Tony Awards 2018 as it happened: The Band's Visit, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child win big
The 72nd annual Tony Awards is over, with a ceremony attended by Broadway's biggest actors at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
Performances from the casts of Mean Girls, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical and Bruce Springsteen were just some of the evening's highlights, along with a special appearance from the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School who sang a survival song from the Broadway musical Rent.
While this year's awards show had SpongeBob Squarepants: The Musical and Mean Girls leading with 12 nominations, The Band's Visit dominated the ceremony with 10 wins.
Other notable wins from the ceremony included Andrew Garfield for Lead Actor and Nathan Lane for Featured Actor in Angels in America and Laurie Metcalf for Best Featured Actress for Three Tall Women.
Welcome to The Independent's live blog for the 72nd annual Tony Awards! Ahead of the show, see the full list of nominees for this year's ceremony. Leading this year's ceremony are Mean Girls and SpongeBob Squarepants: The Musical who have 12 nominations each.
Mean Girls has 12 chances to win at this year's ceremony, and Tina Fey will be on the red carpet tonight. We caught the Broadway show recently, and we can honestly say that it deserves these nominations.
Entertainment Tonight's Denny Directo is hosting the red carpet tonight and just revealed hosts Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban will be performing a musical number tonight. But that's not the only thing he said: Sara Bareilles is working on a new album apparently.
Josh Groban and Sara Bareilles. (Credit: Brian Ach/Getty Images for Find Your Light Foundation)
Chita Rivera is the pinnacle of Hollywood glamour in a red, silk gown. The former West Side Story star is "humbled" to be receiving a Lifetime Achievement in Theatre honour alongside Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Tony Awards co-host Sara Bareilles glows in a bronze gown with a sequined bodice - one of her many looks for this evening's ceremony.
(Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
The Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne and Katy Weaver are wearing "SpongeBob-inspired" looks for tonight's awards show. The Flaming Lips are nominated for Original Score for SpongeBob Squarepants: The Musical tonight.
(Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
The Color Purple's Cynthia Erivo looks breathtaking in an off-the-shoulder black lace gown with a fitted bodice.
(Credit: Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
Hosts Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban's red carpet looks complement one another, so they're off to a good start.
(Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
Broadway producer Jordan Roth stole the red carpet in an electric blue Givenchy couture tux. Tonight he's vying for a Tony Award for the Angels in America revival. This will be his fourth win if he takes the award home.
(Credit: Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
Tina Fey leads the Mean Girls charge at this year's awards show with 12 nominations for her hit musical. The show's co-creator stuns in a floor-length fringe-accented metallic gown.
(Credit: Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
Andrew Garfield looks especially regal tonight on the Tony Awards red carpet. He arrived just after performing a matinee show of Angels in America. Tonight he's nominated for Leading Actor in a Play for his role as Prior Walter in the Broadway revival.
(Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
It's impossible for Kerry Washington to ever look anything less than perfect. Tonight she shines in a silver gown with a plunging neckline and took time to promote her new Facebook Watch series Five Points, which she's producing. With Scandal's final season wrapped, she'll also make her return to Broadway in American Son. (Credit: Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
The red carpet looks were mostly stunning, but perhaps the New York City rain made it a bit of a snoozefest. Hopefully the ceremony will be the opposite when it begins shortly.
Congratulations to Andrew Garfield for his winning a Tony Award for Leading Actor in a Play for Angels in America. He delivered an emotional speech about acceptance and equality, taking aim at the bakery that refused to serve a gay couple: "Let’s just bake a cake for every one who wants a cake."
(Credit: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
Laurie Metcalf just took home her second Tony Award win - this time for Featured Actress in Three Tall Women. Roseanne may be cancelled, but it looks like Metcalf is finally getting the attention she deserves.
(Credit: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
The entire cast of Mean Girls delivered stellar performances of "Where Do You Belong?" and "Meet The Plastics." Regina George's white pantsuit is flawless and so is the cast. (Credit: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Production)
