The 79th annual Tony Awards really spread the love — starting with a dynamic performance from host Pink, a theater newbie whose sole Broadway credit is having written one of the Billboard hits featured in 2019’s Best Musical Moulin Rouge! The pop star got an assist from past hosts like Neil Patrick Harris and Ariana DeBose — but she didn’t really need them. She’s a natural on stage, and after popping up as Velma Kelly in a Chicago medley toward the end of the show you can bet that the producers of Broadway’s longest-running revival are begging her team to commit to repeating the performance eight times a week. Or to finding a new role just for her so she might get a shot at winning a Tony herself.

In terms of awards, Death of a Salesman was the biggest winner of the night. Joe Mantello’s acclaimed revival earned five awards, including for Best Musical and featured actress Laurie Metcalf. Still, Nathan Lane missed out on Best Actor in favor of John Lithgow for Giant. At 80, Lithgow became the oldest person to win an acting award — and also can now boast the biggest age gap between competitive awards. (As he pointed out in his typically charming speech, he won his first Tony for The Changing Room 53 years ago.)

On the flip side, voters bypassed another 80-year-old, André De Shields (Cats: The Jellicle Ball), in favor of 26-year-old Ali Louis Bourzgui (The Lost Boys) in the featured musical actor category.

Best Musical winner Schmigadoon!, the high-tech vampire musical The Lost Boys, and Best Musical Revival winner Ragtime all earned four awards — with the splashy Cats: The Jellicle Ball following with three. All four shows delivered strong live performances that are likely to boost ticket sales in the coming months (though The Lost Boys was unable to re-create its high-tech aerial choreography in a new theater and relied on a video intro to suggest what the actual show is like).

BIGGEST POKER OF THE CORPORATE BEAR: Pink

Paramount owner David Ellison probably wasn’t watching the Tony Awards, but the clips that his staff brings him Monday will doubtless rankle. Right there on CBS was a host who picked up where canned late-night host Stephen Colbert left off. “This year the worst parts of history began repeating itself, and we were given Ragtime and Liberation. This year our country grew more divided than ever, and we were given Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York). This year our trans siblings started to lose even more rights, and we were given Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” Pink said.

Later, she was even more blunt in defending free speech while delivering a stark warning: “Powers that be are closing in on the First Amendment. Soon you may not be able to say what you believe.” Yes, this is a show that aired right after 60 Minutes, the signature news show that Ellison’s new team at CBS News just gutted in their ongoing efforts to curry favor with the Trump administration ahead of an acquisition of Warner Bros. that still needs federal approval.

BEST LIFT RIDE: Pink and Neil Patrick Harris

You had to expect that Pink would be airborne for her opening routine — aerial acrobatics are a big element of her concert tours, after all. And so she opened aloft in a Peter Pan costume before frequent Tony host Neil Patrick Harris arrived and soon found himself hoisted in the air, held up only by her legs wrapped around his torso, as she belted out the final notes of “Defying Gravity” from Wicked.

BEST SNEAK PREVIEW: Paddington

Toward the end of Pink’s cameo-filled opening number — a new version of the star’s hit “Lady Marmalade” with new lyrics geared to the current Broadway season by Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, and Mark Sonnenblick — Neil Patrick Harris walked out with a stuffed Paddington doll while crooning “Mar-mar-mar-malade.” It was a shout-out to the beloved children’s book character featured in a new British musical that just swept London theater’s Olivier Awards — who also happens to be a big fan of marmalade. Pink was quick to reply, “Maybe next season.” And it seems reasonable to expect the show to transfer to New York by next spring.

MOST WOKE SPEECH: Ali Louis Bourzgui

Ali Louis Bourzgui, who played the seductive vampire that Kiefer Sutherland made famous in The Lost Boys, surprised by winning the Featured Actor Tony over 80-year-old André De Shields in Cats: The Jellicle Ball. But the 26-year-old Moroccan-American actor used his time on stage to read a stump speech for progressive Gen Zers everywhere (and send fans to his social media channels for more traditional acknowledgments of his collaborators, reps, and family). His short, artfully worded speech denounced billionaires, colonizers, and fascists while extolling immigrant families, queer and trans communities, and the people of Palestine.

