# 75th Tony Awards

The 75th Tony Awards were held on June 12, 2022, to recognize achievement in Broadway productions during the 2021–22 season. The ceremony was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with Ariana DeBose serving as host of the main ceremony, and Darren Criss and Julianne Hough co-hosting a streaming pre-show.
The most-awarded productions of the season were the new play The Lehman Trilogy, which won five awards, including Best Play, and the revival of Stephen Sondheim's musical Company, which also won five awards, including Best Revival of a Musical. The Pulitzer Prize-winning musical A Strange Loop was the most-nominated show of the season, with 11 nominations, and won Best Musical, becoming the first Best Musical winner to win only two awards total since 42nd Street (1981).
With her nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical in A Strange Loop, L Morgan Lee became the first openly transgender person to be nominated for a Tony. Additionally, with her win as a lead producer of A Strange Loop, Jennifer Hudson became the 17th person to win Emmy, Grammy, Academy, and Tony awards in their entertainment career.

## Ceremony information

Returning to its usual June scheduling, the ceremony's telecast was split between Paramount+ and CBS. Paramount+ streamed an hour-long pre-show, The Tony Awards: Act One, which was hosted by Darren Criss and Julianne Hough and featured "special performances" and the presentation of selected awards. It was followed by the main ceremony telecast on CBS and Paramount+, which was hosted by Ariana DeBose. For the first time, the ceremony was televised live nationally.

### Presenters

Act One:
* Vanessa Hudgens – presented Best Original Score
* Judith Light – presented Best Costume Design in a Play and Best Costume Design in a Musical
* Wilson Cruz – presented Best Scenic Design in a Play and Best Scenic Design in a Musical
* Jeremy Pope – presented Best Lighting Design in a Play and Best Lighting Design in a Musical
* Len Cariou – presented Special Tony Award to Angela Lansbury and introduced New York City Gay Men's Chorus
* George Takei – presented Best Sound Design of a Play and Best Sound Design of a Musical
* Gaten Matarazzo – presented Best Orchestrations
* Bebe Neuwirth – presented Best Choreography
Main Show:
* Jessica Chastain and Colman Domingo – presented Best Featured Actor in a Play
* Patrick Wilson – introduced The Music Man
* Kelli O'Hara and Ruthie Ann Miles – presented Best Featured Actress in a Musical
* Prince Jackson and Paris Jackson – introduced MJ the Musical
* Josh Lucas and Sarah Paulson – presented Best Direction of a Play and Best Direction of a Musical
* Sarah Silverman – introduced Mr. Saturday Night
* Skylar Astin and Marcia Gay Harden – presented Best Featured Actress in a Play
* Patina Miller – introduced Company
* Lilli Cooper and Julia Schick – special presentation on the Tonys' history
* LaTanya Richardson Jackson and Samuel L. Jackson – presented Best Revival of a Play
* Anthony Edwards – introduced Girl from the North Country
* Utkarsh Ambudkar and Raúl Esparza – presented Best Featured Actor in a Musical
* Lin-Manuel Miranda – presenter of the Stephen Sondheim tribute
* Darren Criss and Julianne Hough – presented Best Book of a Musical
* Renée Elise Goldsberry and Phillipa Soo – presented Best Revival of a Musical
* Jennifer Hudson and RuPaul Charles – introduced A Strange Loop
* Telly Leung – presented Excellence in Theatre Education Award
* Zach Braff and Lea Michele – introduced the original cast of Spring Awakening
* Andrew Garfield and Nathan Lane – presented Best Play
* David Alan Grier – introduced Paradise Square
* Tony Goldwyn and Bryan Cranston – presented Best Actor in a Play
* Tony Shalhoub and Danny Burstein – presented Best Actress in a Play
* Laurence Fishburne – presenter of the In Memoriam tribute
* Adrienne Warren and Aaron Tveit – presented Best Actor in a Musical
* Danielle Brooks and Cynthia Erivo – presented Best Actress in a Musical
* Bowen Yang – introduced Six
* Chita Rivera – presented Best Musical

