The Tony Awards are Broadway’s biggest night — and Ariana DeBose is hosting again this year. The awards will be broadcast live from Lincoln Center in New York.
How do I watch?
If you have access to broadcast TV, it’s easy: The 77th Annual Tony Awards will be live at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. The show will also stream at 8 p.m. on Paramount+ with Showtime. Paramount+ subscribers without Showtime can see it the next day or try a one-week free trial.
If you’d like to see who wins the more technical awards, they will be streamed live on Pluto TV from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. Julianne Hough and Utkarsh Ambudkar will host.
Who is performing?
Many of the nominated musicals will be showcased on the Tony Award stage, including Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club with Eddie Redmayne and Gayle Rankin; Hell’s Kitchen, which features the music of Alicia Keys; and the acrobatic cast of Water for Elephants.
Is there a Hamilton-level hit I should look out for?
Not this year. Hell’s Kitchen is the most-nominated musical. But the buzziest productions are Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along, starring Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez, which is up for Best Revival of a Musical and is closing in July, and — surprisingly — a play, Stereophonic, which is the most nominated play ever. That one’s an inside look at a Fleetwood Mac-style band creating an album together. It's a play with music, not a musical, but it was just announced that the cast will perform at the Tonys.
Are there celebrities?
Yes. An exhaustive list would be… exhausting, but there’s a long list of Broadway legends who are nominated or presenting this year, including Idina Menzel, Ben Platt, Kelli O’Hara, Bebe Neuwirth and Leslie Odom Jr., plus Hollywood stars like Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Rachel McAdams, Taraji P. Henson, Angelina Jolie, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Sean Hayes and Jennifer Hudson. And so. Many. Others.
Who’s going to win?
We don’t know for sure, but the odds are good that Merrily We Roll Along will win Best Musical Revival. Hell’s Kitchen and Stereophonic received 13 nominations each, making them the front-runners for Best Musical and Best Play.
I haven’t been to New York this year — will any of the shows on the telecast be familiar?
If they’re not yet … they probably will be soon. Broadway’s touring business is bustling and most shows will likely come to a stage near you in the next few years. Plus, this year, many of the shows are based on books, movies or music you’ve likely heard of, from The Outsiders and Water for Elephants to Sufjan Stevens’ Illinoise and The Who’s Tommy. If you want to get a taste in advance, many of this season’s shows already have cast albums available on streaming services.
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