ON TV
“The 68th Annual Tony Awards”
8 p.m. June 8, CBS
Kenny Leon could score a win. Sting is expected to sing. And Hugh Jackman will look dashing.
Those are among the reasons to tune into the 68th Annual Tony Awards when they air live at 8 p.m. June 8 from Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
Leon, the Atlanta-based director known for his True Colors Theatre Company, is up for best director for his revival of “A Raisin in the Sun.” He was last nominated in 2010 for “Fences,” but didn’t win. A victory Sunday would mark his first Tony triumph.
“Raisin” received four other nominations: best revival of a play; best performance by an actress in a leading role in a play (LaTanya Richardson Jackson); best performance by an actress in a featured role in a play (Anika Noni Rose); and best performance by an actress in a featured role in a play (Sophie Okonedo).
The new musical “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder” topped this year’s nominations list with 10, followed by the revival of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” starring former Tony host Neil Patrick Harris (nominated for best actor in a musical) with eight.
Other multiple nominees include the jazz-centric “After Midnight” and the pop-tastic “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” with seven nods each. “The Glass Menagerie” and “Twelfth Night” also garnered seven nominations apiece, while the new play, “Act One,” scored five.
Shows that opened on Broadway during the 2013-14 season before April 24, 2014, were eligible for consideration.
The star-studded event — with Jackman back as host for the fourth time — will spotlight performances from Sting, who is previewing his Broadway-bound musical “The Last Ship,” as well as Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle and Fantasia, who will open the show with a number from “After Midnight.” Idina Menzel, the Tony-winning Broadway talent now known to a new generation thanks to “Frozen,” will sing a song from her current Broadway show, “If/Then,” while Alan Cumming will perform a number from “Cabaret.”
Other cast performances will include “Aladdin,” “Les Miserables,” “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder,” “Bullets Over Broadway” and “Rocky.”
Among the presenters, expect to see Bradley Cooper, Kevin Bacon, Carole King, Will Ferrell, Clint Eastwood, Zach Braff, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Kenneth Branagh, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Kate Mara, Audra McDonald and Wayne Brady handing out trophies.
