Photo Source: Deen van Meer
Winners were chosen by audience members nationwide, who were able to vote online, beginning on May 3, for their favorite Broadway shows and performers.
“It’s like the People’s Choice Awards of Broadway!” exclaimed Celia Keenan-Bolger, on the red carpet before the show began. Not long after, she took home the first award of the evening, winning Favorite Actress in a Play for her role in “Peter and the Starcatcher.”
However, the night was less about the awards and more about celebrating the theater community, with actors teasing one another, botching their lines, and spontaneously stealing the stage.
“Glee” star Darren Criss hosted the event and took home an award himself, winning Favorite Replacement for his three-week stint in “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” taking over for Daniel Radcliffe.
The show was short and lively, running little more than an hour long. But presenters and the audience made the most of every moment, even as some of the winners were missing. In these cases, comedian Jackie Hoffman took the stage and gave satirical speeches on behalf of those who couldn’t make it. When Alan Rickman won Favorite Actor in a Play for “Seminar,” Hoffman mocked his accent, to much laughter. Later, she did her best Andrew Garfield, who won Favorite Breakthrough Performance for his role in “Death of a Salesman.”
“I’m dating Emma Stone, but yeah, I got this award, and now my life is complete,” Hoffman said, grasping Garfield’s award and doing a British accent.
Hoffman seemed to spend more time onstage than Criss, although some productions had designated actors to accept awards on their behalf. When “Death of a Salesman” received the award for Favorite Play Revival, Finn Wittrock who plays Happy Loman in the play, accepted the glass figurine.
“I’m Finn, I’m in the play,” he said, rousing some laughter. “I have huge shoes to fill, so I won’t even try. This whole thing has been a theater nerd’s fantasy, so thank you.”
The evening was marked with a few tender moments, as actors expressed appreciation for their audiences. When Laura Osnes received the award for Favorite Actress in a Musical for her role in “Bonnie & Clyde,” she delivered a succinct but heartfelt speech.
“My life has been dedicated to the fans,” she said, her voice shaking. “This means the world to me. What a shock. Thank you.”
In between awards, Criss serenaded the audience with a few humorous songs and inspired laughter with his exaggerated cockiness, at one point mentioning how nice it feels to suddenly make $4 million in residuals on iTunes and, later, referring to Brian d’Arcy James’s television series, “Smash,” as “Glee.2.” The other presenters continued with the comedy, with Daphne Rubin-Vega presenting the award for Favorite song as “our favorite song from ‘Newsies.’”
When the overhead screens revealed that four of the five nominated songs were, in fact, from “Newsies,” the audience erupted with laughter.
The evening ended with Criss presenting the award for Favorite New Musical.
“Here to present this award with me is Stephen Sondheim,” said Cris. “But he’s not here, like everyone else.”
Instead, Criss called Hoffman up to the stage, a fitting end for a night of cheerful sarcasm.
