The Tony Awards – Broadway’s biggest night

Brooke McCormick, Staff writer

On Sunday, June 11, hundreds of actors and actresses got together at the Tony Awards to honor the numerous musicals and plays this year on Broadway. The host of this year’s Tony Awards was House of Cards star, Kevin Spacey. Although he may not seem like the best choice for host, Spacey won a Tony in 1991 for his performance in “Lost in Yonkers,” making him qualified for the job.

In the opening of the show, Spacey put on a musical number that featured an aspect of each of the four Best Musical nominees. The opening was centered around the joke that Spacey was not the first choice for host, and featured many popular celebrities, like Whoopi Goldberg and Stephen Colbert, who gave Spacey advice on how to host the Tonys. Although the opening was the only part of the night in which the spotlight was on Spacey, he remained a force on stage as he cracked jokes and did impersonations of other celebrities throughout the night.

There were many awards given to lead actors and actresses in both musicals and plays. The Tony for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a play was awarded to Kevin Kline for his performance in “After Laughter,” while the Tony for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play was awarded to Laurie Metcalf for her role in “A Doll’s House, pt. 2.”

On the other hand, the Tony for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical was given to Ben Platt for his heart wrenching portrayal of Evan Hansen in “Dear Evan Hansen.” Lastly, the Tony for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical was given to acting legend Bette Midler for her role in “Hello, Dolly!”

Although they might not be the center of attention, actors in supporting roles also deserve to be recognized. With that being said, the Tony for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play was given to Michael Aronov from “Oslo,” while the Tony for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play was awarded to Cynthia Nixon for her role in “The Little Foxes.”

Additionally, the winner of the Tony for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical was Gavin Creel from “Hello, Dolly!” Furthermore, the winner of the Tony for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical was Rachel Bay Jones from “Dear Evan Hansen.”

Actors are an important part of Broadway, but the Tonys also recognized plays and musicals as a whole. With that being said, the winner of the Tony for Best Play was “Oslo,” while the winner of Best Musical was “Dear Evan Hansen.” The Tonys also honored plays and musicals that were brought back to Broadway, giving awards to renewed classics. The winner of the Tony for Best Revival of a Play went to “Jitney,” while the Tony for Best Revival of a Musical was given to “Hello, Dolly!”

Along with handing out plenty of awards, the Tonys also featured a ton of performances from many different musicals. Performances were given by all four Best Musical nominees, which included “Dear Evan Hansen,” “Come From Away,” “The Great Big Comet of 1812,” and “Groundhog Day.” In addition to these performances, musical numbers were performed by the actors and actresses starring in the revivals of “Falsettos,” “Hello, Dolly!”, and “Miss Saigon.” All of the performances were able to give viewers both in the theater and at home a taste of the magic of each show, and helped them to see that they are being recognized for all the right reasons.

All in all, the Tonys was an entertaining award show with few dull moments despite it being three hours long. Even if there was a time that the show seemed to be getting a bit boring, Spacey was there to crack a few jokes to keep the audience interested. Also, the performances were able to keep the show lively compared to the sometimes boring distribution of awards. As a whole, it was a good awards night for all who won, but “Dear Evan Hansen” came out on top as it took home six Tonys. Although six Tonys seems like a lot, it does not compare to last year in which the popular musical, “Hamilton,” took home 11 Tonys. In conclusion, the Tonys were able to keep viewers entertained while honoring the best of Broadway.