‘Virginia Woolf,’ ‘Kinky Boots’ Big Winners at 2013 Tony Awards

Cyndi Lauper’s “Kinky Boots” was the big winner at last night’s 69th Tony Awards, taking home six trophies including best musical.

“Pippin” and “Matilda” were also highly honored, with each taking home four awards, with the former winning best play revival. The awards for plays were more spread out, though the revival of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” took home two awards, including best play revival. The satire “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” won for best play.

The latter play beat out the critically and commercially acclaimed “Lucky Guy,” which starred Tom Hanks and is the last work by the late Nora Ephron. Hanks was favored for the best actor in a play award, but the honor instead went to Tracy Letts for his work in “Virginia Woolf.”

Legendary actress Cicely Tyson won her first Tony Award for Best Actress for her role in “Bountiful.” At age 88, she also is the oldest person ever to win a Tony.

“It’s been 30 years since I stood onstage, and I really didn’t think it would happen again in my lifetime,” Tyson said when accepting the award. “Except I had this burning desire to do just one more — one more great role. I didn’t want to be greedy. I just wanted one more.”

The New York Times points out that half of the major acting awards this year went to black actors, though only 15 to 20 percent of Broadway actors are black. Tyson was asked about this ratio after the awards.

“That means there’s hope for us still,” she said, according to Playbill.com. “I would think that things are moving in a direction that encompasses all without regard to sex, skin and color, and that’s as it should be.”

Lauper, a native of Queens, spoke about the success of her musical as well as her hometown.

“You go around the world looking for acceptance and you find it in your own backyard,” she said. “Maybe it’s like Dorothy, I clicked my ruby boots three times and said, ‘There’s no place like home.’ Diversity and acceptance has always made this city thrive, and that’s what Kinky Boots is about. That’s something worth rolling your sleeves up for.”