Jonathan Groff thanked his household for backing his love for theater in a touching acceptance speech after his first-ever Tony Award win on Sunday.
The actor and singer, who beforehand obtained Tony nominations for his roles in “Spring Awakening” and “Hamilton,” received Greatest Actor in a Main Position in a Musical for his portrayal of Franklin Shepard within the Broadway revival of “Merrily We Roll Along.”
“Thank you for letting me dress up like Mary Poppins when I was 3. Thank you for letting me act out scenes from I Love Lucy on my 10th birthday. Thank you for always allowing my freak flag to fly without ever making me feel weird about it,” mentioned Groff of his mother and father, Jim and Julie Groff, and his brother, David.
He continued, “Even if they didn’t always understand me, my family knew the lifesaving power of fanning the flame of a young person’s passions without judgment. I walked through life with an open heart because you let me know that I could.”
Groff talked about his transfer to New York, the place he bought a job ready tables and volunteered with Broadway Cares/Fairness Fights Aids, and expressed his gratitude to these concerned in “Spring Awakening” who helped him grow to be a part of the Broadway neighborhood.
″[You] not solely made that dream come true but in addition impressed me to return out of the closet after I was 23,” mentioned the actor, who got here out as homosexual in 2009.
“I’m now 39 and musical theater is still saving my soul.”
Theo Wargo through Getty Photographs
He went on to thank “Merrily We Roll Along” director Maria Friedman and fellow solid members Lindsay Mendez and Daniel Radcliffe, the latter of whom additionally received his first Tony Award on Sunday.
“You are more than old friends, you are soulmates,” he mentioned of the 2 actors, “and I’m looking forward to watching each other change for the rest of our lives.”
He ended his speech by wanting again on his childhood in Pennsylvania, when he would document the Tony Awards on VHS.
“To actually be able to be a part of making theater in this city and just as much to be able to watch the work of this incredible, incredible community has been the greatest gift and pleasure of my life,” he mentioned.
