< /p> The theater drama Leopoldstadt (pictured with its protagonists), written by British author of Czech origin Tom Stoppard (center), won the American Tony Award for Best Play. The game also received awards in three other categories. 11 Jun 2023.
New York – The theater drama Leopoldstadt, written by the British author of Czech origin Tom Stoppard, received the American Tony Award for the best play. The game also received awards in three other categories. The award was given on the night of today, writes the AP agency. The play, named after a district in Vienna, focuses on the fate of a wealthy Jewish family in the first half of the last century. This year, for the first time, Best Actor awards went to performers who identify as non-binary, meaning they don't identify as male or female.
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According to The New York Times, Stoppard's play begins in the living room of an assimilated Jewish family in Vienna in 1899 and ends in 1955, when most of the family members have perished. In the play, Stoppard addresses his Jewish roots, anti-Semitism and the tragedy of the Holocaust. The play, which premiered in London in 2020, has been playing on Broadway since last fall. According to the newspaper, the work was among the favorites of this year's Tony Awards.
According to The New York Times, Stoppard is one of the greatest living playwrights. He won the Tony Award for Best Play five times. During the ceremony, the playwright recalled that he received the award for the first time in 1968. He pointed out that playwriting is losing value in the theatrical “food chain”.
“Thank you Tom Stoppard for writing a play about Jewish identity, anti-Semitism and the false promise of assimilation,” said actor Brandon Uranowitz, who also won a Tony Award for his role in the play. Leopoldstadt also received awards for best direction and best costumes in the theater category.
Anti-Semitism was one of the main themes of this year's Tony Awards, writes The New York Times. The musical Parade, which is dedicated to the fate of Jewish industrialist Leo Frank, also received two awards. He was convicted in the USA at the beginning of the 20th century for the murder of one of his employees. Because his death sentence was commuted to life in prison, he was kidnapped and killed by a group of gunmen. Today, the consensus is that Frank did not commit the murder.
The award for best musical went to Kimberly Akimbo's play about a teenage girl who ages prematurely due to a genetic disease.
Best acting awards were won for the first time taken for roles in musicals by performers who identify as non-binary. J. Harrison Ghee received the award for his role in the musical adaptation of the film Somebody Likes It Hot, and Alex Newell for his role in the musical Shucked. “Thank you for humanity,” he said while accepting the Ghee Award.
A number of honorees and attendees of the gala evening expressed their support for striking writers in Hollywood and the film industry during the performance.
