2018 Tony Awards
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Overview
2018 Tony Awards refers to the 72nd annual award ceremony held for excellence in Broadway theater. After the awards ceremony, moments from the event, including a speech from actor Robert DeNiro that cursed President Donald Trump and a performance by the Parkland Shooting teenagers drew attention.
Background
The 72nd Tony Awards took place on June 10th, 2018 at Radio City Music Hall, New York City.[1] The event was broadcast by CBS, with musicians Josh Groban and Sara Bareilles serving as co-hosts. The musical versions of Mean Girls and Spongebob Squarepants tied for the most nominations of the season, with 12 apiece. Angels in America gained 11 nominations, breaking the record for most nominations received for a play.
Developments
Musical The Band's Visit won the most awards with 10, including Best Musical. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child won six awards, including Best Play, and Angels in America won three, including Best Revival.
Robert De Niro's Speech
While presenting for Bruce Springsteen, actor Robert De Niro caused controversy when he walked out and said only "I'm gonna say one thing: Fuck Trump!" This led to a standing ovation from those in attendance. The moment led to media coverage from the Washington Post,[2] The Guardian,[3] and the Los Angeles Times.[4]
#BoycottDeNiro
On June 13th, Trump posted a tweet responding to the De Niro clip, referring to the actor as "a very Low IQ individual" (shown below).
That day, Trump supporters began tweeting the hashtag #BoycottDeNiro,[8] calling for viewers to boycott the actor's films (shown below). That day, The Daily Dot published an article titled "The #BoycottDeNiro movement is spreading online."
Parkland Student Performance
After their theater theatre teacher, Melody Herzfeld, was named the recipient of the 2018 Excellence in Theatre Education Award, the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School performed "Seasons of Love" from the musical Rent. This moment went viral and was covered by multiple media outlets, including Vox,[5] People,[6] and Jezebel.[7]
Search Interest
External References
[1] Wikipedia – 72nd Tony Awards
[2] Washington Post – Robert De Niro opens a new front in the anti-Trump culture wars. Even some liberals don’t know what to think.
[3] The Guardian – Robert De Niro wins ovation for 'Fuck Trump' speech at the Tony awards
[4] Los Angeles Times – Robert DeNiro hurls expletive at Trump during Tonys -- and Trump supporters slap back
[5] Vox – The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High drama club lived every theater kid’s dream at the Tonys
[6] People – Parkland Kids Perform 'Seasons of Love' at Tonys and Leave Amy Schumer, Audience in Tears
[7] Jezebel – Parkland Drama Club Students Crushed 'Seasons of Love' at the Tony Awards
[8] Twitter – #BoycottDeNiro
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