### Performances

The following shows and performers performed on the ceremony's telecast:
Act One:
* "Set the Stage" – Darren Criss and Julianne Hough
* "Mame" – New York City Gay Men's Chorus
Main Show:
* "This Is Your Round of Applause" – Ariana DeBose
* "Seventy-Six Trombones" – The Music Man
* "Smooth Criminal" – MJ
* "Stick Around" / "Buddy's First Act" – Mr. Saturday Night
* "Company" – Company
* "Like a Rolling Stone" / "Pressing On" – Girl from the North Country
* "Children Will Listen" – Bernadette Peters
* "Intermission Song" / "Today" – A Strange Loop
* "Touch Me" – The Original Cast of Spring Awakening
* "Paradise Square" / "Let It Burn" – Paradise Square
* "On the Street Where You Live" – Billy Porter
* "Ex-Wives" / "Six" – Six
* "This Is Your Round of Applause" (Reprise) – DeBose

## Eligibility

The Tony Awards eligibility cut-off date for the 2021–22 season was May 4, 2022 for all Broadway productions which meet all other eligibility requirements. Nominations for the 2022 Tony Awards were announced by Adrienne Warren and Joshua Henry on May 9, 2022. They were initially going to be announced on May 3, but were extended a week to accommodate possible COVID-19 outbreaks. A revival of West Side Story that opened on February 20, 2020 was considered ineligible for the 74th Tony Awards because too few nominators and voters had seen it before Broadway shut down on March 12, 2020 due to the pandemic, and it did not resume when Broadway reopened in September 2021.
34 shows were eligible. All eligible shows are below.

