NEW YORK — ''People, stop texting me!'' pleaded Kecia Lewis, with comic exasperation. The veteran Broadway performer had just won her first Tony award in a 40-year career, for the Alicia Keys musical ''Hell's Kitchen,'' and was trying to read her acceptance speech off her phone. But she was being distracted by those pesky congratulatory texts.
Lewis soon had the laughing audience in tears, though, describing how in those four decades she had wanted to give up many times — but got enough encouragement from the right people to keep going. Many award winners encourage others to pursue their dreams, but Lewis, in a speech that was one of the night's best, issued a blunt order: ''Don't. Give. Up!''
The Tonys are often the most entertaining of awards shows, with Broadway performers showing their best work. Sunday's show was no exception, with high-energy performances augmented by special appearances from the likes of Jay-Z ( albeit pretaped, it was later revealed ) and Hillary Clinton.
As always, the Tonys crowned both veterans (Jonathan Groff, best actor in a musical) and newcomers (Maleah Joi Moon, best actress in a musical), and had the added factor of making history for women: Female directors accounted for seven of 10 directing nods, including four of five best musical nominees. Danya Taymor won for directing ''The Outsiders,'' the second woman in her family to do so after her aunt, ''The Lion King'' director Julie Taymor.
The lauded ''Stereophonic'' by David Adjmi, about a rock band trying to make a hit album and stay together, was crowned best play as expected. But the final award of the night brought an upset that had people whooping with surprise. ''The Outsiders,'' based on the classic youth novel, beat out ''Hell's Kitchen'' for best musical. Nothing like a last-minute nailbiter to send the crowd out buzzing into the night.
Some key moments of the evening:
Starting off with a bang — and a bit of confusion
The audience at Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater, a new venue for the Tonys, came to its feet with the first musical excerpt of the night, from ''Hell's Kitchen'' — a jolt of joyous high energy. A medley of songs introduced the show's stars — including Lewis, singing with young sensation Moon — before a piano rolled onstage with Keys herself, singing her and Jay-Z's 2009 smash ''Empire State of Mind,'' and trading lines with Moon. The crowd REALLY went nuts when Keys descended from the stage, left the auditorium and joined — well, appeared to join — Jay-Z himself, rapping his lines on the steps in the theater's grand lobby. It turned out, though, that the duet on the steps, transmitted to the audience via video screen while the cast continued dancing onstage, had been pretaped, though the crowd was clearly meant to think it was live. "Had to do something crazy,'' Keys explained, mid-song. ''It's my hometown!'' Crazy, indeed.
