The 2020 Tony Awards have hosts. Audra McDonald and Leslie Odom, Jr. are picking up the batons for the CBS-Paramount Plus special night on Sunday, September 26th. The first two hours are on Paramount Plus from 7 to 9pm, then the whole thing moves to CBS for a two hour special.
This is more of a celebration of Broadway than actual Tony Awards since the shows that were eligible were negligible. But everyone’s very excited for Adrienne Warren to pick up her award for playing Tina Turner. And Aaron Tveit had better win– he’s the only nominee in his category!
The show is coming from the Winter Garden Theater and not Radio City Music Hall because the latter was already booked for the four days leading up with comedian Jim Gaffigan. The Winter Garden is a quarter of Radio City’s size, which will make it easier for COVID. And the Winter Garden will get a plug for “The Music Man,” which starts loading in soon, with Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster. Ticket prices are $1 million for the loge.
Scott Rudin’s name is off the production of “THE BOOK OF MORMON” but the irreverent musical is returning soon. They’ve announced a cast including Kevin Clay as Elder Price, Cody Jamison Strand as Elder Cunningham, Kim Exum as Nabulungi, Olivier Award winner Stephen Ashfield as Elder McKinley and Sterling Jarvis as Mafala Hatimbi.
There’s been talk that the Mormon book has been toned down or changed to reflect our new PC times. “Book of Mormon” is anti- everything, and I hope they don’t water that down. “South Park” creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker never back down from anything. Now is not the time! Performances resume on November 5th.
