NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) — “Dear Evan Hansen,” an original American musical about a troubled teenager adrift in the dystopian world of modern social media, dominated the 2017 Tony Awards, winning in six categories, including best musical, best performance by an actor and actress, and best score.
The near sweep for Hansen was a surprise for many observers, who thought the Canadian musical “Come From Away,” about a small town in Newfoundland during the 9/11 disaster would put up more competition. However, it only managed to win one Tony on the night, taking the award for best director for Christopher Ashley.
Other winners on the night included "Hello Dolly" which took four awards, including best musical revival, best costumes and best leading actor and actress for musicals for Gavin Creel and Bette Midler, respectively.
Kevin Spacey, who handled hosting duties for the awards show, drew mixed reviews, with the New York Times describing his handling of the hosting duties ranging tortuous for the opening song montage to tolerable for his impressions of Johnny Carson and Bill Clinton. Variety suggested that Spacey was not as engaging as previous hosts, such as James Corden
Ratings for this year's Tony Awards fell off markedly from 2016, down by 31 percent according to overnight returns from Nielsen. The 2016 Tony Awards were bolstered by the hype surrounding "Hamilton" and this year, the awards show squared off against the Stanley Cup final on NBC.
The full list of 2017 Tony Award winners
Musical: “Dear Evan Hansen”
Play: “Oslo”
Musical revival: “Hello, Dolly!”
Play revival: “Jitney”
Leading actor, play: Kevin Kline, “Present Laughter”
Leading actress, play: Laurie Metcalf, “A Doll’s House, Part 2”
Leading actor, musical: Ben Platt, “Dear Evan Hansen”
Leading actress, musical: Bette Midler, “Hello, Dolly!”
Featured actor, play: Michael Aronov, “Oslo”
Featured actress, play: Cynthia Nixon, “The Little Foxes”
Featured actor, musical: Gavin Creel, “Hello, Dolly!”
Featured actress, musical: Rachel Bay Jones, “Dear Evan Hansen”
Book, musical: “Dear Evan Hansen,” Steven Levenson
Original score: “Dear Evan Hansen,” music and lyrics, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
Scenic design, play: Nigel Hook, “The Play That Goes Wrong”
Scenic design, musical: Mimi Lien, “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812”
Costume design, play: Jane Greenwood, “The Little Foxes”
Costume design, musical: Santo Loquasto, “Hello, Dolly!”
Lighting design, play: Christopher Akerlind, “Indecent”
Lighting design, musical: Bradley King, “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812”
Direction, play: Rebecca Taichman, “Indecent”
Direction, musical: Christopher Ashley, “Come From Away”
Choreography: Andy Blankenbuehler, “Bandstand”
Orchestrations: Alex Lacamoire, “Dear Evan Hansen”
Special Tony Award for lifetime achievement in the theater: James Earl Jones
Special Tony Award: Gareth Fry and Pete Malkin, sound designers for “The Encounter”
Regional Theater Tony Award: Dallas Theater Center, Dallas
Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award: Baayork Lee
Tony Honors for excellence in the theater: Nina Lannan, Alan Wasser
