The show must—and will—go on for the 2023 Tony Awards, a celebration of the Broadway season and a key promotional opportunity for all nominated productions.
The Tony Awards broadcast on CBS and Paramount+ was in flux amidst the 2023 writers strike, which began earlier this month. As some 12,000 screenwriters picket for a new and fair contract with the industry’s major studios, awards season has been turned upside down—leading to a completely virtual (and lifeless) MTV Movie & TV Awards and already wreaking havoc on the Emmy race.
However, the Writers Guild of America has now reached a deal with top Tonys brass. “As they have stood by us, we stand with our fellow workers on Broadway who are impacted by our strike,” the WGA said in a statement on Monday night, as reported by The New York Times.
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Although artists performing onstage or working behind the scenes during the awards show will not be crossing the picket line, according to the terms of the deal, certain concessions will be made by the telecast. “Tony Awards Productions (a joint venture of the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing) has communicated with us that they are altering this year’s show to conform with specific requests from the WGA, and therefore the WGA will not be picketing the show,” the union continued in its statement. “Responsibility for having to make changes to the format of the 2023 Tony Awards rests squarely on the shoulders of Paramount/CBS and their allies. They continue to refuse to negotiate a fair contract for the writers represented by the WGA.”
It’s unclear what those changes will entail, exactly. A source familiar with the plan told the Times that while this year’s Tonys will include awards presentations and live performances from Broadway shows, the ceremony will not use any screenwriter-scripted material, including in its opening number. What that means for Ariana DeBose, who was tapped to return as host for the second year in a row, is to be determined.
The theatrical industry is undoubtedly breathing a sigh of relief, as it relies on the televised Tonys to provide a sales boost to productions and ensure the economic viability of Broadway, particularly after the pandemic. Some Like It Hot, an adaptation of the 1959 film, leads this year’s field with 13 nominations, followed by fellow musicals & Juliet, New York, New York and Shucked, which all have nine apiece. Nominated stars include Jessica Chastain for A Doll’s House, Sara Bareilles for Into the Woods, and the stars of Sweeney Todd’s new revival, Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford.
The Tony Awards ceremony airs on June 11.
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