Recap the 2022 Tony Awards Acceptance Speeches

The 75th Annual Tony Awards have officially begun! As winners take the stage this evening, stay tuned to BroadwayWorld as we bring you full text of all of the acceptance speeches; from the emotional to the humorous, and everything in between.

Also make sure to stick with BroadwayWorld throughout the night, and into the morning, for all of the best videos, pictures, interviews, and commentary from theatre's biggest night!

---

Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss, Six
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Toby: Thank you so much to our amazing queens and ladies in waiting here on Broadway. Thank you so much to our amazing creative team and associates. A special shout out to Joe and Jamie who have been with us from the very beginning of the show, to Tom, our orchestrator, and Julia, and our amazing music team here in the US.

Lucy: Thank you so much for making our dreams come true. Thank you to everybody who worked on the show from London to North America to Australia.

Toby: Thank you so much to our families. Our supportive parents and siblings, my grandparents, and Lucy's mum who is here this evening. We also want to say thank you to everyone who's ever been a queen, and special shout out to our student pals who originated the roles, we wouldnt be here if it wasn't for you.

Lucy: We wrote these songs because we wanted to give a funny voice to women and nonbinary people who are our friends, and it's just so exciting to recognize them.

Montana Levi Blanco, The Skin of Our Teeth

Best Costume Design of a Play

First and foremost, I am so honored to be nominated with my teacher, the legendary Jane Greenwood. Sarafina, who assisted me when I first came to New York and taught me so much about how to do this. I love you. Jan and Emilio who have always been so kind and showed me so much community. I dedicate this to my mother and grandmother. Two Mexican American single mothers, they are the reason I am here. Lileana Blain-Cruz, thank you for your light and your vision. To my design family, I hope we can tell stories for many years. The cast of the skin of our teeth. To my incredible team Jessica Hahn, Cookie, Kirk, Patrick, and everyone at Lincoln Center. To my Strange Loop family. Isaiah, Mica, Jessie, all the makers and artisans, My agent Russ and to my partner Zach, Thank you.

Gabriella Slade, SIX: The Musical

Best Costume Design of a Musical

I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to some of those who have been so integral to my journey with bringing Six to Broadway. All the producers, the creative team, the backstage team and the queens. Thank you to Toby and Lucy for giving me the job. To my associate team of Lisa and Amanda, to Justin, who has been by my side since the very beginning over four years ago, your collaboration and friendship has been so vital. To John-Paul Christiensen and the makers in the US, the UK and Australia who continuously work so hard to create the costumes so beautifully. I have the best team and I could not done it without them so I would like to dedicate this award to them. But I can't finish without also thanking my agent and my friends and family for being my life and career rocks and my biggest support.

Es Devlin, The Lehman Trilogy

Best Scenic Design of a Play

Presenter: Well Es Devlin could not be here tonight and I am thrilled to accept her Tony on her behalf.

Bunny Christie, Company

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Thank you. I can't tell you how thrilled I am to be back in New York it's been a crazy couple of years. We have an incredible team working on Company. Designers work with massive teams of people, and they all keep the show as shiny and bright as it is. Thank you to Ben, Ann, Martin, Verity, Igor, Tim, the incredible cast and crew that we have. I am in awe of what they do every night. They are extraordinary. To my creative collaborators, Liam, Neil, Ian, Joe, Chris Harper who pays my wages, and of course, Marianne Elliot. Marianne who always goes for the bravest idea, thank you so much.

Jon Clark, The Lehman Trilogy

Best Lighting Design of a Play

It's an extraordinary pleasure and privilege to light the Lemond Trilogy here on Broadway and it's a real honor to be standing here in the Radio City Music Hall. I'd like to thank the brilliance and the conceptual clarity of Sam Mendes, Ben Power, Es Devlin for her audacious set design. Luke Halls for his immaculate crafted video design. Producers Rufus and Lisa at ENT, Caro Newling, Kash Bennett, John and Sue at Wagner Johnson.Yep, they're great. Aurora Productions and Jim Lever, our irrepressible British production manager and a cracked Broadway lighting team. My associates Rob Casey and Gina Scherr. Programmers, Grant Wilcox and Kevin Wilson, our electricians Dan Cohen, and Ronnie and the whole needle and lighting crew. And all the technical staff, our stage management, David, everybody on the show. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't the original lighting team at the National Theatre led by Laurie Clayton. I'd like to say hello to my family back home. Gail, Alice, Martha and Noah, and thanks very much.

