Strong showing for musicals with A.R.T. ties
Two Broadway shows with origins at the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) cleaned up at the Tony Awards on Sunday night. “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess” and “Once” took home 10 awards in total, including the prizes for best musical revival and best musical, respectively. “This was an extraordinary night for the A.R.T. and for the activity of the arts at Harvard,” said Diane Paulus, the theater’s artistic director, who developed and directed the “Porgy” adaptation last fall in the lead-up to its Broadway debut in January. “Porgy,” which was nominated in 10 categories, also scored a best actress award for Audra McDonald’s wrenching performance as Bess in the classic American opera. “Once” — which was developed at the A.R.T. last year by John Tiffany, a 2010-11 fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study — took home a whopping eight awards of the 11 for which it was nominated, including best direction...