Tony
The first time Broadway director and choreographer Sergio Trujillo heard about Real Women Have Curves, he didn’t pay much attention. His husband, producer Jack Noseworthy — with whom he runs Truworthy Productions, focused on finding Latino stories to empower the community through musical theater — had watched the America Ferrera-starring 2002 movie and asked him to see it, thinking it would make “a really interesting musical.”
“Mostly because he’s been growing up with my family — my mother, my sisters, all of them — and he said he saw something in it,” Trujillo, who was born in Colombia, tells Billboard Español. “I was so absorbed with so many other projects, that I sort of saw it but I didn’t pay attention.”
One night, he decided to give it another shot, learning that it was originally a play by Josefina López – which he read immediately. “I was like, ‘Oh, my God, this is a musical! Mostly because the characters were bigger than life. The language was so buoyant, it was like music. The story was beautiful,” he recalls joyfully. “And there is a phrase that [the protagonist] Ana says in the play — ‘Women are most powerful when they work together’ — that resonated with me deeply, more than anything else.”
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Set in the Boyle Heights section of Los Angeles in 1987, Real Women Have Curves follows Ana García, a cutely chubby, uber-smart daughter of immigrant parents who struggles between her ambitions of going to college and the desires of her mother for her to get married, have children and oversee the small, rundown family-owned textile factory. The show deals with gender politics and the Latina immigrant experience, with immigration agents messing with their husbands, judgment from other characters, and dreams that for many undocumented seem simply impossible to achieve.
Trujillo, both as an immigrant and as one of the few men in his family, felt a profound connection. “I thought, ‘What a great way to,’ first of all, in the mission to empower our community, ‘to empower women, but also celebrate all of my mother and my sister and my aunts, all of the women that have made so many sacrifices so that I could have the life that I have.’” And that is what he did.
Formally opening on April 27 at the James Earl Jones Theatre, Real Women Have Curves: The Musical is now nominated for two Tony Awards at Sunday’s show: best original score, by Latin music star Joy Huerta (half of the Mexican pop duo Jesse & Joy) and Benjamin Velez, and best performance by an actress in a featured role for Justina Machado — who in a full-circle moment plays Carmen García, the mother of Ana, more than 30 years after playing Ana herself at the Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago.
The fact that both Huerta and Machado received nominations this year is remarkable. The former is a Grammy-winning singer who had never done theater before. The latter — whom Trujillo worked with more than two decades ago and was completely convinced she was his Carmen — was initially reluctant to accept the role because she couldn’t see herself in it.
“When I did the play when I was 20 years old, it was just a different kind of role. And when I saw the movie, you know, with the wonderful, iconic Lupe Ontiveros [as Carmen], I just didn’t think that was something that I would want to do or that I would fit with,” Machado explains to Billboard. “I had to be talked into coming and doing a 29-hour reading — one of the first things you do when you’re developing a new musical or a new play.”
So the actress, known for TV series like Six Feet Under and One Day at a Time — and whose only previous Broadway credit was as a replacement for In The Heights‘ Daniela for a couple of months in 2009 — flew from Los Angeles to New York.
Once there, she not only found a less serious, less judgmental Carmen, but also a set of inspiring songs — from the soaring coming-of-age tune “Flying Away” to the humorous “Adiós Andes,” sort of a funny ode to menopause which she performs brilliantly during the show. (You can listen to the full album of Real Women Have Curves: The Musical here.)
“Really, what made me fall in love with the role was the music,” Machado admits. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, I love this music.’ But I had to be convinced that I was the person to play this role.”
And as much as she loved the music, the music creators loved her. Huerta, who was recruited early on as a songwriter and was there during that first reading of the show, recalls how the actress made her feel. “Justina was the first person I remember saying, ‘This is a non-negotiable for me,’” she tells Billboard. “I had never felt – I mean, I had felt it with music, but seeing a person perform that really made me forget about the world? I was like, ‘Please, please make sure to get her. … What do you have to do to make this happen?’”
“Sergio really was the one, he really kept on,” Machado says of what convinced her. “They were very persistent, and I’m so very happy that they were. … I never thought that I would be revisiting this play again in another form, and it really works as a musical. It’s almost like it should have always been a musical. It’s just so beautiful.”