Natasha Katz, MJ

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

Thank you so much for this. Thank you to the American Theatre Wing and the Broadway League. This is really quite and honor and after these last couple of years of being in isolation, it is such a gift to be back watching Broadway shows and going to see theatre again. The love of the audiences has been overwhelming. I have cherished every moment of working and of watching the shows of every other artist this year. Chris Wheeldon you are amazing. Your artistry is incredible, I saw you make magic every day. And the other designers on the show, you are a master class in collaboration. And we were led by our unwavering producer. You've been an incredible inspiration. I wouldn't be here without Craig, Alex, Kirk, Jimmy... thank you everybody!

Simon Hale, Girl From The North Country

Best Orchestrations

Thank you to the Broadway League, the American Theatre Wing, the Broadway League, this is such an honor to be standing here in this beautiful hall, there is such a history behind it. I want to thank everyone at Runaway entertainment, the Public, Mandy and Oscar, everyone at Forsight Theatrical in New York. Thanks to every one of the company on stage singing so beautifully every night and bringing such joy to it. Thank you to Marco, Marianne, Martha, and Andy, you truly are a band, thank you. And I want to thank my family, also Claire, Ben and Anna. And I want to say a big shout out to my dad who is also a Tony, which is pretty cool! Thank you to our wonderful creative team, Ray, Simon, Mark, Lucy, Conor, I don't know how you did this but I'm forever grateful to be a part of it. Also, thank you to Jeff and Bob Dylan for allowing us to reinvent his songs for the purpose of Girl From The North Country. And in the words of Bob Dylan, "All I can do is be me, whoever that is." Thank you very much.

Christopher Wheeldon, MJ

Best Choreography

Thank you American Theatre Wing and the Broadway League. This is truly a great honor. There are so many people who worked on the show and made this happen. Starting with the great Lynn Nottage. Making History this evening, nominated for both play and musical. Our inspired and intrepid producer Lia Vollack, and lead producing team John Branca, John McClain, Karen Langford and Michael David. I share this with the brilliant Rich and Tone Talauega. Early collaborator, Martha Nichols, and of course my incredible associates, Michael Balderrama and Dontee Kiehn, I couldn't have done this without you two. Thank you to all the cast members through workshop to Broadway for your inspired work, our exceptional design and music team and our stage management and crew at the Neil Simon Theatre. Ross, my husband, full disclosure, I have the advantage of being married to an excellent meditation teacher which is great when you're putting on a musical on Broadway. Myles Frost, you were destined to be a star. Thank you. Thank you for being a part of this incredible journey. Finally, I'd like to pay special tribute to the swings and understudies who have kept us on Broadway this season. I bow to you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you.

Angela Lansbury

Lifetime Achievement

Presenter: Unfortunately, Angela couldn't be with us. I accept the special Tony Award on her behalf.

Mikhail Fiksel, Dana H.

Best Sound Design of a Play

This is wild. Major thanks for everyone who recognized the power and potential in this fairly unique piece. Especially our bold producers and agents and the theaters that helped develop this and get it here. Major gratitude to Lucas and his mother for trusting me with those words, literally. Les, Didi, and the rest of the design team, you guys were such a true family, and I'm grateful for all the support and collaboration. Huge shout out to Beth, Sam, at, Lee, Valentine, I really could not have done this without you. A special shout out to all my fellow nominees, it is an honor to be on a list with you all. And finally, much love to my better half, Vera, who despite my lifestyle has agreed to marry me, and actually, we're getting married in a couple of weeks so this is the best wedding gift ever!

Gareth Owen, MJ

Best Sound Design of a Musical

I'd like to start by thanking my brilliant wife, Carmen. If it wasn't for her support and that of our kids and Oscar there's no way I'd be standing up here now. Lee Chris Wheeldon, David Holcenberg. Thank you for trusting me and giving me the job. My team, my sound team. Russell Godwin, Maxine Gutierrez, Scott. Derek McLane Josh Liebert, Phil Lojo. Thank you. You guys are brilliant. My long suffering agent, Jamie Hendry. And finally, my mum and dad for well, not pushing me too hard to get a proper job. Thank you.

Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Take Me Out

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

Oh my god, my heart is beating so fast. 25 years ago I worked in the theater circle gift shop which happens to be on 44th street, which happens to be three doors down from the Hayes Theater, where Take Me Out is playing. And I would sit in there, folding my Phantom of the Opera T-Shirts and watching actors walk by the windows on the way to their half hour call and I thought, "Oh God, I hope that's me some day." So, to stand in front of this community that I admire and love so much just means so much to me I cannot believe I get to do this for a living. Mom, Dad, thank you for letting me move to New York when I was 17 years old, I told you it would be ok! Carol Rothman and everyone at Second Stage, thank you for bringing this play back to Broadway. Scott Ellis, you have assembled such an incredible group of artists and designers to put this play together. This play would not be possible without you, just take it and accept it! The company of Take Me Out is here, so many of you, and my understudy Tim Wright is here as well! Bonnie and Craig, thank you for always trusting my gut instinct even when you didnt think my gut instinct is right - it is always right. And Justin, my husband. I have to brag for a brief moment, Justin was a part of the producing team that brought Dana H. and Is This A Room to Broadway this season. I am so endlessly proud of you, you have incredible taste, obviously. And Richard Greenberg, your words are a gift to any actor who gets the pleasure to say them. I am so honored that I got to be your Mason Marzac.

Patti LuPone, Company

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

Thank you. I started this journey with Maryanne Elliot in 2018. Four years, two countries, a seemingly endless and extremely vulnerable locked down, three different viruses in three consecutive months and two sublime casts. And so a loving shout out to my British cast mates led by Rosalie Craig, who were the first actors to realize Marianne's gender bent vision, an equally loving shout out to my hometown classmates, led by Katrina Lenk. A final group of actors and comedians I couldn't imagine and who it is my honor to work with every night. Thank you to the stage managers, the backstage crews, the front of house at The Gielgud and The Jacob's, especially those two dressers who have shared my life and my dressing room for so many years through all kinds of weather, London's Murray Lane and New York's Lyle Jones. A huge gratitude to all of the understudies across all of the stages in New York and to all of the COVID safety people. Marianne, I will follow you for the rest of my life wherever you lead. Chris Harper who pays my salary, you are my one and last producer except for David Stone, Jeffrey Richards and Andre Bishop, Matt, Joshua. I love you. My lifelong friends still dolls. I love you all. Thank you.

Sam Mendes, The Lehman Trilogy

Best Direction of a Play

Thank you very very much indeed. It's an honor to be a part of the theatre community. I am proud, especially this year, to be part of the Broadway community in a season of such rampant creativity and diversity, so thank you for remembering us. I have a lot of people to say thank you to for keeping this show alive during some pretty dark days. So, thank you to Sue and John, and everyone at the National Theatre, Rufus Norris, and everyone at Neal Street, and especially the fantastic Caro Newling for her class and tenacity as always. An incredible bunch of collaborators. To Nick Powell and Candida Caldicot, and John Clark, and the Genius that is Es Devlin, and Luke Halls. To Stefano Massini for his brilliant and bonkers play. To my right arm and left arm during this process, Ben Power and Zoe Ford. To my heart, my wife, Allison. But especially I want to dedicate this to three extraordinary actors, they're all honored here today. So, by definition they all can't be up here. But I've worked with all of them, Adrian, Adam, and Simon, for over 25 years, and it is my great honor and delight that they just keep getting better and better. So, all three of them, you share this with me. Thank you very much.

Marianne Elliott, Company

Best Direction of a Musical

Wow, thank you, first and foremost, to Stephen Sondheim for trusting me to tell his story in a different way, and putting a woman front and center. He and I shared a belief that theater should be for the now, that it should speak directly to today's audience. But to have collaborated with him so closely, to have made a show about New York on Broadway, with New York's most important theatre maker of my lifetime is a privilege that I never would have imagined or even dare to imagine ever in my own days. Our industry has been through so much. It felt at times that live theater was endangered. I want therefore, to dedicate this award to all of you out there who's fighting for the survival of this beautiful, transportive and essential art form. To everyone and the talented and dedicated team who made this production happen, to our amazing cast, to Chris Harper who pays my salary, to Nick, and all of Elliot and Harper, to the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing for this incredible honor. Thank you so much.

Phylicia Rashad, Skeleton Crew

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

Just when I thought I had done everything there was to do, along came Faye Davis in Skeleton Crew. You don't come to this place alone. You've heard others say it tonight and it's true, it's the work of many people. Dominique Morisseau, thank you very much for writing the play that only you could have written. And Ruben Santiago-Hudson, thank you for presenting me with a work that was challenging, demanding, and most rewarding. Thank you for casting the play the way you did, giving me wonderful actors to work with. Lynne Meadow, thank you very much, thank you Manhattan Theatre Club for supporting this play and seeing this through. And thank you to the people who came to see it. Mommy, I hope you're watching. You were here with me the last time, and even though you're out west, I feel like you're here with me now. It's wonderful to be a part of this community. It's wonderful to present humanity in its fullness and to feel it received. Thank you all so very much.

