Last night, African American actors won in major categories at the 67th annual Tony Awards in NYC. The 88-year old legendary actress Cicely Tyson won the award for Best Actress in a Drama for her role in Horton Foote?s ?A Trip to Bountiful? starring Vanessa Williams, Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Condola Rashad. It was Tyson?s first-ever Tony award and her first Broadway performance since 1983.
Next up, Patina Miller won the award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role in ?Pippin.? Remarkably, she won the same best actor category that actor Ben Vereen won in 1975 when he starred in the same role in the original production. Miller?s last Broadway performance was in ?Sister Act.???
Courtney B. Vance, best known for his work on television show Law & Order: Criminal Intent, took home the award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play for his part in ?Lucky Guy.?
Lastly, Billy Porter won for Best?Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for his entertaining role as a drag queen in ?Kinky Boots.?
The wins come as a welcome surprise compared to past years when there was a scarcity of awards handed to African American actors. African American actress and opera singer Audra McDonald, a five-time Tony award winner, was also present.
Read more at the Wall Street Journal.?
