79th Tony Awards Spill Beyond CBS Telecast With 96-Year-Old June Squibb Ovation

Q: How did Andrew Lloyd Webber react to the radical ballroom reinvention of his iconic musical 'Cats'?

Andrew Lloyd Webber reacted positively to the radical ballroom reimagining of *Cats*. He embraced *Cats: The Jellicle Ball* rather than resisting its departure from the original. That support was not just symbolic. According to the additional reporting, Lloyd Webber’s company, LW Entertainment, is producing the show, and he has even appeared as one of its celebrity guest judges onstage. That level of involvement signals clear approval of the production’s queer, ballroom-culture reinterpretation. The Broadway version, co-directed by Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, recasts the Jellicle competition inside New York’s ballroom scene and has been praised for connecting Lloyd Webber’s musical to Black and Latinx LGBTQ+ performance culture. Its Tony success, including three wins, underscored how strongly the reinvention landed with the theater community.

3 articles · Updated · Variety · Jun 8

Shoshana Bean’s censored acceptance speech was one of the night’s unseen moments, with her full line ending: “stay fucking wild” after winning featured actress in a musical for “The Lost Boys.”
Commercial breaks turned Radio City into a networking floor as Lea Michele, Adrien Brody and others mingled, while Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers were among the few stars who joined choreographer Sarah O’Gleby’s crowd-warming routines.
At the Carlyle afterparty, Daniel Radcliffe held Erin Darke’s dress train through the packed room as winners and nominees from shows including “Schmigadoon!,” “Ragtime” and “Cats: The Jellicle Ball” celebrated.
Audience energy also spilled into the ceremony itself: “Cats: The Jellicle Ball” wins drew loud cheers, the In Memoriam segment was mostly kept applause-free, and 96-year-old nominee June Squibb received a thunderous ovation at night’s end.