With lots of big stars on hand showing Hollywood can definitely do Broadway, ’80s rocker turned musical-maker Cyndi Lauper won a clutch of Tonys for her “Kinky Boots” at the 67th Tony Awards.
“I can’t say I wasn’t practicing in front of the shower curtain for a couple days for this speech,” Lauper said, picking up one of four gongs for the show on Sunday.
“All right, I gotta thank my mom for sharing all that wonderful music. I wrecked all her Broadway musicals when I was a kid, the cast albums. That’s how I learned how to sing, and I want to thank her for sharing the music with me,” Lauper added.
Television actor Neil Patrick Harris, hosting in New York, welcomed presenters and performers like Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Anna Kendrick, Martha Plimpton, Sigourney Weaver, Zachary Quinto and Sally Field.
Hanks, better known for his work on the big screen, shone in “Lucky Guy,” a Nora Ephron play about the ups and downs of controversial New York journalist Mike McAlary.
Hanks is up for the best performance by an actor in a leading role in a play. “Lucky Guy” is also listed for best play and four other categories, while the revival of “Golden Boy” surpassed it with eight nominations.
The main rivalry at this year’s Tonys could be between “Kinky Boots,” with 13 nominations, including best musical and best director, and “Matilda,” the adaptation of the beloved children’s book by Roald Dahl, with 12 nominations.
“Kinky Boots,” based on a British movie, tells the story of the unlikely reincarnation of a near bankrupt shoe factory. Lauper — famous for her song “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” — wrote the music and lyrics.
“Matilda,” which recounts an exceptionally — and supernaturally — gifted girl’s determination to make something of her life, has enjoyed rave reviews and is produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company.
The nominations list snubbed some major stars, including Johansson in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” and Al Pacino in the intense real estate salesmen drama “Glengarry Glen Ross.”
'Kinky' musical snaps up Tonys
