Producers Daryl Roth and Hal Luftig accept the award for Best Musical for "Kinky Boots" during the American Theatre Wing's annual Tony Awards in New York June 9, 2013
Once the underdog challenger, Kinky Boots dominated the night, winning for Best Musical and putting that stuck-up little British import, Matilda, in her place. A shameful bit of Broadway chauvinism, to be sure, but in retrospect, the stars were aligned for Kinky Boots: a splashy American show (after last season’s downbeat Irish Tony winner, Once), with a feel-good vibe, campy drag queens and a score by a pop star, Cyndi Lauper, due for a comeback. Were the Tony producers clued in from the outset? The excerpt from Matilda was first out of the gate, while Kinky got the final showcase spot.