Read the Reviews for the 74th Annual Tony Awards | Playbill

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    The Verdict Read the Reviews for the 74th Annual Tony Awards What TV critics thought about the two-part ceremony.
    By Dan Meyer
    September 27, 2021
    Leslie Odom, Jr. and cast of the Tony Awards Presents <i>Broadway&#39;s Back!</i>
    Leslie Odom, Jr. and cast of the Tony Awards Presents Broadway's Back! Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions

    Fifteen months after Broadway’s biggest night was originally scheduled to take place, the 2019–2020 season was finally celebrated with trophies, performances, and surprises galore.

    The ceremony was split into two parts this year: an awards portion hosted by six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald and the Broadway’s Back! concert, emceed by Hamilton Tony winner Leslie Odom, Jr. Among the performances were this year's trio of Best Musical nominees and 2020 Special Tony recipients David Byrne’s American Utopia and Freestyle Love Supreme.

    The full, 2-part Tony Awards ceremony is available to stream on Paramount+.

    READ: Moulin Rouge! Tops the List at 74th Annual Tony Awards
    Read below to see what critics thought of the unique ceremony.

    The Daily Beast (Tim Teeman)

    Deadline (Greg Evans)

    Entertainment Weekly (Tyler Aquilina)

    The Hollywood Reporter (Scott Feinberg)

    The Los Angeles Times (Charles McNulty)

    NPR (Nell Clark)

    NY Magazine/Vulture (Helen Shaw, Jackson McHenry and Helen Shaw)

    The New York Times (Jesse Green, Stella Bugbee, Maya Salam, Sarah Bahr, and Nancy Coleman)

    Variety (Clayton Davis)

    Playbill will continue to update this list as more reviews come in.

    Check Out Photos Inside the 74th Annual Tony Awards Presentation

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    Check Out Photos Inside the 74th Annual Tony Awards Presentation

    60 PHOTOS
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    Audra McDonald
    Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions
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    Darlene Love, Matthew Morrison, Marissa Jaret Winokur, Chester Gregory, and Kerry Butler
    Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions
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    Lin-Manuel Miranda
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    Sheryl Lee Ralph
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    Jennifer Holliday
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    Ruthie Ann Miles
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    Ali Stroker
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    Jennifer Nettles
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    André De Shields
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    Wayne Brady and Cyndi Lauper
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    Stephanie J. Block and Jesse Tyler Ferguson
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    Lynn Nottage
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    Adrienne Warren
    Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions
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    Aaron Tveit
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    Mary-Louise Parker
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    Andrew Burnap
    Tony Awards_Production Photos_2021_Lauren Patten_HR
    Lauren Patten
    Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions
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    David Alan Grier
    Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions
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    Lois Smith
    Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions
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    Danny Burstein
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    Bebe Neuwirth and Courtney B. Vance
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    David Byrne
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    Sonya Tayeh
    Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions
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    Alex Timbers
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    Catherine Zuber
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    Matt Stine and Justin Levine
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    Charlie Rosen and Katie Kresek
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    Diablo Cody
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    Peter Hylenski
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    Derek McLane
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    Justin Townsend
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    Jordan Fisher and Jasmine Cephas Jones
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    LaChanze and Darren Criss
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    Daphne Rubin-Vega
    Tony Awards_Broadway's Back_2021_HR
    Leslie Odom, Jr. and cast of the Tony Awards Presents Broadway's Back!
    Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions
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    James Monroe Iglehart and Jeremy Pope
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    Santino Fontana and Patina Miller
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    Wendell Pierce and Debra Messing
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    Ron Cephas Jones and John Lithgow
    Tony Awards_Production Photos_2021_Britton Smith_HR
    Britton Smith
    Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions
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    Jenny Steingart and Anthony Veneziale
    Tony Awards_Production Photos_2021_David Byrne_HR
    David Byrne
    Tony Awards_Production Photos_2021_Ben Platt and Anika Noni Rose_HR
    Ben Platt and Anika Noni Rose
    Tony Awards_Production Photos_2021_John Legend_HR
    John Legend
    Tony Awards_Production Photos_2021_John Legend and the cast of Ain't Too Proud_HR
    John Legend and the cast of Ain't Too Proud
    Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions
    Tony Awards_Production Photos_2021_Lauren Patten_Leslie Odom, Jr. and Josh Groban_HR
    Leslie Odom, Jr. and Josh Groban
    Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions
    Tony Awards_Production Photos_2021_Amber Iman and Adrienne Warren_HR
    Amber Iman and Adrienne Warren
    Tony Awards_Production Photos_2021_Brian Stokes Mitchell_HR
    Brian Stokes Mitchell
    Tony Awards_Production Photos_2021_Jared Grimes, Daniel J. Watts and performers_HR
    Jared Grimes, Daniel J. Watts, and performers
    Tony Awards_Production Photos_2021_Leslie Odom, Jr. and Nicolette Robinson_HR
    Leslie Odom, Jr. and Nicolette Robinson
    Tony Awards_Production Photos_2021_Audra McDonald and Brian Stokes Mitchell_HR
    Audra McDonald and Brian Stokes Mitchell
    Tony Awards_Production Photos_2021_Tituss Burgess and Andrew Rannells_HR
    Tituss Burgess and Andrew Rannells
    Tony Awards_Production Photos_2021_Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp_HR
    Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp
    Tony Awards_Production Photos_2021_Tom Kirdahy, Hunter Arnold, and Matthew López_HR
    Tom Kirdahy, Hunter Arnold, and Matthew López
    Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions
    Tony Awards_Production Photos_2021_Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel_HR
    Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel
    Tony Awards_Production Photos_2021_Chita Rivera and Andrew Lloyd Webber_HR
    Chita Rivera and Andrew Lloyd Webber
    Tony Awards_Production Photos_2021_Leslie Odom, Jr. and Lin-Manuel Miranda_HR
    Leslie Odom, Jr. and Lin-Manuel Miranda
    Tony Awards_Production Photos_2021_Moulin Rouge!'s Bill Damaschke and Carmen Pavlovic_HR
    Moulin Rouge!'s Bill Damaschke and Carmen Pavlovic
    Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions
    Tony Awards_Production Photos_2021_Freestyle Love Supreme_HR
    Freestyle Love Supreme
    Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions
    Tony Awards_Production Photso_Broadway's Back_2021_HR
    The Tony Awards Present Broadway's Back
    Jenny Anderson/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions
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