The Tony Awards are Broadway’s biggest night, when the latest plays and musicals are introduced to a television audience of several million, any of whom might turn into a theater lover, a ticket buyer, or even an artist (so many Broadway performers and producers have stories about watching the Tony Awards as children). Here’s what to expect:
Who is hosting?
The ceremony is being hosted by Cynthia Erivo, who won a Tony Award in 2016 for her breakout performance in a revival of “The Color Purple” and was nominated this year for an Oscar for playing Elphaba in the “Wicked” film adaptation. In the years since winning the Tony, Erivo, a 38-year-old British actress, has focused on movies, television and music — she has just released her second studio album and the second “Wicked” film comes out Nov. 21.
After the Tony Awards, she’ll be returning to the stage. In August she’s playing Jesus in a one-weekend run of “Jesus Christ Superstar” at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, and then early next year she’ll star in a one-woman version of “Dracula” in London’s West End.
Who will be performing?
Much of the excitement is likely to focus on a 10th anniversary performance by the entire original cast of “Hamilton,” which is Broadway’s last huge hit. The number is expected to be a medley of the show’s best-known songs.
All five shows nominated for best new musical will perform songs from their shows: “Buena Vista Social Club,” about a group of Cuban musicians; “Dead Outlaw,” about a bandit and his outlandish afterlife; “Death Becomes Her,” about two women whose quest for eternal youth has comical consequences; “Maybe Happy Ending,” about a relationship between two involuntarily retired robots; and “Operation Mincemeat,” about a bizarre British counterintelligence operation.
The four shows nominated for best musical revival are also performing, including “Floyd Collins,” about a trapped cave explorer; “Gypsy,” about a stripper’s stage mother; “Pirates!” about a lovelorn buccaneer; and “Sunset Boulevard,” about a faded film star.
There will also be performances by two other new musicals: “Just in Time,” about the singer Bobby Darin, and “Real Women Have Curves,” which explores immigrant experiences through the eyes of a young woman.
Sara Bareilles will join Erivo to perform during the In Memoriam segment, and the choir Broadway Inspirational Voices will join Erivo for the opening number.
Who is presenting?
There will be lots of household names introducing shows and presenting awards. Among them: Oprah Winfrey, Samuel L. Jackson, Keanu Reeves, Adam Lambert, Michelle Williams, Bryan Cranston, Ben Stiller, Jean Smart, Lea Michele, Danielle Brooks, Lea Salonga and Sarah Paulson. Lin-Manuel Miranda is expected to present the award for best musical.
Who will win?
The most-nominated shows are the musicals “Buena Vista Social Club,” “Death Becomes Her” and “Maybe Happy Ending,” each with 10 nods. The prizes are likely to be quite spread out, but “Maybe Happy Ending,” “Sunset Boulevard” and the play “Oh, Mary!” seem certain to get some love from voters.
Many celebrities performed on Broadway this season, but several of them were not nominated for Tony Awards, and others are not likely to win. One star favored to go home with a statuette: Sarah Snook, best known for HBO’s “Succession,” is expected to win a Tony Award for playing every character in a stage adaptation of “The Picture of Dorian Gray.”
Michael Paulson is the theater reporter for The Times.
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