Review Roundup: What Did Critics Think of the 79th Annual Tony Awards?

Broadway's biggest night has come and gone! The 79th Annual Tony Awards took place last night, June 7, at Radio City Music Hall, hosted by P!nk and celebrated some of this season's best and brightest shows.

What are the critics saying about this year's ceremony? Check out the reviews for this year's Tony Awards in our roundup below. The ceremony is now available to stream on Paramount+. 

Winners included Schmigadoon!, Liberation, Ragtime, Death of a Salesman, Shoshana Bean, Joshua Henry, and more. Check out the full list of winners here. Plus, BroadwayWorld rounded up some of our favorite moments here.

Performances included The Lost Boys, Schmigadoon!, Titaníque, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York), CATS: The Jellicle Ball, Ragtime and Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show. Special tributes were performed in honor of the 30th anniversary of Chicago on Broadway, with a reunion of the original cast of The Book of Mormon and a special performance of A Chorus Line by Rachel Zegler.

Helen Shaw, The New York Times: "The caliber of filming the featured musical numbers at the Tonys was impressively high this year, managing to accurately convey choreography that often spilled into the aisles, stormed down the catwalk or came bursting through a glittering rain curtain."

Thomas Floyd, Washington Post: "Why was Pink hosting the Tonys? That was a question she seemed eager to address during a virtuosic opening number — penned by Oscar winners Benj Pasek, Justin Paul and Mark Sonnenblick — that established her Broadway bona fides by placing her alongside just about the entire Great White Way."

Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly: "While most of the rejiggered lyrics seemed to just be shouting out names of nominees like Lesley Manville and Carrie Coon, it was still thrilling to see basically every Broadway musical actor of the past year combine forces not unlike the mighty Justice League."

Greg Evans, Dessi Gomez, Deadline: "P!nk might have been an unusual choice for a Tony Awards host since she’s never been on Broadway, but from the opening musical number — a clever, specially written rendition of “Lady Marmalade” with special guests Megan Thee Stallion and just about everyone else who has been on Broadway this season — she won over."

Alex Apatoff, People: "From the moment Pink kicked off the Tony Awards hanging high above the stage dressed as Peter Pan, we knew we were in for a fun night, and she made sure to deliver. After addressing right off the bat that some people might be skeptical to see a pop star hosting Broadway's biggest night, she then showed them all why she was chosen, from a high-octane opening number to countless outfit changes — and even stepping into Velma Kelly's LaDucas."

Bryan Reesman, Gold Derby: "This year’s Tony Awards featured the usual speeches with political subtext, a couple braver than others, as well as anniversary tributes to A Chorus Line, Rent, Chicago, and The Book of Mormon, the latter two still playing on the Great White Way. While it was a fun telecast, it felt more about the showstoppers than the awards themselves."

Photo Credit: Michele Crowe/CBS