## Winners and nominees

Winners are listed first, and are highlighted in boldface:
| Best Play ‡ | Best Musical ‡ |
| The Lehman Trilogy Clyde's Hangmen Skeleton Crew The Minutes | A Strange Loop Girl from the North Country MJ Mr. Saturday Night Paradise Square Six |
| Best Revival of a Play ‡ | Best Revival of a Musical ‡ |
| Take Me Out American Buffalo For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf How I Learned to Drive Trouble in Mind | Company Caroline, or Change The Music Man |
| Best Actor in a Play | Best Actress in a Play |
| Simon Russell Beale – The Lehman Trilogy as Henry Lehman Adam Godley – The Lehman Trilogy as Mayer Lehman Adrian Lester – The Lehman Trilogy as Emanuel Lehman David Morse – How I Learned to Drive as Uncle Peck Sam Rockwell – American Buffalo as Teach Ruben Santiago-Hudson – Lackawanna Blues as Various David Threlfall – Hangmen as Harry Wade | Deirdre O'Connell – Dana H. as Dana H. Gabby Beans – The Skin of Our Teeth as Sabina LaChanze – Trouble in Mind as Wiletta Mayer Ruth Negga – Macbeth as Lady Macbeth Mary-Louise Parker – How I Learned to Drive as Li'l Bit |
| Best Actor in a Musical | Best Actress in a Musical |
| Myles Frost – MJ as MJ Billy Crystal – Mr. Saturday Night as Buddy Young Jr. Hugh Jackman – The Music Man as Harold Hill Rob McClure – Mrs. Doubtfire as Daniel Hillard / Euphegenia Doubtfire Jaquel Spivey – A Strange Loop as Usher | Joaquina Kalukango – Paradise Square as Nelly O'Brien Sharon D. Clarke – Caroline, or Change as Caroline Thibodeaux Carmen Cusack – Flying Over Sunset as Clare Boothe Luce Sutton Foster – The Music Man as Marian Paroo Mare Winningham – Girl from the North Country as Elizabeth Laine |
| Best Featured Actor in a Play | Best Featured Actress in a Play |
| Jesse Tyler Ferguson – Take Me Out as Mason Marzac Alfie Allen – Hangmen as Mooney Chuck Cooper – Trouble in Mind as Sheldon Forrester Ron Cephas Jones – Clyde's as Montrellous Michael Oberholtzer – Take Me Out as Shane Mungitt Jesse Williams – Take Me Out as Darren Lemming | Phylicia Rashad – Skeleton Crew as Faye Uzo Aduba – Clyde's as Clyde Rachel Dratch – POTUS as Stephanie Kenita R. Miller – for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf as Lady in Red Julie White – POTUS as Harriet Kara Young – Clyde's as Letitia |
| Best Featured Actor in a Musical | Best Featured Actress in a Musical |
| Matt Doyle – Company as Jamie Sidney DuPont – Paradise Square as Washington Henry Jared Grimes – Funny Girl as Eddie Ryan John-Andrew Morrison – A Strange Loop as Thought 4 A. J. Shively – Paradise Square as Owen Duignan | Patti LuPone – Company as Joanne Jeannette Bayardelle – Girl from the North Country as Mrs. Neilsen Shoshana Bean – Mr. Saturday Night as Susan Young Jayne Houdyshell – The Music Man as Eulalie McKechnie Shinn L Morgan Lee – A Strange Loop as Thought 1 Jennifer Simard – Company as Sarah |
| Best Direction of a Play | Best Direction of a Musical |
| Sam Mendes – The Lehman Trilogy Lileana Blain-Cruz – The Skin of Our Teeth Camille A. Brown – for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf Neil Pepe – American Buffalo Les Waters – Dana H. | Marianne Elliott – Company Jamie Armitage and Lucy Moss – Six Stephen Brackett – A Strange Loop Conor McPherson – Girl from the North Country Christopher Wheeldon – MJ |
| Best Book of a Musical | Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre |
| A Strange Loop – Michael R. Jackson Girl from the North Country – Conor McPherson MJ – Lynn Nottage Mr. Saturday Night – Billy Crystal, Lowell Ganz, and Babaloo Mandel Paradise Square – Christina Anderson, Larry Kirwan, and Craig Lucas | Six – Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss (music and lyrics) A Strange Loop – Michael R. Jackson (music and lyrics) Flying Over Sunset – Tom Kitt (music) and Michael Korie (lyrics) Mr. Saturday Night – Jason Robert Brown (music) and Amanda Green (lyrics) Paradise Square – Masi Asare and Nathan Tysen (lyrics) and Jason Howland (music) |
| Best Scenic Design of a Play | Best Scenic Design of a Musical |
| Es Devlin – The Lehman Trilogy Beowulf Boritt – POTUS Michael Carnahan and Nicholas Hussong – Skeleton Crew Anna Fleischle – Hangmen Scott Pask – American Buffalo Adam Rigg – The Skin of Our Teeth | Bunny Christie – Company Beowulf Boritt and 59 Productions – Flying Over Sunset Arnulfo Maldonado – A Strange Loop Derek McLane and Peter Nigrini – MJ Allen Moyer – Paradise Square |
| Best Costume Design of a Play | Best Costume Design of a Musical |
| Montana Levi Blanco – The Skin of Our Teeth Sarafina Bush – for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf Emilio Sosa – Trouble in Mind Jane Greenwood – Plaza Suite Jennifer Moeller – Clyde's | Gabriella Slade – Six Fly Davis – Caroline, or Change Toni-Leslie James – Paradise Square William Ivey Long – Diana Santo Loquasto – The Music Man Paul Tazewell – MJ |
| Best Lighting Design of a Play | Best Lighting Design of a Musical |
| Jon Clark – The Lehman Trilogy Joshua Carr – Hangmen Jiyoun Chang – for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf Jane Cox – Macbeth Yi Zhao – The Skin of Our Teeth | Natasha Katz – MJ Neil Austin – Company Tim Deiling – Six Donald Holder – Paradise Square Bradley King – Flying Over Sunset Jen Schriever – A Strange Loop |
| Best Sound Design of a Play | Best Sound Design of a Musical |
| Mikhail Fiksel – Dana H. Dominic Bilkey and Nick Powell – The Lehman Trilogy Justin Ellington – for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf Palmer Hefferan – The Skin of Our Teeth Mikaal Sulaiman – Macbeth | Gareth Owen – MJ Simon Baker – Girl from the North Country Paul Gatehouse – Six Ian Dickinson for Autograph – Company Drew Levy – A Strange Loop |
| Best Choreography | Best Orchestrations |
| Christopher Wheeldon – MJ Camille A. Brown – for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf Warren Carlyle – The Music Man Carrie-Anne Ingrouille – Six Bill T. Jones – Paradise Square | Simon Hale – Girl from the North Country David Cullen – Company Tom Curran – Six David Holcenberg and Jason Michael Webb – MJ Charlie Rosen – A Strange Loop |
‡ The award is presented to the producer(s) of the musical or play.

