CBS/Kathleen Holloway(NEW YORK) — Dear Evan Hanson was the big winner at the 2017 Tony Awards, broadcast live from New York’s Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, walking off with six trophies, including best musical and lead actor and actress nods for Ben Platt and Rachel Bay Jones.
Oslo took home best play honors, while August Wilson’s Jitney and Hello, Dolly! took home best revival of a play and best revival of a musical, respectively.
Bette Midler won for best leading actress in a musical for Dolly! giving an incredibly long acceptance speech in which she thanked everyone, including “all the Tony voters, many of whom I actually dated.”
Several award recipients aired their political views, including Cynthia Nixon, best featured actress in a play-winner for her role in Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes. After reading Hellman’s quote, “There are people who eat the earth and eat all the people on it, and other people who just stand around and watch them do it,” Nixon added, “My love, my gratitude and my undying respect go out to all the people in 2017 who are refusing to just stand and watch them do it. Thank you.”
Kevin Kline, a winner for best leading actor in a play for his role in Present Laughter, included in his thank-you’s “a number of organizations without whom probably half of the people in this room would not be here. And that would be the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.”
While presenting the award for best musical revival, Stephen Colbert, host of CBS’ Late Show, took aim at his favorite target, President Donald Trump, calling 2017 a “great year for revivals in general – especially that one they’re reviving in Washington D.C.”
“Couple problems, he quipped, “the main character is totally unbelievable. And hair and makeup – yeesh!”
Host Kevin Spacey also got into the act, delivering an impersonation of former president Bill Clinton, during which he joked, “This season’s been full of drama, we’ve already had some surprising winners haven’t we?…And I’m not even talking about the Tony Awards.
Here’s the complete list of Tony winners:
BEST PLAY
Oslo
BEST MUSICAL
Dear Evan Hansen
BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY
August Wilson’s Jitney
BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
Hello, Dolly!
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY
Kevin Kline for Present Laughter
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY
Laurie Metcalf for A Doll’s House, Part 2
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Ben Platt for Dear Evan Hansen
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Bette Midler for Hello, Dolly!
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A PLAY
Michael Aronov for Oslo
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A PLAY
Cynthia Nixon for Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Gavin Creel for Hello, Dolly!
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Rachel Bay Jones for Dear Evan Hansen
BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL
Steven Levenson for Dear Evan Hansen
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE (MUSIC AND/OR LYRICS) WRITTEN FOR THE THEATRE
Dear Evan Hansen
Music & Lyrics: Benj Pasek & Justin Paul
BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A PLAY
Nigel Hook for The Play That Goes Wrong
BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Mimi Lien for Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A PLAY
Jane Greenwood for Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes
BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Santo Loquasto for Hello, Dolly!
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A PLAY
Christopher Akerlind for Indecent
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Bradley King for Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY
Rebecca Taichman for Indecent
BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
Christopher Ashley for Come from Away
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Andy Blankenbuehler for Bandstand
Copyright © 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.