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Tag: The Tony Awards

  • Idina Menzel, Neil Patrick Harris to Perform at the Tony Awards

    Broadway will be taking center-stage in the entertainment industry in the coming weeks as excitement ramps up for this year’s Tony Awards. This year’s awards show will be hosted by Hugh Jackman, himself a Tony Award winner for his performance in 2004’s The Boy from Oz.

    Joining Jackman on stage will be many of Broadway’s biggest stars, who will perform for an audience of millions. Idina Menzel, Neil Patrick Harris, and Sting are just a few of the celebrities announced this week as performers for the 68th Annual Tony Awards.

    Highlighting this year’s show is Idina Menzel who will be performing a number from If/Then. Menzel has won two Tony Awards in the past: one in 1996 for her performance in Rent and one in 2004 for her role as Elphaba in Wicked. This year the actress is up for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her role in If/Then.

    Post by Idina Menzel.

    Musician Sting will appear during the show with a song from his upcoming musical The Last Ship. Alan Cumming will take the stage in a number from Cabaret.

    Cast performances will also return as a feature of this year’s Tony Awards. Neil Patrick Harris, former host of the Tony Awards, will lead the cast of Hedwig and the Angry Inch in a musical performance. The cast of Wicked will also appear at the show to celebrate that musical’s 10th anniversary.

    In addition to the performances, the show will be packed with celebrities. Bradley Cooper, Will Ferrell, Kate Mara, Kevin Bacon, Clint Eastwood, Zach Braff, Patricia Clarkson, and many others will take the stage to announce winners.

    The 68th Annual Tony Awards will take place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on June 8. The three-hour ceremony will be broadcast on CBS starting at 8 pm EDT.

    Image via the Tony Awards

  • Rosie O’Donnell Receives Honorary Tony Award

    For working with children, and for starting the organization called Rosie’s Theater Kids, actress, comedian, and former talk show host, Rosie O’Donnell, will be given an honorary Tony Award.

    The news was given by the Executive Director of The Broadway League, Charlotte St. Martin, who’s also the Executive Director of the American Theater Wing, and Heather Hitches.

    Martin said it was O’Donnell’s sheer altruism and hard work that got her the award, which is called the Isabelle Stevenson Award, and it’s primarily for those who do philanthropic work through the arts.

    “We are excited to announce Rosie as this year’s Isabelle Stevenson Award recipient,” said Martin.

    “Rosie exemplifies the spirit and the generosity of the Broadway community through her pay it forward mentality within the arts community and beyond. Rosie constantly works to make our world a better place, and unconditional generosity like hers deserves great recognition.”

    There’s no doubt that O’Donnell is thrilled about the award, as she’s not only been a fan of Broadway most of her life, she’s also produced the show Taboo–which centers on Boy George’s life–and she played in a string of Broadway plays, including Fiddler on the Roof, What I Wore, and Grease.

    It seems O’Donnell has been in the news a lot in recent months for revealing that she was told not to come out in 1992, after revealing in an interview that she was gay.

    “At that time, nobody printed it,” said the 52-year-old. “I remember [Editor-in-Chief] Helen Gurley Brown took it out of an interview that [the magazine] had done with me in, like, 1992. He said, ‘Are you gay?’ and I said, ‘Yes.’ She took it out…She was protecting me, because at that time it would’ve been a huge issue, right? So, I think it’s changed a lot.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Hugh Jackman Returns to Host 68th Annual Tony Awards

    Hugh Jackman is a man of many talents. He has appeared on film as both a superhero and a romantic lead. He sings, he dances, and is known both on screen and on stage. So it should be no surprise that he has been asked to once again host the annual Tony Awards, celebrating Broadway’s best and brightest stars.

    “We are thrilled that Hugh will be joining us, once again, at Radio City Music Hall to host ‘The 68th Annual Tony Awards,’” said Charlotte St. Martin, Executive Director of The Broadway League.

    Heather Hitchens, Executive Director of the American Theatre Wing added, “Hugh is an extraordinary talent and loyal supporter of the Broadway community — whether he is on-stage or in the audience — and we are honored to have him back as host.”

    The announcement was made earlier today and posted to the official Twitter page for the Tonys.

    According to Playbill, this will be Jackman’s fourth time hosting the Broadway theatre awards.

    On stage, the 45-year old has been seen as the lead in the musical Oklahoma!, opposite Daniel Craig in A Steady Rain, and in his 2011 one-man show Hugh Jackman, Back on Broadway.

    In 2004 he won a Tony Award for his role in The Boy from Oz where he played gay singer/songwriter Peter Allen.

    Then in 2012 Jackman received a Special Award from the Tony Awards Administration Committee for his accomplishments both as a performer and a humanitarian.

    Recently, Entertainment Weekly reported that Jackman will return to Broadway in 2015 in the play The River.

    “He’s the ultimate triple threat – actor, singer, dancer – he does it all, second to none,” said Jack Sussman of CBS entertainment. “He is a consummate entertainer and the one you ultimately want out there hosting your live television event.”

    Last year, the ceremony was hosted by Neil Patrick Harris. In the past, Jackman and Harris have appeared on stage at the awards together.

    The 2014 Tony Awards will take place at Radio City Music Hall on June 8 and will be broadcast live on CBS.

    Image via YouTube