BEST CANCELLATION: Schmigadoon!

Cinco Paul’s pastiche-laden mash note to classic musicals managed to snag the evening’s top award — despite a lot of love for The Lost Boys. Producer Christine Schwarzman took the time to thank Apple TV for canceling Paul’s show after its second season, thus clearing his schedule to adapt the material for the stage.

BEST TAG TEAM: Cats winners

As expected, Arturo Lyons and Omari Wiles won for choreographing Cats: The Jellicle Ball, and the two adorably played off each other. “We wrote something down but we’re going to speak from the heart,” Lyons said. “Might as well,” Wiles added, as they took turns acknowledging their origins in the ballroom scene and their collaborators (including costume design winner Qween Jean). Co-directors Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch followed with their own call-and-response thank-you speech that they punctuated with a perfectly timed high five.

WORST GAME OF HIDE AND SEEK: Tony Awards Act One

For some reason, Paramount played hide and seek with this year’s ceremony — relegating the preshow (where awards for choreography and other technical awards were handed out) to its free PlutoTV service but not also to Paramount+ (where the main ceremony was livestreamed in addition to CBS). Co-hosts Laura Benanti and Tituss Burgess did their best with some weak material and jokes that clearly did not land in the cavernous Radio City Music Hall.

BEST SOUND CHECK: Kai Harada

Sound designer Kai Harada was nominated for his work on two musicals this season, Cats: The Jellicle Ball and Ragtime. But when he got to the stage to accept his Tony, he ironically announced, “I didn’t hear what I won for.” When preshow co-host Laura Benanti informed him it was for Ragtime, he launched into an affecting speech that included thanks to his late cat Bodie. (That wasn’t the only sound snafu of the evening. The performance from Titaníque and other shows underscored why many TV shows have performers lip sync to backing tracks.)

MOST MISSING CONTEXT: CBS announcer/writers

The show featured performances from four shows celebrating anniversaries this year but you’d barely know it from the way they were introduced. Leslie Odom Jr. delivered a powerful rendition of “Without You” for the In Memoriam section — which was repeatedly marred by wide-angle shots that made it nearly impossible to read the names of the honorees — but there was no mention that the song came from Rent, a show that won four Tony Awards, including Best Musical, 30 years ago. Nobody bothered to note Glee alum and 2023 Tony winner Alex Newell playing Mama Morton in the Chicago medley or offer any real explanation of why Annette Bening or Sting were there. (The latter is in New York with a revised version of his 2014 Broadway musical The Last Ship, which is playing this month at the Metropolitan Opera house.) Why have a live announcer or a crew writing chirons if you’re not going to use them?

For the record, I predicted 21 of the 26 winners, missing in some of closer races like Best Actor in a Play and Best Revival. Here’s the complete winners list.

BEST NEW MUSICAL
The Lost Boys
Schmigadoon! **
Titaníque
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

BEST NEW PLAY
The Balusters
Giant
Liberation **
Little Bear Ridge Road

BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Ragtime **
Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show

BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY
Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman **
Becky Shaw
Every Brilliant Thing
Fallen Angels
Oedipus

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Nicholas Christopher, Chess
Luke Evans, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show
Joshua Henry, Ragtime **
Sam Tutty, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
Brandon Uranowitz, Ragtime

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Sara Chase, Schmigadoon!
Stephanie Hsu, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show
Caissie Levy, Ragtime **
Marla Mindelle, Titaníque
Christiani Pitts, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY
Will Harrison, Punch
Nathan Lane, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
John Lithgow, Giant **
Daniel Radcliffe, Every Brilliant Thing
Mark Strong, Oedipus

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY
Rose Byrne, Fallen Angels
Carrie Coon, Bug
Susannah Flood, Liberation
Lesley Manville, Oedipus **
Kelli O’Hara, Fallen Angels

