The Tony Awards Return with Special Four Hour Telecast on CBS Sunday, September 26
By: Ellis Nassour
May 26, 2021 — You knew Broadway was coming back. You just weren’t sure when. Now, you know. You knew there were delayed 2019-2020 Season Tony Awards nominations. And you knew the Tony Awards would be back. You just didn’t know when. Now, you do. CBS, the American Theatre Wing, and the Broadway League announced that the long-delayed (since June) due to Covid-19 the 2021 Tonys, the 74th such event, will be air in a special four hour evening on Sunday, September 26, very shortly after Broadway has begun its long-awaited reopening.
It will be quite a different Tonys. There will two parts.
Beginning at 7 P.M. [4 P.M. PT] some major awards will be distributed in a two-hour presentation from one or more theatres – possibly with live audiences. However the telecast will only be accessible on the new CBS pay-TV streaming platform Paramount+. It’s not known if it will be available to non-members. It’s not known if the show will be hosted. More details will follow soon.
From 9 – 11 P.M. [7 – 9 P.M. PT], CBS-TV and Paramount+ will televise a live concert event, The Tony Awards Present: Broadway’s Back, with numbers from three of the Musical nominees, along with entertainment from a star-studded cast of performers and Tony winners. During this portion, as known to date, presenters will announce awards for Best Play, Musical, and Revival of a Play. Some earlier winners may also be showcased, as has been the case on more recent Tony Awards.
== Link to the 2020 Tony Nominations below ==
The Tony Awards will be directed by telecast veterans Glenn Weiss and produced by Weiss and Ricky Kirshner, who’ve accumulated quite a stash of Emmys and numerous Emmy nominations for numerous Tonys.
Wing president/CEO Heather Hitchens and League president Charlotte St. Martin issued a joint statement: “There is nothing that compares to the magic of live theater — and we are thrilled to be able to share its celebratory return and the incredible talent and artistry of the abbreviated 2019-2020 season with theater fans.,”
CBS Entertainment executive vice president, Specials, Music, Live Events and Alternative Programming, Jack Sussman, states, “We are thrilled to bring the best of Broadway to television viewers who have been through so much without the joys, comfort and excitement that live theatre provides. With the combination of CBS-TV an Paramount+, the show will honor Tony Award nominees and winners in a new format unlike any other, and celebrate the iconic music, memorable performances and unique personalities that make Broadway so special.”
