With the WGA Strike necessitating that this year's Tony Awards broadcast go forward completely unscripted, it's been unclear what exactly this year's Tony Awards will look like. But we now know one thing for sure—the ceremony will be filled to the brim with performances.
The Tonys confirmed June 8 that this year's broadcast will include performances from all the Best Musical and Best Revival of a Musical nominees—including Camelot; Into the Woods; & Juliet; Kimberly Akimbo; New York, New York; Parade; Shucked; Some Like It Hot; and Sweeney Todd. Also on the performance roster are numbers from 2022 Best Leading Actress in a Musical winner Joaquina Kalukango (Paradise Square) and a special performance honoring 2023 Lifetime Achievement Tony Award honorees Joel Grey and John Kander.
The broadcast will also feature performances from two recent productions overlooked by the Tony Awards, A Beautiful Noise and Funny Girl. The former, a Neil Diamond jukebox biomusical, was left empty-handed when this year's Tony nominations were announced May 2. Funny Girl, which opened last season, received a single Tony nomination for Jared Grimes' performance as Eddie Ryan, but the production's lack of Best Musical Revival nomination kept it from performing during the broadcast. Since last year's Tonys, the production got a new star in Lea Michele, which sent the revival's box office soaring. The Tonys have not announced which songs and cast members will participate in the performances.
READ: How to Watch and Stream the 2023 Tony Awards
"CBS has been home to the Tony Awards for more than 40 years," says Jack Sussman, executive vice president of specials, music, live events, and alternative programming at CBS, in a statement. "We are proud to once again celebrate the best of theatre this season, and continue our support for Broadway, the broader theatre community, and all the incredible artistic talents both on stage and behind the scenes who bring the shows to life."
"This year’s Tony Award nominees are a reflection of a tremendous year of Broadway," add Broadway League President Charlotte St. Martin and American Theatre Wing President and CEO Heather Hitchens. "The show will feature performances by Broadway’s brightest lights—from breakthrough performers to industry icons—in recognition of the momentous productions wowing audiences worldwide."
The Tony Awards will be given out in a starry ceremony at Washington Heights' United Palace Theatre June 11. The Tony Awards: Act One, a 90-minute pre-show of live and exclusive content hosted by Julianne Hough and Skylar Astin, will stream on Pluto TV's Celebrity channel beginning at 6:30 PM ET. The main awards ceremony will follow at 8 PM ET, hosted by West Side Story Oscar winner Ariana DeBose. The awards portion will broadcast live on CBS, and stream live (for premium-level subscribers) via Paramount+. All Paramount+ subscribers will have on demand access to the broadcast beginning June 12. For more about the Tony Awards, visit Playbill.com/Tonys.
