The last two years on Broadway have been marked by suffering and triumph. Sickness, closures, cancellations, lost wages and lost livelihoods have given way to a fragile recovery fueled by a remarkable resilience of spirit — and the heroic efforts of understudies and swings who stepped in time and again when leads fell ill.
Despite seemingly insurmountable setbacks, the shows have gone on — and the time has come to honor them at Radio City Music Hall.
The 75th Tony Awards seek to remind fans and viewers of why theater matters through a glitzy, celebrity-studded, three-hour broadcast airing live on CBS and streaming on Paramount+, beginning at 8 p.m. ET. There is also an hourlong preshow, billed as "The Tony Awards: Act One," which will stream exclusively on Paramount+ beginning at 7 p.m.
The former is hosted by Academy Award winner Ariana DeBose, and will feature presenters including Andrew Garfield, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Paris and Prince Jackson, Bryan Cranston, Laurence Fishburne, Nathan Lane, Bowen Yang, RuPaul Charles, Jessica Chastain, Cynthia Erivo, Raul Esparza, Sarah Paulson, Sarah Silverman, George Takei and others.
The latter, hosted by Darren Criss and Julianne Hough, promises to deliver exclusive content, multiple awards and special performances.
Unlike last year's odd ceremony, which was sliced into two parts, with the bulk of awards being given out during a streaming-only preshow — this year's Tonys promises to celebrate the bulk of the awards on network television. This year also marks the end to the CBS tradition of delaying the West Coast broadcast for three hours — a policy that became outdated with the advent of the internet and the rise of social media. In 2022, all celebratory four hours will unfold live from coast to coast.
Broadway watchers have eyes on Michael R. Jackson's Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, "A Strange Loop," about a gay Black man struggling to write an original musical. The show notched 11 nominations, including best musical, book, original score, performance by an actor in a leading role and direction of a musical.
One of those nominations was for L. Morgan Lee as featured actress, making her the first openly transgender performer to be nominated for a Tony Award.
Other shows expected to do well include "The Lehman Trilogy," about the rise and fall of one of the country's largest financial institutions, which has eight nominations including best play; and "Company," which leads the revival of a musical pack and has nine nominations.
Notable stars who received nominations this year include Patti LuPone, Uzo Aduba, Phylicia Rashad, Hugh Jackman, Rachel Dratch, Ruth Negga, Billy Crystal, Sam Rockwell and Mary Louise-Parker.
For a full list of nominations, visit www.tonyawards.com/news/2022-tony-awards-nominations.
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