Dear Evan Hansen wins best musical at 2017 Tony Awards

Dear Evan Hansen, a daringly unflinching exploration of loss, lies and loneliness in a high school community, won the 2017 Tony Award for the best musical.

Oslo, a crackling drama about the little-known backstory behind the 1993 Middle East peace talks, won the hard-fought competition for the best new play, reported New York Times. Dear Evan Hansen, directed by Michael Greif, picked up six awards in total, including a best leading actor Tony for 23-year-old Ben Platt in the title role. Its star Rachel Bay Jones took the Tony for best featured actress in a musical.

The musical’s other honours were best orchestration, best book of a musical and best original score. An exuberantly nostalgic production of Hello, Dolly!” won for best musical revival, and its adored star, Bette Midler, won as best leading actress in a musical.

Oslo performer Michael Aronov won the Tony Award for best featured actor in a play, while Gavin Creel of Hello, Dolly! won best featured actor in a musical.

The ceremony, at Radio City Music Hall here, was hosted by Kevin Spacey, who generally stayed away from politics, instead choosing to make fun of his own status as a late-in- the-game and unexpected choice as host.

In one of the night’s big surprises, Rebecca Taichman, who helped conceive of Indecent while she was a graduate student, won the Tony for best direction of a play.

A Doll’s House, Part 2 star Laurie Metcalf won her first Tony Award for best performance by an actress in a play. Kevin Kline picked up his third Tony Award for his portrayal of a preening actor in a revival of Noel Coward’s Present Laughter.

Cynthia Nixon won her second Tony for her work in a revival of The Little Foxes. Jitney, by August Wilson, won best revival of a play.

Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812, the most nominated show of the season, won just two awards, for set and lighting design.

Come From Away, the Canadian musical won just one: for best direction, by Christopher Ashley. Groundhog Day, an adaptation of the film, was shut out. (PTI)