NEW YORK CITY — The excitement of Broadway reaches its peak as the Tony Awards draw near, featuring an eclectic mix of productions vying for top honors this year. From flying vampires to a musical parody of the blockbuster “Titanic,” alongside a spoof of classic Broadway musicals, the lineup is diverse and thrilling. Additionally, a fresh rendition of the poignant American classic “Death of a Salesman” adds to the anticipation. It’s Tony Awards season, and the stakes are high.
This Sunday, a total of 24 Broadway productions will compete for recognition across 26 categories at the Tony Awards. For many, winning an award can be the crucial factor that determines whether their production continues to grace the stage or must close its doors.
Hosting the event is Grammy Award-winner Pink, who will bring her charisma to the live broadcast on CBS, also available for streaming via Paramount+ for U.S. subscribers. The show will air from coast to coast from 8-11 p.m. Eastern/5-8 p.m. Pacific.
Three generations of Pink’s family
Pink has promised a spectacular opening number, crafted by the talented Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, and Mark Sonnenblick. The performance is set to feature an impressive ensemble of around 170 people, complete with numerous costume changes and some aerial stunts—an area in which Pink is well-versed, thanks to her dynamic concert performances. To add a comedic touch, she’s enlisted the help of Amber Ruffin, a writer and performer known for her work on “Late Night with Seth Meyers.”
Among the audience will be Pink’s mother, who nurtured her love for musicals through theater outings during her childhood in Philadelphia, along with Pink’s two children. This marks a touching moment of passing the musical theater torch, especially for her 15-year-old daughter, Willow, an aspiring theater actor herself, who encouraged Pink to take on the hosting role.
“The main reason she wanted me to say ‘yes’ was so she could attend the show, as she loves it so much,” Pink shares. “I told her, ‘I can probably get you a seat regardless.'” With such a personal connection to the event, Pink’s presence promises to bring an extra layer of warmth and enthusiasm to this year’s Tony Awards.
Plenty of performances
There will be performances from the seven best new musical and best musical revival nominees: “The Lost Boys,” “Schmigadoon!,” “Titanique,” “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York),” “Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” “Ragtime” and “The Rocky Horror Show.”
Other performances include the original lead cast members of “The Book of Mormon” – Josh Gad, Andrew Rannells, Rory O’Malley and Nikki M. James – this year celebrating its 15th anniversary. Leslie Odom, Jr. will sing “Without You” from “Rent” during the In Memoriam section, in honor of that show’s 30th anniversary.
Another show celebrating a milestone, “Chicago” now at 30, will have a performance slot featuring Pink, as well as Queen Latifah, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Alex Newell, Adrienne Warren, Julianne Hough, Whitney Leavitt and Dylan Mulvaney. Plus, “A Chorus Line,” which last year celebrated its 50th anniversary, will get a special tribute by Rachel Zegler.
The musical and play races
The competition for best new musical is between four very different shows: “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York),” an opposites-attract rom-com; “The Lost Boys,” a stage adaptation of a 1987 teen movie vampire thriller; “Schmigadoon!,” which gently mocks golden-age Broadway shows; and “Titanique,” a camp musical comedy that reimagines the 1997 movie “Titanic.”
The two top best play nominees are “Giant,” exploring accusations of antisemitism against children’s author Roald Dahl, and “Liberation,” about a consciousness-raising women’s group in the 1970s that explores inequality, gender roles and racism.
There are intriguing races in both the revival categories: A “Death of a Salesman” led by Nathan Lane is competing for best play revival with a modern-set “Oedipus” led by Marc Strong and a sweet “Every Brilliant Thing” starring Daniel Radcliffe.
The best musical revival pits a new “Cats” reimagined as a “Pose”-like competition show, the sweeping American history show “Ragtime” and a rollicking, frisky “The Rocky Horror Show.”
Bill Rauch, who secured his first Tony nomination for co-directing the reimagined “Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” was a nominator for three seasons until this one and is impressed by the range now on Broadway.
“I look at everything as an artist within the season, but also as somebody who has seen the wealth of work on Broadway for three years running,” he said. “I just think there’s so much variety on Broadway and so many artistic risks that people take. I left my three years as a nominator really impressed by the landscape, I have to say. And I feel that this year as well.”
June Squibb became the oldest Tony-nominated actor in history at 96 and could become the oldest Tony winner if she hears her name called, surpassing Lois Smith who was 90 when she won in 2021. And Lane is hoping for his fourth Tony for “Death of a Salesman,” which would make him tied as the most-awarded male performer in Tony history, alongside Boyd Gaines and Frank Langella.
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