Take Me Out

Best Revival of a Play

Producer Carol Rockman: Thank you to the American Theatre Wing. This has been a tough time for the theatre for our artists and for New York City. It's taken great courage and commitment on the part of so many people to come back to the theater, which is a place of joy and hope. Everyone at Second Stage is immensely proud of our production of Take Me Out, and Clydes, had to get that in. Thank you, Richard Greenberg for your brilliant plays, Scott Ellis for your inspired direction. Ken, David, and Linda for their elegant designs, stage managers Barclay and Kelly, the crew at the Hayes, the understudies, the remarkable company that has stuck with us for two years. Patrick Adams, Julian Cihi, Hiram Delgado, Brandon Dearden, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Carl Lundstedt, Ken Marks, Michael Oberholtzer, Eduardo Ramos, Tyler Weaks and Jesse Williams. Special shout out to my children Molly and Charlie. They're my heroes.

Matt Doyle, Company

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

Oh my goodness. Thank you so much, to the American Theatre Wing and the Broadway League and to all the beautiful men in my category, my god you brilliant, brilliant men. Thank you so much to my team, Eric Tuchman and Tim Marshall, and to everyone at the Jacobs Theatre, the staff, the crew, the stage management, and my company. My beautiful family, we have been to hell and back together and I love you all so much. To Etai Benson, my wonderful Paul, and my real life Paul, Max Clayton, I love you. I don't know what I would do without you. You really do leave love notes all over the place. I cannot believe what you put up with. Thank you so much to Marianne Elliot and Chris Harper for your friendship and guidance and support over the years, and for changing my life. Thank you to my earliest teachers, Meryl, and Judy, Brit, Eric, Richard, Beth. Thank you to my family, my sisters Leah and Colleen, and my parents who believed in me pursuing my passion and believed in the arts and believed that the only way I would be happy was to live my life authentically. Thank you so much to George Furth and to Stephen Sondheim. Stephen, thank you for allowing your work to evolve and for more people to be seen in your genius. I'm the next bride!

Michael R Jackson, A Strange Loop

Best Book of a Musical

I started writing this musical when I was 23 years old, I'm 41 years old, I'm old as hell. I wrote it from an old lady's house in the middle of Jamaica, Queens. I wrote it at a time when I didn't know what I was going to do with my life. I didn't know how to move forward, I felt unseen. I felt unheard. I felt misunderstood. And I just wanted to create a little bit of a life raft for myself as a black gay man to try to just get through the day. And over the years, I was so fortunate to take up all my beautiful cast members, my director, so many queer people. I have to give a special shout out to my incredible choreographer, Roger Federick Kelly, who could not be here and I have to really say his name. He means everything. He's a black queer person who's been there for me. There's so much I want to say, I'm really speechless and I should have written down a speech, that's my bad. Thank you, everybody. Barbara, everybody. Y'all know I'm all about quality in high art. We talk a lot about representation and I'm all about representation, but let's make sure that we are staying on our grind in our art and that we are doing the very best work we can do. Jane Wyman once said, "there's nothing that can replace quality. Never settle for anything less than the best you can do. Never Settle. Just do your best." And that's my message to everybody in this room. Every artist out there. Thank you again. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Company

Best Revival of a Musical

Producer, Chris Harper: Wow, this is just an incredible honor. Thank you so much, firstly, to my friend and business partner Marianne Elliot for being such a visionary artist. To my producing partner Nick, for always being by my side. To Katrina Lenk and Patti LuPone, our incredible cast. Patti, it's an honor to be the person who pays your salary every night! To our orchestra, our stage crew, our swings, everybody at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, to everyone at Elliot & Harper productions and all of our amazing co-producers. And, of course to the great Stephen Sondheim for letting us reimagine his classic musical. To stand here with this award means the world to me. And to have been supported by so many people a part of the Broadway community is equally special. Company is a show about the people who give life meaning. So I would like to dedicate this award to my children Martha and Barnaby because they are my reason for being alive. Thank you so much.

The Lehman Trilogy

Best Play

Producer Rufus Morris, Author Ben Power: Thank you. This play was written as a hymn to the city of New York. But like the Lehman Brothers themselves, our show began thousands of miles away. So to find ourselves on this stage, on this night, part of this community, alongside fellow nominees of such breathtaking talent, honestly feels like a miracle. And it's a miracle for which I have to thank the genius and the generosity of Stefano Massini, the inspired leadership of Sam Mendes, a cast and creative team whose brilliance illuminated every corner of this play. And the producers and co-producers who are on this stage who stood by this show, between the fourth preview and the fifth preview, which came 577 days later. The Lehman trilogy, it's also a play about family and I wouldn't be standing here without my wife, Dee, and my son Walter, who will watch this in the morning thousands of miles from here, and we'll see that in New York, even after everything, even today, miracles are still possible. Thank you.