Although it did not receive a Tony nomination for best musical or best actress, despite widespread acclaim for the show and for Tatiana Córdoba, who plays Ana in her Broadway debut, the cast of Real Women Have Curves will be performing at the awards ceremony on Sunday night.
Trujillo hopes the effort he’s put into representing Latinos on Broadway doesn’t go unnoticed by his target audience. “I’m on this mission to empower our community, to try to create content and stories in which they can see themselves,” he says. “But I need them to come to the theater. I need Latinos to do their part and support us.”
In honor of Women’s History Month, let’s look at records that women have set at awards shows. These aren’t simply instances of the first woman to do this or that; these are cases where a woman holds a record that isn’t gender-specific.
In some cases, women are absolutely crushing it in a particular category. Billie Eilish set a record in 2020 as the youngest person to win the Grammy for album of the year. She was just 18 when she won for When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? The old record was held by Taylor Swift, who was 20 when she won for Fearless. Before that, it was held by Alanis Morissette, who was 21 when she won for Jagged Little Pill. And before that it was held by Barbra Streisand who was 22 when she won for The Barbra Streisand Album. Between them, these four women have held this record continuously since Streisand first set it in May 1964.
The all-time youngest winners in the three other Big Four Grammy categories are also women. Eilish is the youngest winner for record of the year, for “Bad Guy.” Lorde, 17 at the time, was the youngest winner for song of the year, for “Royals.” LeAnn Rimes, just 14 at the time, was the youngest winner for best new artist.
A total of 14 artists have received Grammy nominations in each of the Big Four categories — album, record and song of the year, plus best new artist — in the same calendar year. A whopping ten of those artists have been women, from Bobbie Gentry (1967) to Olivia Rodrigo (2021).
Women also rule at the MTV Video Music Awards. The four artists who have won the most Moon Persons (it still doesn’t roll off the tongue as easily as Moonman, does it?) are all women – Beyoncé (27), Madonna (20), Lady Gaga (18) and Swift (14).
In the history of the Academy Awards, just four people have been nominated for Oscars for acting and songwriting in the same year. Three are women: Mary J. Blige, Lady Gaga and Cynthia Erivo.
Here are 20 more awards show records held by women:
Most Grammy wins: Beyoncé (32)
Image Credit: Francis Specker/CBS via GI
Beyoncé made history last month when she surpassed the late classical conductor Sir Georg Solti for the most Grammy wins by anyone ever. Solti won 31 awards from 1962 to 1997. In addition, Beyoncé is tied with her husband Jay-Z for the most Grammy nominations (88 each).
Only artist to sweep Grammys for album, record and song of the year twice: Adele
The British superstar accomplished that sweep with 21 and its megahit “Rolling in the Deep” (2011) and repeated the feat five years later with her follow-up 25 and its power ballad “Hello” (2016).
Longest winning streak in any Grammy category: Aretha Franklin (eight years)
The Queen of Soul won best R&B vocal performance, female every year from 1967-74. That’s a lot of “Respect.”
Youngest artist to receive Grammy nods in each of the Big Four categories in one year: Billie Eilish
Image Credit: Alberto E. Rodriguez/GI for The Recording Academy
The phenom was just 17 when she was nominated in all four categories in November 2019, which allowed her to surpass the previous record-holder, Mariah Carey (who was 20 when she swept the 1990 noms). Eilish, who had turned 18 by the time of the awards ceremony in January 2020, is also the younger of the two artists who have won each of the Big Four awards in one year.
Artist with the most American Music Awards: Taylor Swift (40)
In addition to her overall lead, Swift is the artist with the most AMAs for artist of the year (seven) and for favorite music video (three).
Artist with the most ACM Awards: Miranda Lambert (38)
In addition to her overall lead, the Texan is the Academy of Country Music’s leader for most awards in these three key categories: female vocalist of the year (nine), album of the year (five) and song of the year (as a songwriter, three).
Artist with the most BET Awards: Beyoncé (33)
Bey is also the artist with the most Soul Train Awards (25).
Youngest artist to win Video Vanguard Award at the VMAs: Janet Jackson
Jackson was just 24 when she won the award in 1990. She also won a competitive award that year, best choreography in a video for “Rhythm Nation,” and performed “Black Cat” on the telecast.
Only artist to receive three VMAs for music video of the year: Taylor Swift
Swift won for “Bad Blood” (collab with Kendrick Lamar, 2015), “You Need to Calm Down” (2019), and “All Too Well: The Short Film” (2022). The later video made Swift the first artist to win music video of the year for an entirely self-directed video. Lamar, Swift and Lil Nas X had previously won for videos they co-directed.
