🏆 TONY AWARDS RECAP 🗣️ PATTI LUPONE ONE-SIDED BEEF 🌆 ANTI ICE PROTESTS
This week, we reflect on the Patti Lupone of it all, the Tony Awards, taking time off of your Broadway track to heal from injury, and more.
Happy Saturday, folks!
(Close readers may notice this breakdown is arriving a week later than usual. Honestly, with the recent ICE crackdowns, violent police activity at protests, the ongoing genocide in Gaza, and targeted attacks by the Trump administration on this industry and its artists, it was difficult to wrap my brain around the glitz and the glamour of the Tony Awards this year. But we’re back this week with a recap, and a little bit more perspective on the events in the theatre industry this May and June.)
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To start, let’s talk about the Patti Lupone one-sided beef with Audra McDonald and Kecia Lewis. This news was dramatic/ragebait-y enough to break through the theatre industry to the greater culture news sphere, with hot takes on NUMEROUS gay podcasts, including Vibe Check and Keep It. At this point there has been an impromptu CBS Morning question to Audra on her Gypsy press tour, an industry letter with over 500 signatories asking for Patti to apologize or be disinvited from the Tony Awards, and a public apology from Patti (supposedly the first one in her career).
The only commentary that I have to offer on this saga is that there is some subtle massaging of Lupone’s character in the New York Times recap, lauding her as a “folk hero” with “real-talk charm” and describing Audra Mcdonald as “Steely, careful, diplomatic.”
Let’s wrap this section up with a compilation of 25 years of research on the “strong black woman” gender role expectation. And some gorgeous photos from the 4th annual Black Women on Broadway celebration!
Important commentary from Tom Zohar.
The Tony Awards coverage is scattered throughout the rest of the ‘More News’ section. The only other subject of note is who was mentioned during the ceremony, and who was doing the mentioning (and who wasn’t.) And some great data on gender equity at the Tony Awards here and here.
MORE NEWS (extra long this week to cover all the news this month!):
🏛️ KENNEDY CENTER:
WASHINGTON POST: Kennedy Center subscription sales fall 36 percent from previous year https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater/2025/...
PLAYBILL: At Opening Night of Les Misérables at the Kennedy Center, Trump and Drag Artists Shared the House https://playbill.com/article/...
🌆 LA PROTESTS:
LA TIMES: Downtown LA Arts Scene grapples with curfews and cancellations https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/...
HYPERALLERGIC: LA Artists and Orgs Stand in Solidarity With Anti-ICE Protesters https://hyperallergic.com/1019720/...
🔮 INDUSTRY FUTURES:
AMERICAN THEATRE: Diversity and Its Discontents: It Was Never About the Money https://www.americantheatre.org/2025/...
NY TIMES: Blue Man Group’s Longtime Home bought by No Guarantees, Will Stage Off-Broadway Dramas https://www.nytimes.com/2025/...
THE GUARDIAN: Caryl Churchill pulls out of Donmar Warehouse project over Barclays’ Israel links https://www.theguardian.com/stage/...
🏳️🌈 QUEER FUTURES:
DEADLINE: Ariana Grande, Pedro Pascal, Daniel Radcliffe, Sabrina Carpenter & Other Big Names Sign Letter To Protect Funding For LGBTQ+ Suicide Prevention https://deadline.com/2025/06/...
PLAYBILL: Finn, once cancelled by the Kennedy Center, is returning to Washington, DC for World Pride https://playbill.com/article...
HYPERALLERGIC: We’re not your Pride Publicity Stunt https://hyperallergic.com/1017623/...
NPR: Drag artists are getting attacked. This safety handbook aims to help. https://www.npr.org/2025/05/29...
ADVOCATE: J.K. Rowling uses Harry Potter wealth to fund anti-transgender organization https://www.advocate.com/news/...
PLAYBILL: Cole Escola to Homophobic Power Brokers in Theatre: 'F*** Off!' https://playbill.com/article/...
🌸 AAPI FUTURES:
PLAYBILL: Darren Criss Is the First Asian Actor to Win Leading Actor in a Musical https://playbill.com/article/...
PLAYBILL: Why Francis Jue Wore Alvin Ing's Suit From Opening Night of Pacific Overtures in 1976 https://playbill.com/article/...
👋🏾 BLACK FUTURES:
PLAYBILL: Kara Young Weeps With Joy For the 'Anointed Ancestral Power' Behind Her Back-to-Back Tony Wins https://playbill.com/article/...
🫁 ACCESSIBILITY FUTURES:
We have been loving the news on Jessica Vosk and Megan Hilty taking leaves of absence for their health!
📉 RECESSION INDICATORS:
PLAYBILL: Beetlejuice Is Coming Baaaaaaack to Broadway https://playbill.com/article...
PLAYBILL: Harry Potter Film Star Tom Felton Extends Run in Broadway's Harry Potter and the Cursed Child https://playbill.com/article...
🐌 DEEP BREATH:
NEWSONE: You Don’t Get To Burn It Down If You’ve Never Built A Damn Thing https://newsone.com/6203638/...
PLAYBILL: American Theatre Wing Launches Gavin Creel Fellowship https://playbill.com/article/...
🤝GET INVOLVED:🤝
Attend the Stage Left Festival this month at Playwright’s Horizons, June 14-22 — More details here from Broadway Advocacy Coalition and The Working Theater.
Today is the last day to register in New York City to vote in the ranked choice Mayoral campaign! Get on it!
It’s a good time to brush up on your rights as a protester— This is a great guide from the ACLU. And some great LA-specific immigrant and organization rights information here.
That’s all this week. See you for one more Pride Month installment at the end of June! Stay safe! 🌈
I really respect that you waited a bit following the Tony’s to share this. I too, have not felt moved to share information with some space. I think that’s a good thing to acknowledge. Broadway isn’t going anywhere.