Simon Russell Beale, The Lehman Trilogy

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

Thank you very much. This is an enormous honor. Adam, Adrian, I feel a little sheepish, I just want to say. We all did exactly the same amount of work in this play. I take this, accepted on your behalf. It's your award too, I just have the luck to take it home. That also applies to our wonderful understudies, and the whole team. There are too many people to name. I have to mention Sam. Sam and I have worked together 35 years, not 25 as he said earlier. For 35 years! And I've loved him all that time, and I've loved his extraordinary work and his demands of me. And thank you Sam, so much. Under that umbrella, I include the whole production team. Can I just quickly say a thank you to the audience. You trusted us, you came with open arms, it wasn't easy at that point to come see it because of all the regulations, but you welcomed us. Thanks for your generosity. Three British actors telling a story that's in part a history of your wonderful city. Thank you for being, well, characteristically generous. Thank you very much indeed.

Deirdre O'Connell, Dana H.

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

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I am the face of a very large beast that made Dana H. and there are too many geniuses to thank. Lucas, Les, Misha, Dana, for letting us invade your privacy so completely and every member of the crew. The stage managers, the agents, the producers who took care of me, but I want to say one thing, I would love for this little prize to be a token for every person who is wondering, should I be trying to make something that could work on Broadway or that could win me a Tony Award? Or should I be making the weird art that is haunting me? That frightens me, that I don't know how to make, that I don't know if anyone in the whole world will understand. Please let me standing here be a little sign to you from the universe to make the weird art. Thank you.

Myles Frost, MJ

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

Mom, I made it. I am so honored and so blessed and so grateful. "I just can't, I just can't, I just can't control my feet!" I really gotta pee right now so I'll keep it quick! Mom, I love you so, so much, without you there would be no me. You have taught me and showed me what a strong black woman is, and what it is to raise a strong black man, and I just pray that I made you proud. And I want to say this to all the little black kids out there who may not have a good relationship with their father, you can do it, first of all, and second of all, Dad, I love you because we support each other and we are black men, and we are strong black men at that. Tavon, you are the GOAT baby! I love you! Keep killing it black man. Rich and Tone, thank you so much, you taught me everything I know. Christopher Wheeldon, Lia Vollack, Karen Langford, thank you so much for allowing me to express my creativity. I love you all, and as Michael would say, "With love, with love" Heal the world.

Joaquina Kalukango, Paradise Square

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

My name, Joaquina, means established by God, and so I gotta give thanks and praise to God because he has kept me and been my refuge through this crazy journey. Thank you, God, for giving me the best parents in the world. My parents sacrificed everything for me to live my dreams. My Father who is in heaven, I love you. My mother, who is stunning in white, today here and present. Thank you to my sister for designing this dress, my family. All of my teachers at Tri-Cities High School for literally instilling my purpose in my life. Thank you to Garth Drabinsky, our producers, Moses for leading with love. Thank you to Jason Howland. It is the privilege and honor to sing your music every night and more so than honored to call you friend. Thank you to my incredible company. This is ours. Look at what we have created. We gave ourselves a voice; those are the lyrics that Masi and Nathan gave. Thank you Christina Anderson for centering Nelly's voice in the story. I give thanks to all of the nameless ancestors who have suffered, this song, this show gives power to that. I honor them every day and thank you to my son. You are the biggest blessing in the world. I love you with every fiber of my being. Mommy loves you. Thank you to the Tonys. Thank you.

A Strange Loop

Best Musical

Producer Barbara Whitman: Thank you thank you! There have been many people who have been a part of this show's amazing journey. Musical Theatre Factory, Page 73 productions, Playwrights Horizons, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, The Shubert Organization for giving us a beautiful home at The Lyceum Theatre. Bravo and love to our amazing cast, including our fabulous understudies, our brilliant creative team and designers, the band, the crew, everyone at The Lyceum who works so hard. And of course, to the extraordinary Michael R. Jackson. Michael, you shared your words, your music, your soul, and none of us will ever be the same. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I want to thank my kids, Daniel, Hannah, and Will for their support. And I have to give a special shoutout to my grandson Zachary. My dream is Zach will grow up in a world where stories like A Strange Loop are told on stages everywhere all of the time. Thank you so much.