Aside from it being the year of “Hamilton,” musical-turned-cultural-phenomenon, last night’s presentation of the 70th annual Tony Awards was historic for another reason.
All four acting categories of musicals (lead actor, lead actress, featured actor and featured actress) were awarded to actors and actresses of color for the first time in the seventy year history of the Tony Awards.
The sweep was was due in large part to the heavy hand of “Hamilton.” The musical took home 11 Tony Awards, including “Best Musical.”
Last night’s winners included: Leslie Odom Jr. of Hamilton (lead actor), Cynthia Erivo of “The Color Purple” (best actress), Daveed Diggs of “Hamilton” (featured actor) and Elise Goldsberry of “Hamilton” (featured actress).
The closest to a full domination of the musical performance categories by people of color took place in 1982 when the cast of “Dreamgirls” won lead actor, lead actress and featured actor categories.