Only songwriter to receive an honorary Oscar: Diane Warren
Warren received the award at a gala in Los Angeles in November 2022. She followed it up by becoming only the fifth person to receive an honorary Oscar and a nod for a competitive Oscar in the same awards year.
Only person to win Oscars for both acting and songwriting: Barbra Streisand
Image Credit: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via GI
The prodigiously talented multi-hyphenate won best actress for Funny Girl (1968, in a headline-making tie with Katharine Hepburn) and best original song for composing “Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)” (1976).
Most Oscars for acting: Katharine Hepburn (four)
The great star also holds the records for the longest time span between first and last Oscar nominations and between first and last Oscars — 49 years from Morning Glory (1932-33) through On Golden Pond (1981).
Most Oscar nominations for acting: Meryl Streep (21)
Seventeen of those nominations are for best actress, the other four are for best supporting actress. Streep landed her first Oscar nod for The Deer Hunter (1978); her most recent for The Post (2017).
Youngest Oscar recipient: Shirley Temple
The OG America’s Sweetheart, who lifted a nation’s spirits during the Great Depression, was six when she was awarded an honorary Oscar “in grateful recognition of her outstanding contribution to screen entertainment during the year 1934.”
Youngest winner of a competitive acting Oscar: Tatum O’Neal
The second-generation star was 10 when she won best supporting actress for Paper Moon (1973).
Youngest winner of a lead acting Oscar: Marlee Matlin
Matlin was 21 when she won best actress for Children of a Lesser God (1986). Her achievement is all the more impressive owing to her deafness.
First actor/actress to win an Oscar for performing in a language other than English: Sophia Loren
The Italian actress and screen beauty won best actress for Two Women (1961).
Most Tonys won for performances: Audra McDonald (six)
Image Credit: Andrew H. Walker/WireImage for Tony Awards Productions
The actress/singer’s Tonys span the years 1994-2014. McDonald is also the only person to win Tonys in all four categories in which a performer is eligible—for playing both lead and featured roles in both plays and musicals.
Most Tony nominations for performances (tie): Julie Harris and Chita Rivera (10 each)
Harris’ nominations span the years 1952-97. Rivera’s nods span the years 1961-2015. In addition, both women have received special Tony Awards for lifetime achievement in the theatre.
Most Emmys won by a performer (tie): Cloris Leachman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus (eight each)
Leachman’s Emmys span the years 1973-2006 and include two awards each for The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Malcolm in the Middle. Louis-Dreyfus’ span the years 1996-2017. Louis-Dreyfus also holds the record for most Emmys won for a playing the same role in the same series. She won six Emmys for playing Selina Meyer on Veep from 2012–17.
Burt Bacharach, who died on Wednesday (Feb. 8) at age 94, was one of America’s finest composers and arrangers. He most deservedly won a lot of awards over the years, and just missed out on a couple of others.
Bacharach won six Grammys, three Oscars and an Emmy. He and his long-time collaborator Hal David were nominated for a Tony for best musical in 1970 for the musical comedy Promises, Promises, on which they teamed with playwright Neil Simon. Promises, Promises was nominated in that category the same year as the smash Hair, which brought rock rhythms (and full-frontal nudity) to Broadway. Surprisingly, neither of these shows won. The award went to 1776, also a long-running hit, but one that is less well-remembered today.
If Promises, Promises had won, Bacharach would have become an EGOT the following year when he won a Primetime Emmy for his special Singer Presents Burt Bacharach. That would have made Bacharach just the second person to achieve the EGOT, following Richard Rodgers, who completed the sweep of Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Awards in 1962.
Another miss: Bacharach never received the Kennedy Center Honors. True, he and David received the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, but many others have received both awards. It’s the Kennedy Center’s loss: Bacharach would have added luster to their roster of recipients.
Fortunately, Bacharach achieved so many awards feats that we don’t need to dwell on the shoulda-woulda-couldas. He had a 58-year span of Grammy nominations, from 1963 (a song of the year nod for the suave, if sexist, “Wives and Lovers”) to 2021 (a nod for best musical theater album for Burt Bacharach and Steven Sater’s Some Lovers).
Here are 11 times Burt Bacharach made awards show history.
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