the revival of Henry IV, although no doubt having a cast featuring Kevin Kline, Ethan Hawke and Audra Phillips would have aided his cause. O’Brien beat out Moises Kaufman (The Laramie Project), who was nominated for I Am My Own Wife. Best direction of a musical went to Joe Mantello for Assassins, edging out the fancied Kathleen Marshall for Wonderful Town and Jason Moore for Avenue Q.

From here on the other side of the Pacific, theatre directors and audiences will undoubtedly be salivating at some of the offerings from the 2004 Tonys. I suspect it will be a long time before we see something like Avenue Q here, but I Am My Own Wife will almost certainly be on the shopping lists of companies here. Now maybe if we could convince Hugh to take on that role…

David Edwards

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