John Lithgow, at age 80, became the oldest male actor to win a Tony Award on Sunday, taking home the trophy for best leading actor in a play for his portrayal of author Roald Dahl in “Giant.”
The award came more than five decades after Lithgow’s first Tony, which he won for his role in the 1972 Broadway production of “Changing Rooms.” In his acceptance speech, Lithgow noted the span between his wins.
“Two Tony bookends with 53 years between them,” Lithgow said. “In those years, I have worked with hundreds of just fantastic theatre artists. I’ve had dozens and dozens of ecstatic moments on the stage, but I have to tell you right now, this moment has got to be one of the best.”
British actress Lesley Manville won the first Tony of her career for best leading actress in a play for her performance as Jocasta in the Greek tragedy “Oedipus.”
“I’m a bit overwhelmed, it was my first time on Broadway so this is such a big deal,” Manville said while accepting the award. She paid tribute to her fellow nominees — Rose Byrne, Carrie Coon, Susannah Flood and Kelli O’Hara — and joked: “Would someone like to write a play for five women? We are quite bankable.”
The wins for Lithgow and Manville echoed last year’s Olivier Awards in London, as both productions played in the United Kingdom before transferring to Broadway.
A revival of Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” dominated the night overall, winning six awards including best revival of a play and the lead actress prize for Laurie Metcalf, a Bafta and Oscar-nominated actress known for “Roseanne” and “Lady Bird.”
Metcalf said in her acceptance speech: “When I was in college, I met six fellow students in the theatre department. We worked really hard to amuse each other, and I still consider them family — and I still draw on lessons that I learned from them. And they were Gary Sinise, Moira Harris, Al Wilder, Jeff Perry, Terry Kinney, and John Malkovich.”
The production’s success also marked the first Tony Award for producer Scott Rudin since he stepped back from Broadway in 2021 following allegations of bullying and abusive behavior toward employees. At the time, Rudin acknowledged his “history of troubling interactions with colleagues” and said he was “profoundly sorry for the pain my behavior caused to individuals, directly and indirectly.”
Rudin was not present at Sunday’s ceremony. The trophy for best play revival was accepted by actor Nathan Lane, who paid tribute to “the genius of Arthur Miller, who created this monumental masterpiece.”
Other winners included “Ragtime,” about three families pursuing the American dream at the dawn of the 20th century, and “Schmigadoon!,” a comedic celebration of theater’s golden age adapted from the Apple TV series. Both shows won two awards.
“Schmigadoon!” producer Christine Schwarzman joked: “I think I should start by thanking Apple TV for cancelling the third season of Schmigadoon!, the TV show, because without them dropping it, we couldn’t have picked it up and ran with it.”
The musical “The Lost Boys,” a punk-rock adaptation of the 1987 cult vampire film, also won two awards. “Cats: The Jellicle Ball” took home three trophies, while the feminism epic “Liberation” won best play after recently winning the Pulitzer Prize for drama.
The ceremony was hosted by singer Pink, who opened the night with a rendition of “Lady Marmalade” that she adapted to namecheck several of the nominees. Pink called herself “Broadway’s biggest fan” and said she wanted to pay tribute to “the hardest-working people in showbiz.”