Well, this is an opinion piece, so I should perhaps make the subtitle "A Very Satisfying Event for Me." A quick glance around the web reveals that I was not in the majority.
I do, of course, mark my satisfaction on a curve. Before the show even started, I accepted that (1) it would be at least a partial ego-a-thon; (2) Ariana DeBose would be annoying; (3) the Tony people would not give a full spotlight to many winners, delegating lifetime achievement and various other awards to an earlier show before the show-show. Jack O'Brien, George C. Wolfe, Billy Porter, and Best Book should not be treated as second class! None of the awards should, of course, but Lifetime Achievement? That's huge!
I would usually add that I accepted that there would be horrible non-witty repartee, but I'm glad to say that it was much less of an issue than in the past. And, although DeBose's opening number was truly terrible, her screen time was kept to a minimum.
As for the ego-a-thon moments: I agree that many of the winners are as wonderful as they think they are. And theatre does save lives--or if not lives, hearts and sanity. (A friend and I texted about what it would have meant for us to see the Illinoise number when we were closeted teens!) But the back-and-forth-and-sideways adoration of each other and themselves at the awards, as though they are curing cancer rather than acting, can really be a bit much!
So, stipulating that certain negatives come with the territory, I am able to focus on the positives--and there were so many!
Many of the numbers came off really well. I am now considering seeing Illinoise, The Outsiders, and Water for Elephants, and I hadn't been. The number from Merrily seemed insufficient to represent the show, but I can't think of how one could represent that show in less than two hours. Also, having stars such as Alicia Keys--and, years ago, Carol King--in numbers for shows that they do not appear in seems a little dishonest to me. (Oh, and if I ever had any interest in seeing the current version of Cabaret, the number on the Tonys nipped it in the bud.)
The winners were great choices. Not everyone I wanted won--I wish Leslie Odom, Jr., had won for Best Actor in a play, for example--but there were no outright miscarriages of justice (eg, like not awarding Tonya Pinkins for Caroline, or Change!)
I loved that people mostly got to talk for as long as they wanted to--even the people who really did go on too long. It takes decades of work and sacrifice to get to that podium; let them have their moments (or minutes, as it turned out).
I was glad Maria Friedman lost. I have nothing against the woman, but she has received way too much credit for reviving Merrily in the "bringing back from the dead" sense. The main credit must go to Jonathan Groff, who didn't find the heart in Merrily so much as he brought the heart to Merrily. (And as for those who say that Merrily was a masterpiece back in the 1980s, well, no. The score was mostly fabulous, of course, but the show was truly unpleasant and, uh, lousy.)
What fun that Shaina Taub and Danya Taymor won! And Jonathan Tunick! And, in particular, Kara Young. What an incredible talent she is, and I hope she gets cast in at least one show every year from now on--and that they're shows I can afford to see. I was sad that Kelli O'Hara lost and that her one Tony so far is for her least interesting performance in her least interesting show--Anna in The King and I. But, good for Maleah Joi Moon!
I think an important point that is generally ignored in giving awards--and in hiring people for shows and for regular jobs--is that there is rarely, if ever, one best. Look at the incredible nominees this year. Jessica Lange beating Sarah Paulson would hardly have been an injustice. Groff may be truly and really one of the rare actual "best bests," but Brian D'Arcy James was also extraordinary. Broadway is magical because the most talented people on earth want to be here, so why wouldn't each category have more than one possible winner? We are blessed in this city!
One little churlish nitpick: Winners often say, "Never give up!" as though perseverance is sufficient for success. Yes, they never gave up, but they were also incredibly talented and incredibly lucky. I'm glad they want to inspire people, but their comments are almost mathematically equivalent to a lottery winner saying, "Never give up!" The odds are bad.
But, in 20 years, a winner will be telling us how hearing that "Never give up" speech changed their life!
Wishing us all a great Broadway season with accessible prices.
Wendy Caster
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