The 78th annual Tony Awards are scheduled to air live on CBS and Paramount+ at 8 p.m. ET on June 8. Broadcasting live from Radio City Music Hall, the ceremony will be hosted for the first time by Tony-winner Cynthia Erivo, whose “Wicked: For Good” trailer dropped June 6.
Erivo told Stephen Colbert that she feels much less nervous hosting the Tonys versus being a nominee.
“You’re not really waiting for anything,” she said. “Your job is to make sure that everyone has a good night, and you usher people through the evening. That is … for me, fun hard work, but I really enjoy it.”
Erivo said that she had seen all but one of the nominated shows, and that she’s rooting for everyone.
“I can’t pick one of my favorite children,” she said.
Among the nominees are the Audra McDonald-led revival of “Gypsy” and the Nicole Scherzinger-led revival of “Sunset Blvd.” The two ladies will face off in the Best Actress in a Musical category, among the most hotly contested categories of the night.
“Maybe Happy Ending” (including a nod for star Darren Criss) and “Death Becomes Her” (two Best Actress nods for Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard) are two of the most nominated original musicals, while Cole Escola’s “Oh, Mary!” and “Yellow Face” received multiple nominations in the play categories.
Mia Farrow is among the first-time nominees for her performance in the play “The Roommate,” in which she appeared with Patti LuPone. Sarah Snook is also nominated in the category for her 26-role turn in “The Picture of Dorian Gray.” George Clooney is up for Best Actor in a Play for his Broadway debut in “Good Night, and Good Luck.”
In addition to her hosting duties and “Wicked” (opening November 21, in case you haven’t heard), Erivo is also set to take on the role of Jesus Christ in “Jesus Christ Superstar” at the Hollywood Bowl August 1-3, alongside Adam Lambert as Judas. The announcement of her casting received backlash, which Erivo shrugged off.
“You can’t please everyone,” she told Billboard. “It is legitimately a three-day performance at the Hollywood Bowl where I get to sing my face off. So hopefully they will come and realize, ‘Oh, it’s a musical, the gayest place on Earth.’”
Playbill will stream the Tony Awards red carpet on its YouTube channel starting at 1 p.m. ET. A preshow, dubbed “Tony Awards: Act One” and hosted by Criss and Tony-winner Renée Elise Goldsberry, begins at 3:40 p.m on Pluto TV. This special can be accessed by clicking on the “Live Music” channel in Pluto TV’s Entertainment section.
The Tony Awards will stream live at 8 p.m. ET on Paramount+ for who are also Showtime subscribers. The show will be available for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the following day. The ceremony will also air on CBS.
