"Schmigadoon!,” an adaptation of an Apple TV series that gently mocks big, brassy Broadway shows, won the best new musical Tony Award on a night when actor John Lithgow and playwright Bess Wohl made history.
The musical parodies golden-age Broadway classics like "The Music Man” and "Oklahoma!” centered on a modern-day couple finding themselves in a "Brigadoon”-like fantasyland where the wholesome townspeople keep breaking into song. The win is a redemption for creator Cinco Paul, whose TV series was canceled after two seasons. He won Tonys for the score and the book Sunday.
"Sometimes singing, dancing, jokes and a happy ending are all you need," said producer Lorne Michaels, the creator of "Saturday Night Live,” after the win.
The win for "Schmigadoon!” also completes what some unofficially call a "studio EGOT,” giving the producing company credits for winning awards at all four major ceremonies. Apple already has Emmys for comedies "Ted Lasso” and "The Studio,” the Oscar for best picture for "CODA” and a Grammy via Chris Stapleton’s contribution to the "F1” soundtrack.
The prize for the best new play went to Wohl’s "Liberation,” about a consciousness-raising women’s group in 1970s Ohio, which earlier this year also won the Pulitzer Prize for drama.
