The 2016 Tony Awards were dedicated to the Orlando victims, as several stars expressed their support and solidarity, including Hamilton‘s’ Lin-Manuel Miranda.
The Tonys were supposed to be a joyful celebration of musical theater, but the evening was, understandably, a somewhat somber affair following the terrible events of the previous 24 hours.
As you know, early Sunday morning, Orlando, Florida was home to the deadliest mass shooting in America to date (and the third deadliest shooting worldwide), when a man targeted a gay nightclub and killed 50 people, injuring another 53.
The Tony Awards paid tribute to the victims and addressed the tragedy in several ways. To begin with, Orlando mayor Buddy Dyer opened the red carpet with a pre-recorded message, thanking the Broadway community for their support “in our time of need.”
Modern Family actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson said, as quoted by Fortune, “The LGBT community is my community … when I was a kid, I would always look to the Tony awards to give me hope, to give me joy and I hope we can give that to the nation tonight.”
And Hamilton‘s’ Lin-Manuel Miranda, when accepting his award for “Best Original Score” (one of Hamilton‘s 11 awards), used his acceptance speech to further honor the victims in a beautiful sonnet:
“And love is love is love is love is love is love, cannot be killed, or swept aside,” he emphasizes in the moving speech, to much audience applause.
Host James Corden also honored the victims during the opening act:
The Tony Awards dedicated their entire show to the victims of the domestic terror act, writing on their website:
Our hearts are heavy for the unimaginable tragedy that happened last night in Orlando. Our thoughts are with the families and friends of those affected. The Tony Awards dedicate tonight’s ceremony to them.
We want to hear your thoughts on this topic!
Write a comment below or submit an article to Hypable.