Joaquina Kalukango (for Paradise Square)
Joaquina said at the mic that her sister designed her dress, and I love that, but wish I had loved the actual gown in equal measure. It looks a LITTLE bit like it ate a duvet and then vomited it back out.
And from the front, it was sheer in a way where I couldn't tell if they REALIZED how sheer it was. The show seemed to shoot her fairly carefully when she was giving her speech, although there was so much emotion in her face that I'm sure they would have wanted to be in close-up regardless. But. I wanted this moment to be as golden as she is, and it's... so close! It really did just need a BIT more lining and we would've been in good shape!
But the JOY and TEARS on these faces! Danielle Brooks and Cynthia Erivo -- they were in The Color Purple together; all the presenter pairings were "reunions" of a sort -- practically lost their breath when they called her name, and up on stage, Cynthia was bouncing and saying, "YOU DESERVE THIS!"
Mare Winningham and Anthony Edwards
Somehow I missed that Girl From the North Country is a musical with Bob Dylan songs? I'm excited for Mare, who looks super, and I LOVE the story that her new husband Anthony Edwards stepped in at a moment's notice when the show literally ran out of swings. I am also thrilled -- as Jess noted to me -- that we as a society seem to have affirmed him in our entertainment annals as Goose and not Dr. Mark Greene.
Sharon D. Clarke (for Caroline, or Change)
Thank you, Sharon, I WILL behold you. This is terrific.
Sutton Foster in D&G (for The Music Man)
This is admittedly lovely, but also understated, as if to say, "Joaquina is winning this."
Paul Telfer and Carmen Cusack (for Flying Over Sunset)
I love this, but she definitely needs some jewels, right?
Maggie Lakis and Rob McClure (Mrs. Doubtfire)
I just realized I've seen him perform! He was Nick Bottom in the "Something Rotten" tour, and he was excellent (I love that show). Maggie, his wife, was also in it. They both look smashing.
Myles Frost (for MJ)
He performed a number from the show, which is, yes, about Michael Jackson. I am incredibly ambivalent about a celebratory Michael Jackson musical that skirts the complicated reality of who he was, while also recognizing that those things are... challenging to put in a musical, especially with so much "allegedly" involved. But none of that changes that Myles was excellent. He won and I have no doubt it was deserved.
Billy Crystal (for Mr Saturday Night)
Billy held a VERY long non-reaction on his face when Myles won. Maybe he agrees with me about the MJ musical.
Hugh Jackman (for The Music Man)
He performed something from The Music Man, and it was very much "Here is Hugh Jackman Doing The Music Man, With Sutton Foster Also Doing The Music Man."
Jaquel Spivey (for A Strange Loop)
I'm REALLY intrigued by this show, which won for Best Musical. This outfit feels like something Andre Leon Talley would have blessed with his whole heart.