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Watch the Tony Awards opening performance, where Host James Corden kicked off the show with a song contrasting binge watching TV shows on your couch to watching live Broadway.
Watch the opening performance below:
This is LIVE. @JKCorden and CBS are bringing the #TonyAwards to your couch.
He started the show on a couch, singing about the shows he had to watch on streaming subscription services.
“You watch Netlix, Hulu, Amazon ’til you can’t remember which program is on,” he sang from the couch. “I’m not speaking of network TV, which is wonderful obviously.”
“Trade your remote for the near. Leave your couch and travel here,” he sang as the backdrop fell away to reveal the jam-packed Radio City Music Hall.
The song turned into a dance routine, “the kind that’s live,” he sang, “actual people in an actual space, watching actors who are actually there.”
“Tonight you’re our guests as we honor the best of the best who do it live,” he continued.
Some of the featured performers danced across the stage, including Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations, Beetlejuice, Oklahoma!, The Prom, Tootsie, and Kiss Me, Kate.
“Live, you can’t control another opening or a show more kissable,” he sang as Kiss Me, Kate took the stage.
“When you see us tonight we get just one chance,” Corden sang.
He sang about some of the negatives of broadway, like long drives and general inconveniences. But, he sang, “The laughs fill your belly. The tears fill your eyes. You go to the show because the show let’s you know that you’re here and you’re now and you feel alive.”
“We’re here to remind you it’s thrilling to be alive,” he sang with a full stage. “It’s the Tonys, and we are live.”
Here’s what you need to know:
The 73rd Annual Tony Awards promises “showstopping” performances and an incredible lineup of celebrity presenters and musical performances.
James Corden will host “Holywood’s Biggest Night.”
On with the show… Join Host @JKCorden LIVE tonight at The #TonyAwards, starting at 8/7c on CBS and @CBSAllAccess: t.co/Rxkfpnnd0V
The star-studded roundup of celebrity presenters and featured performances includes Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations, Beetlejuice, The Cher Show, Choir Boy, Hadestown, Kiss Me, Kate, Oklahoma!, The Prom and Tootsie. Tony Award-winning actress Cynthia Erivo will give a special, featured performance.
Other featured appearances will include by Sara Bareilles, Laura Benanti, Abigail Breslin, David Byrne, Vanessa Carlton, Kristin Chenoweth, Darren Criss, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Tina Fey, Sutton Foster, Josh Groban, Danai Gurira, Jake Gyllenhaal, Christopher Jackson, Samuel L. Jackson, Shirley Jones, Regina King, Jane Krakowski, Isabelle Stevenson Award recipient Judith Light, Laura Linney, Lucy Liu, Aasif Mandvi, Audra McDonald, Sienna Miller, Catherine O’Hara, Tony Nominee Kelli O’Hara, Ben Platt, Billy Porter, Anthony Ramos, Andrew Rannells, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Michael Shannon, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Marisa Tomei, Samira Wiley and BeBe Winans.
Karen Olivo, Aaron Tveit and Danny Burstein will co-host the pre-telecast Creative Arts Awards, sponsored by City National Bank, according to CBS.
Caitlin Kinnunen from @ThePromMusical takes on the complex role of “Broadway star dramatically reading from a @Playbill.” See all the talent Broadway has to offer at @TheTonyAwards this Sunday at 8/7c on @CBS and @CBSAllAccess! #TonyAwards
James Corden will return to host the American Theatre Wing’s 2019 Tony Awards. It will all be broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City on CBS. It airs June 9th 8:00 – 11:00 p.m. ET. The Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing.
Watch the Red Carpet live beginning at 5 p.m. ET on Twitter @CBS, or on ET Live at ETonline.com/live. The 2019 Tony Awards Live from the Red Carpet will be hosted by Montego Glover and Denny Directo.
Viewers can also watch the Tony Awards online with CBS All Access.
Watch Broadway star @SantinoFontana add a dose of drama to the @Playbill for his show @TootsieMusical. Catch all your Broadway favorites at @TheTonyAwards this Sunday at 8/7c on @CBS and @CBSAllAccess. #TonyAwards #LSSC
Host James Corden said in an interview with USA Today, he plans to keep the show light and positive. He wants to avoid politics during his stint as host – for the most part.
“I hope people will find joy in it… We just want to make a show that is an absolute joyous celebration of a group of people that I think should be celebrated at the minimum once a year on television,” he told USA Today.
He said he still gets nervous performing live at the Tony’s, even though this is far from his first time on a widely publicized stage.
“It’s terrifying. Because there’s only one chance to do it. It’s completely live… You’re trying to do something new that you only have four days to rehearse,” he told USA Today. “We have no intentions of doing anything that is particularly political. But I fully support anybody that wants to…”
He told CBS This Morning the Tony Awards are the best of all the award shows because it is easier for the average person to watch.
“Most award shows are groups of millionaires giving each other gold statues, and that’s really it, like that is it,” he said on “CBS This Morning.” “Whereas here is a show where all of these incredible casts — people are paying two, three, four hundred dollars a ticket sometimes for some of these shows — and they’re going to perform right there, big moments from their shows all night, and you don’t have to leave your living room to watch them.”