'Moulin Rouge!' leads Tonys; 'The Inheritance' is best play

'Moulin Rouge! The Musical,' a jukebox adaptation of Baz Luhrmann's hyperactive 2001 movie, took an insurmountable lead at the Tony Awards, earning nine trophies with three top prizes -- including best new musical -- still up in the air.

Lopez's two-part, seven-hour epic uses "Howards End" as a starting point for a play that looks at gay life in the early 21st century. It also yielded wins for Andrew Burnap as best actor in a play, Stephen Daldry as best director, and Lois Smith as best performance by an actress in a featured role in a play. Thomas Kirdahy, a producer, dedicated the award to his late husband, the playwright Terrence McNally. Lopez urged more plays to be produced from the Latin community. Charles Fuller's "A Soldier's Play" won best play revival.

The pandemic-delayed telecast kicked off with an energetic performance of "You Can't Stop the Beat" from original Broadway cast members of "Hairspray!" Jennifer Holliday also took the stage to deliver an unforgettable rendition of "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" from the musical "Dreamgirls."

The singers performed for a masked and appreciative audience at a packed Winter Garden Theatre. Host Audra McDonald got a standing ovation when she took the stage. "You can't stop the beat. The heart of New York City!" she said.

"Moulin Rouge! The Musical" won for scenic design, costume, lighting, sound design, orchestrations and a featured acting Tony for Broadway favorite Danny Burstein. Sonya Tayeh won for choreography on her Broadway debut, and Alex Timbers won the trophy for best direction of a musical.