Since 2020, Broadway has been put to the test by COVID-19-related delays and closures, resulting in a postponed, virtual Tony Awards ceremony last year. But good news for theatregoers: the Tony Awards 2022 will be broadcast live from New York City’s Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 12.
The 75th annual Tony Awards will honor the best of Broadway from the 2021-2022 season and will be hosted by newly minted Oscar winner Ariana DeBose. A Strange Loop, Michael R. Jackson’s autobiographical musical, leads the Tony nominations with 11 nominations, including best musical, followed by Paradise Square and MJ, the Michael Jackson show, both with ten.
Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster’s revival of The Music Man, Patti Lupone’s Company, Billy Crystal’s Mr. Saturday Night (based on his 1992 film), and The Lehman Trilogy—most-nominated Broadway’s play of the year with eight nods—are also likely to be honored.
How can I watch the song-and-dance extravaganza? This year, your options are a little different. The Tony Awards: Act One begins at 7 p.m. ET and is exclusively available on Paramount+. The pre-show will feature some awards and special performances hosted by Darren Criss and Julianne Hough, both of whom are currently starring in Broadway plays.
The official Tony Awards (confusingly not billed as The Tony Awards: Act Two) will then begin at 8 p.m. ET on both Paramount+ and CBS. The main ceremony will also be streamed live on platforms such as YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV.
Jessica Chastain, Cynthia Erivo, Andrew Garfield, Samuel L. Jackson, and Lin-Manuel Miranda are among the presenters for the evening. Following their recent HBO special, the cast of Spring Awakening will perform a reunion performance.
Bernadette Peters, Billy Porter, and the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus are also scheduled to perform. To top it all off, Angela Lansbury, 96, receives a lifetime achievement award after five Tony nominations.
The Tony Awards will be held for the first time since the death of theatre legend Stephen Sondheim. Sondheim received seven Tony Awards during his career, including a lifetime achievement award in 2008. Although no formal plans have been announced, expect a moving tribute to the man responsible for seminal shows like Into the Woods, Company, and Sunday in the Park with George.