The 2016 Tony Awards (the 70th) will air tomorrow night, June 12, 2016 on CBS at 8/7c. While people are calling it the “Hamiltony’s” because Broadway’s blockbuster, “Hamilton,” has received a record number of nominations and will likely walk off with most of the night’s trophies, there is still much more to look forward to.
First of all, James Corden promises to be an excellent host for the evening. On his own late-night talk show, he has proven himself to be spontaneously funny, as well as great at delivering written jokes and performing in skits.
The biggest news besides “Hamilton,” however, is the appearance on the show of Barbra Streisand as a presenter. She hasn’t appeared at the Tony’s in 46 years!
Other presenters include Tony Award winners Angela Lansbury, James Earl Jones, and Neil Patrick Harris, as well as Tony Nominees Steve Martin and Edie Brickell. They’ll be joined by Oprah Winfrey, Cate Blanchett, Carole King, Audra McDonald, Saoirse Ronan, Patina Miller, Nathan Lane, Claire Danes, Jake Gyllenhaal, Daniel Dae Kim, Diane Lane, Lucy Liu, Sean Hayes, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Marlee Matlin, Uzo Aduba, Blair Underwood, and Andrew Rannells.
But the best parts of any Tony Award show are the performances by the various musical casts. Besides the highly anticipated “Hamilton” performance, you’ll get a chance to enjoy:
Tony nominees Brandon Victor Dixon and Adrienne Warren and the cast of “Shuffle Along, Or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed”;- Tony nominees Laura Benanti, Zachary Levi, and Jane Krakowski and the cast of “She Loves Me”;
- Tony nominee Alex Brightman and the cast of “School of Rock” (see my extensive 2-part interview with the show’s lyricist, Glenn Slater);
- Tony nominee Danny Burstein and the cast of “Fiddler on the Roof”;
- Tony nominees Danielle Brooks and Cynthia Erivo and the cast of “The Color Purple”;
- Tony nominees Sara Bareilles, Christopher Fitzgerald, and Jessie Mueller and the cast of “Waitress”;
- Tony nominee Carmen Cusack and the cast of Steve Martin and Edie Brickell’s “Bright Star”;
- The cast of “Spring Awakening”;
- Gloria Estefan and the cast of “On Your Feet!”
The 2016 Tony Awards will take place at New York City’s Beacon Theatre this year. It’s usually held at Radio City Music Hall, but apparently, there was a date conflict. It’s a shame since the Beacon isn’t large enough to allow the public to buy tickets to the show.
Nevertheless, it promises to bring in more viewers from around the world than ever, thanks to the widespread popularity of “Hamilton.” The red carpet leading to the Beacon will span 210 feet, and there will be 70,000 roses arranged by hand on the carpet.
Will you be watching? And don’t miss the pre-show online! See below.
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