Coming-of-age musical "The Outsiders" and "Stereophonic," a play about a 1970s band putting together an album, earned top honors Sunday at the Tony Awards, the highest accolades in American theater. The Broadway community celebrated its best and brightest at New York's Lincoln Center, hosted by Oscar winner Ariana DeBose for the third year running. "The Outsiders," a stage adaptation of the S.
E. Hinton novel about class conflict between two high school gangs in Oklahoma in the 1960s, took home the award for best musical -- its fourth on the night, after best director, lighting and sound design. "Society changes but the experience of being an outsider is universal," said one of the show's producers, Angelina Jolie, as she introduced the cast's performance, which includes a gritty fight scene.
"To any young person, any person feeling on the outside, you are not wrong to see what is unfair, you are not wrong to wish to find your own path." "Stereophonic," written by David Adjmi, took the award for best play. It tells the story of the making of an album by a fictional rock band and features original music from former Arcade Fire member Will Butler.
It won five awards on the night, including best featured actor and best director, after making history as the most nominated play ever with 13 nods. Stephen Sondheim's "Merrily We Roll Along" -- about the complicated relationship of three friends, told in reverse -- was a flop when it originally opened in 1981, but earned redemption by.
