Review Roundup: The 77th Annual Tony Awards

The 77th Annual Tony Awards took place last night, June 16, at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater.

Check out our full list of winners here. Plus, if you missed any of the action from the big night, check out all of the performances here.

Performances at this year's Tony Awards included Stereophonic, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, Hell’s Kitchen, Illinoise, Merrily We Roll Along, Suffs, The Outsiders, The Who’s Tommy and Water for Elephants. Additionally, Nicole Scherzinger, who will make her Broadway debut next season in Sunset Boulevard, performed the 'In Memoriam' segment.

Find out what the critics thought of Broadway's big night below!

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The New York Times: Ariana DeBose ended her third turn as Tonys host with a mic drop. Otherwise, last night’s ceremony offered a first time for everything and very nearly everyone. All eight winners in the acting categories took home their first trophies. (How is it possible that this is Jonathan Groff’s inaugural win?) The playwright David Adjmi, in his Broadway debut, won for “Stereophonic,” as did its director Daniel Aukin, also a Tony-winning newbie. Danya Taymor took home the prize for best direction of a musical for “The Outsiders,” her initial win. (“The Outsiders” also won for best musical.) In a mellow, equitable night, the other awards were spread among many of the nominated shows, with “Stereophonic,” “The Outsiders,” “Appropriate” and an ingeniously reimagined “Merrily We Roll Again” carrying home the top prizes. 

Naveen Kumar, The Washington Post: Broadway’s biggest night borrowed a vibe from the Very Online to say “we are so back,” with a Tony Awards telecast that showcased an industry in full rebound. Celebrating a season packed with everything from jukebox juggernauts to prickly, provocative dramas, Tony voters spread accolades across a diverse array of shows, signaling an embrace of originality, ingenuity and love of the art form.

Greg Evans, Deadline: The ceremony, which looked gorgeous in Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater (a first-time venue for the Tonys), moved along at a terrific clip, with acceptance speeches concise without seeming rushed, more than a few poignant moments (and even more tears shed, and that’s just from Jonathan Groff), and some exceptional and unexpected wins to go along with the exceptional and expected ones.

Kimberly Nordyke, Caitlin Huston, and Hilary Lewis, The Hollywood Reporter: Ariana DeBose kicked off the show with a dance-heavy opening number in which she celebrated this year’s nominees and the struggles and “journey” that led them to the Broadway awards. “This party’s for you,” DeBose told the nominees during the performance, which she choreographed with Julius Anthony Rubio. DeBose also produces this year’s ceremony. 

Jennifer Vanasco, NPR:  For people whose profession depends on making words sound engaging, too many fumbled with their speeches. And most of those speeches were laundry lists of thank-yous (a notable exception was Jonathan Groff’s lovely speech — for leading role in a musical — about growing up with parents who didn’t always understand him, but who encouraged him anyway). The performances were great, but whenever anyone opened their mouths — even the normally sparkling host Ariana DeBose — it was usually lackluster.

Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly: With the writers back behind the scenes after last year's WGA strike, we hoped for a knockout opening number, but instead we got a generic snooze-fest. It didn’t hold a candle to last year’s frenetic opening, which felt like a live-wire act as host Ariana DeBose performed without a script and backflipped down the stairs. Tom Kitt (Next to Normal) composed a bland tune more akin to a mid-70s cocktail lounge track than a show stopping musical moment. Plus, the choreography and staging felt like they were moving in slow motion. A so-so start to a night honoring a truly spectacular year of theater.

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Photo Credit: Mary Kouw/CBS ©2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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