The Ladies of Broadway: Presence On Stage, Missing Behind The Scenes

The 68th Annual Tony Awards were presented June 8 at Radio City Music Hall with Broadway and film favorite, Hugh Jackman as host. A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder won four Tony Awards including Best Musical, but the toast of this Tony season were the beloved ladies of Broadway!

However, there is irony in that statement. The Broadway industry is dominated mostly by the male perspective – not a single new Broadway play this season was written by a woman, and of the 47 book writers, composers and lyricists, only six of them were women. That makes for quite an odd season when not only do you have powerhouse female performances, but six of the Tony nominated men wore dresses during their performances. This includes Best Actor in a Musical winner Neil Patrick Harris, who played a transgender rock singer from Germany.

To that end, enthusiasm was met this year with the high quality of female performances. Probably most notable was Audra McDonald’s win for Best Actress in a Play for Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill. With six Tony Awards she has tied Julie Harris for the most awards by any individual, and she has set the record for the first person ever to win a Tony Award in each of the four acting categories! This accomplishment has yet to be matched by a male actor.

The night continued as Hugh Jackman dedicated a song to each of the female contenders this year (the five women nominated for Best Actress in a Play and Musical), furthering the significance of these women on stage. The truly remarkable Jessie Mueller won Best Actress in a Musical for her performance as Carole King in Beautiful the Musical, and she spoke on behalf of all the woman this season. Of her role and the woman in her category she said, “I’m proud to be up here representing the amazing woman that all the woman in the category represented this year. Because everyone is strong and vulnerable and complicated in the best way.”

If women behind the scenes could be represented throughout the industry in a presence as important as she mentions, the American theatre would become relevant, embracing diverse voices and multiple perspectives. It is a powerful message, and hopefully this will become more prevalent as these beloved “divas” continue to win over audiences hearts.