“People are going to label you.  You have to be ready for that,
because it’s not going to be easy.  And I will be by your side 100%.”
– Gloria Estefan shares what she told her daughter Emily when she wanted to come out.

With the Tony Awards, we mark the end of Awards Season and also the beginning of Pride Month.  This is not happenstance – after all, nothing is gayer than the Tony Awards.  This year, Cole Escola was the first non-binary performer to win Best Leading Actor in a Play – beating poor George Clooney, who has said he didn’t think he had a chance.  What was the first thing Cole did after winning?  Throw some shade on Nicole Scherzinger – who he seemed to like during The Hollywood Reporter’s actors roundtable.  He was in the press room backstage when Nicole won her Tony for Best Leading Actress in a Musical – besting Audra McDonald.  And he quipped, “Wow, the speculating is over.  Four years.  Four more years.”  Most interpreted that as a reference to Scherzy liking a Russell Brand post where he was wearing a red cap with the words “Make Jesus First Again” in the MAGA style.  Cole clarified with a video: “When I made that joke…. I meant it like, well, she won, she’s who we’ve got for the next four years, as if I think winning Best Actress in a Musical is the same as winning a presidential election.  But, you know, people just want to pit us Broadway gals against each other.  And I think it’s sad.  I think it’s sad.”

Cynthia Erivo keeps going from strength to strength.  For instance, on the eve of the Tonys, was she home resting up for the big night?  Nope – she was in DC closing out the WorldPride concert!  Then she hosted the Tonys with her typical aplomb, including great opening and closing numbers (to say nothing of a stirring In Memoriam duet) and about a dozen frocks.  What’s next?  Well, I’ve already told you she’s starring in Jesus Christ Superstar this summer at the Hollywood Bowl…as Jesus!  Adam Lambert is Judas (I’ve always thought he’d make a fetching Mary Magdalene).  And she kicks off 2025 in London’s West End in a one-woman show, Dracula, where she plays 23 roles (shades of Dorian Gray).  It opens at the Noel Coward Theatre on February 4^th.

Near the beginning of the Tonys, Megan Hilty performed a number from “Death Becomes Her”.  And not just any number.  “For the Gaze” may be the gayest number to ever grace a Broadway musical, and Megan stopped the show in more ways than one.  Days later, she announced she’s stopping being in the show – at least temporarily.  “We are athletes.  And just like a professional basketball player, we are going to get injured from time to time – not because we aren’t good at our job, it simply comes with the territory because of the extraordinary demands we put on our bodies.  Thank you for your patience and support while I take this time to take care of myself to ensure my longevity with the show and my career, in general.”  Prior to announcing her month-long sabbatical, she revealed to The New York Times that she was diagnosed with tendonitis in her throat.

Of course, Megan starred in the TV show Smash.  While many readers of this column are fans of the short-lived series, apparently there weren’t enough fans to keep the Broadway musical open.  After receiving only two Tony nominations and no wins, it will shutter on June 22^nd.