### Productions with multiple nominations and awards

Productions with multiple nominations :
| Nominations | Production |
| 11 | A Strange Loop |
| 10 | MJ |
| 10 | Paradise Square |
| 9 | Company |
| 8 | The Lehman Trilogy |
| 8 | Six |
| 7 | for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf |
| 7 | Girl from the North Country |
| 6 | The Music Man |
| 6 | The Skin of Our Teeth |
| 5 | Clyde's |
| 5 | Hangmen |
| 5 | Mr. Saturday Night |
| 4 | American Buffalo |
| 4 | Flying Over Sunset |
| 4 | Take Me Out |
| 4 | Trouble in Mind |
| 3 | Caroline, or Change |
| 3 | Dana H. |
| 3 | How I Learned to Drive |
| 3 | Macbeth |
| 3 | POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive |
| 3 | Skeleton Crew |
Productions with multiple wins :
| Awards | Production |
| 5 | Company |
| 5 | The Lehman Trilogy |
| 4 | MJ |
| 2 | Dana H. |
| 2 | Six |
| 2 | A Strange Loop |
| 2 | Take Me Out |

## Non-competitive awards

Robert E. Wankel was awarded the Isabelle Stevenson Award for "his generosity and service to the welfare of our Broadway community, over the past four decades and, especially in the face of a global crisis." The award for Excellence in Theatre Education will also be brought back this year. The recipients of the Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre include the Asian American Performers Action Coalition, Broadway for All, music copyist Emily Grishman, Feinstein's/54 Below, and United Scenic Artists (Local USA 829, IATSE). On May 23, 2022, it was announced that Angela Lansbury would be receiving a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement. The Regional Tony Award was given to the Court Theatre. James C. Nicola, retiring artistic director of the New York Theatre Workshop after 34 years, also received a Special Tony Award.

## Reception
### Reviews

The ceremony received generally favorable reviews from critics. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the program received six positive and two negative reviews, for an approval rating of 75%.
In Variety, Gordon Cox praised the opening number of the CBS telecast and DeBose's performance as host therein, singling out the performance as "hip and queer and sexy, and it satisfied the old-school avids as much as it made Broadway look like a place the cool kids might want to check out, too". Jennifer Vanasco of NPR also praised DeBose, writing "Let Ariana DeBose host everything [...] She was funny and playful, strutting into the audience and sitting on Andrew Garfield's lap. She was poignant, coming to tears as she talked about her theater teacher mentor. She was honest, gently commenting on the racial disparities in the theater industry". Writing for the Associated Press, Jocelyn Noveck called the telecast "exuberant" and said that it showed "Broadway is back, with verve and creativity, and it is here to stay. It just needs even more people filling the seats".
Johnny Oleksinski of the New York Post panned the show, describing it as "low-energy, poorly put-on", writing that DeBose's "songs and banter were forced and unfunny", and heavily criticizing the ceremony's tribute to Stephen Sondheim, which he deemed "far too modest [...] a total afterthought".

### Ratings

The CBS telecast was watched by 3.86 million viewers in the United States, marking a 39% increase from the previous year's ceremony, the lowest-rated Tony Awards broadcast since viewership was measured. However, when compared to the 73rd Tony Awards in 2019, which were the last one before the 75th to run three hours and the last one before the COVID-19 pandemic, viewership declined 29% between 2019 and 2022.