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A PLAY
Christopher Abbott, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Danny Burstein, Marjorie Prime
Brandon J. Dirden, Waiting for Godot
Alden Ehrenreich, Becky Shaw **
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Richard Thomas, The Balusters

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A PLAY
Betsy Aidem, Liberation
Marylouise Burke, The Balusters
Aya Cash, Giant
Laurie Metcalf, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman **
June Squibb, Marjorie Prime

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Ali Louis Bourzgui, The Lost Boys **
André De Shields, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Bryce Pinkham, Chess
Ben Levi Ross, Ragtime
Layton Williams, Titaníque

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Shoshana Bean, The Lost Boys **
Hannah Cruz, Chess
Rachel Dratch, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show
Ana Gasteyer, Schmigadoon!
Nichelle Lewis, Ragtime

BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY
Nicholas Hytner, Giant
Robert Icke, Oedipus
Kenny Leon, The Balusters
Joe Mantello, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman **
Whitney White, Liberation

BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
Michael Arden, The Lost Boys
Lear deBessonet, Ragtime
Christopher Gattelli, Schmigadoon!
Tim Jackson, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, Cats: The Jellicle Ball **

BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL
The Lost Boys, David Hornsby and Chris Hoch
Schmigadoon!, Cinco Paul **
Titaníque, Marla Mindelle, Constantine Rousouli, and Tye Blue
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York), Jim Barne and Kit Buchan

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE (MUSIC AND/OR LYRICS WRITTEN FOR THE THEATRE
Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, Music: Caroline Shaw
August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Music: Steve Bargonetti
The Lost Boys, Music & Lyrics: The Rescues
Schmigadoon!, Music & Lyrics: Cinco Paul **
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York), Music & Lyrics: Jim Barne and Kit Buchan

BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A PLAY
Hildegard Bechtler, Oedipus
Takeshi Kata, Bug
Chloe Lamford, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman **
David Korins, Dog Day Afternoon
David Rockwell, Fallen Angels

BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
dots, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show
Soutra Gilmour, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
Rachel Hauck, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Dane Laffrey, The Lost Boys **
Scott Pask, Schmigadoon!

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A PLAY
Brenda Abbandandolo, Dog Day Afternoon
Qween Jean, Liberation
Jeff Mahshie, Fallen Angels **
Emilio Sosa, The Balusters
Paul Tazewell, August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Linda Cho, Ragtime
Linda Cho, Schmigadoon!
Qween Jean, Cats: The Jellicle Ball **
Ryan Park, The Lost Boys
David I. Reynoso, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show

BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A PLAY
Justin Ellington, August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Tom Gibbons, Oedipus
Lee Kinney, The Fear of 13
Josh Schmidt, Bug
Mikaal Sulaiman, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman **

BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Kai Harada, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Kai Harada, Ragtime **
Adam Fisher, The Lost Boys
Brian Ronan, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show
Walter Trarbach, Schmigadoon!

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A PLAY
Isabella Byrd, Dog Day Afternoon
Natasha Chivers, Oedipus
Stacey Derosier, August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Heather Gilbert, Bug
Heather Gilbert, The Fear of 13
Jack Knowles, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman **

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Kevin Adams, Chess
Jane Cox, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show
Donald Holder, Schmigadoon!
Adam Honoré, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Adam Honoré and Donald Holder (Lighting Design) and 59 Studio (Projection Design), Ragtime
Jen Schriever and Michael Arden, The Lost Boys **

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Christopher Gattelli, Schmigadoon!
Ellenore Scott, Ragtime
Ani Taj, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show
Omari Wiles and Arturo Lyons, Cats: The Jellicle Ball **
Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant, The Lost Boys

BEST ORCHESTRATIONS
Doug Besterman and Mike Morris, Schmigadoon! **
Ethan Popp, Kyler England, Adrianne “AG” Gonzalez and Gabriel Mann, The Lost Boys
Lux Pyramid, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
Brian Usifer, Chess
Andrew Lloyd Webber, David Wilson, Trevor Holder and Doug Schadt, Cats: The Jellicle Ball