Compared to last year's widely predicted sweep by The Book Of Mormon, there was far more uncertainty going into this year's Tony Awards, save for the fact that mocking Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark would account for approximately 50 percent of the banter, host Neil Patrick Harris would do some big, vibrant opening number offering charming testimony to the vitality of Broadway before handing out awards to shows based on movies. But which movie was the most pressing question, and last night it was a far-and-away triumph for Once, with the relatively intimate stage version of the shaggy indie romance picking up eight Tonys—including Best Musical—to beat out both an adaptation of the Steve Martin comedy Leap Of Faith and its most obvious competition, Newsies. Of course, the latter will continue to rake in cash via touring companies, official Disney-licensed merchandise, and seemingly inevitably, a movie version of the Broadway version of the movie, so it can probably live with only getting awards for its score and choreography.
Elsewhere, the Pulitzer-winning, racially charged satire Clybourne Park took home Best Play, Death Of A Salesman and Porgy And Bess were recognized as the year's best revivals (though Salesman's Philip Seymour Hoffman-led cast was surprisingly snubbed), the multiple wins for the Peter Pan origin story Peter And The Starcatcher suggested that its rumored Disney adaptation could soon move to the front of the queue of all those in-development Peter Pan films, and former Who's The Boss? star Judith Light nabbed Best Actress for her surprisingly dark role in Other Desert Cities, and still nobody made a joke about making extra sure this Tony doesn't catch her in the shower, because this is the theater and everything is very sophisticated. You can check out the complete list of winners here.