AP Breakthrough Entertainer: Adrienne Warren, Broadway baby

By MARK KENNEDY
AP Entertainment Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Adrienne Warren had studiously avoided touching a Tony Award her entire stage career. On Sept 26, 2021, she finally held one. Warren won the best leading actress Tony for being a one-woman fireball of energy and exhilaration while portraying Tina Turner in a Broadway musical celebrating the rock pioneer’s life. The win capped a remarkable year for the actor who during the pandemic lost and gained 30 pounds for a TV role and also co-founded the Broadway Advocacy Coalition, which uses storytelling to dismantle the systems that perpetuate racism. Her success has made Warren one of The Associated Press’ Breakthrough Entertainers of the Year.