Tony Awards Review: The Highlights, Some Lowlights And All Praise For The Unstoppable Ariana DeBose

The 75th Annual Tony Awards signified a return to normalcy for the Broadway community by airing in the show’s traditional June berth for the first time in three years. The three-hour telecast, airing live on CBS coast-to-coast for the first time and streaming on Paramount+ and the CBS digital platforms, drew 3.86 million viewers in the time zone-adjusted Nielsen ratings.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterBroadway returned to broadcast — and streaming — Sunday with the 75th annual Tony Awards. The show’s first ever live coast-to-coast telecast drew 3.86 million viewers for its three-hour portion on CBS, according to special time-zone adjusted Live + Same Day Nielsen data.Like last year’s special edition in September, the four-hour ceremony kicked off with an exclusive start on Paramount+, before CBS joined in. But unlike the fall 2021 show that was just two-hours long on network TV, the 2022 Tonys saw its CBS broadcast restored to a full three hours.

Jessica Chastain, Paris Jackson, Vanessa Hudgens, and Ariana DeBose lead the red carpet glamour on Broadway’s biggest night in NYC. The 75th Annual Tony Awards took place on Sunday, June 12 at Radio City Music Hall.

A Strange Loop, an irreverent, sexually frank work about Blackness and queerness took home the best new musical crown at the Tony Awards on Sunday, as voters celebrated Broadway’s most racially diverse season by choosing an envelope-pushing Black voice.

Jessica Chastain is at the top of her acting game if last night's Tony Awards are anything to go by, and yet, proving she's a woman of many talents, she also killed it on the red carpet. The 75th annual Tony Awards, held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, gathered some of the most esteemed names in American theatre, including Lea Michele, Vanessa Hudgens and Jennifer Hudson.

Jennifer Hudson won big at Sunday’s Tony Awards.

Ariana DeBose performed a musical number during the Tony Awards on Sunday (12 June), where she interacted with many audience members, including Andrew Garfield. The 31-year-old actor, who was hosting the award ceremony, delivered a hilarious musical performance that celebrated the audience.

Gordon Cox Theater EditorBroadway celebrated its first full season after the COVID lockdown with the 75th annual Tony Awards, hosted by a newly minted Oscar winner and spotlighting stage work that included a media-darling frontrunner (“A Strange Loop”), a historical pop confection (“Six”), a King of Pop bio-musical (“MJ”) and an epic look at the roots of American capitalism (“The Lehman Trilogy”). Much of the ceremony played out as expected, but as ably hosted by “Hamilton” alum Ariana DeBose, the night still provided plenty of moments for theater fans to remember.(1) Early wins for “Six and “MJ” prepped the audience for a night of surprises — which didn’t quite materialize.A number of Tony predictions (including ours) suggested “Six” had a shot at the award for Best Score, so that win, in itself, wasn’t much of a surprise.

2022 Tony Awards on Sunday as members of the Broadway community gathered at Radio City Music Hall to celebrate Broadway’s return after the COVID-19 pandemic.Hosted by Academy Award winner and Tony nominee Ariana DeBose, the night was full of performances by the musicals that made up the night’s best musical category.Viewers were also treated to a reunion of the 2007 cast of Duncan Sheik’s “Spring Awakening” as well as a moving tribute to the late Stephen Sondheim, who died in November at 91.DeBose, 31, opened the show with a mash-up of some of Broadway’s greatest hits including the likes of “Cabaret,” “Bye Bye Birdie,” “Evita,” “The Wiz,” “Chicago,” “Hamilton,” — which included a shoutout to Lin-Manuel Miranda — “Rent” and “Hairspray.”Now THAT is how you kick off the #TonyAwards!

Sam Rockwell shows off some of his cool dance moves with host Ariana DeBose at the 2022 Tony Awards on Sunday (June 12) at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

The cast of A Strange Loop is taking over the stage at the 2022 Tony Awards!

The cast of Girl from the North Country are taking over the stage at the 2022 Tony Awards!

Paramount Plus.  Following that is the main ceremony of the the 75th annual Tony Awards, hosted by Oscar-winning West Side Story star Ariana DeBose. For the first time ever, the Tonys are airing live coast to coast.

Paris and Prince Jackson were on hand to honor the Broadway musical about their late dad Michael Jackson‘s life.

Sarah Paulson is going glam on the red carpet!

She’s back on Broadway! Ariana DeBose, who got her start acting on the Great White Way, has since become a massive movie star — even winning an Oscar. Now, she’s returning to her theatrical roots as the host of the 75th annual Tony Awards.

It could be a very big night for Jennifer Hudson!

Cynthia Erivo is gracing the red carpet in a gorgeous gown!

Vanessa Hudgens is at the 2022 Tony Awards!