Lloyd Webber, Rivera to get special Tonys
Chita Rivera and Andrew Lloyd Webber will each take home a 2018 special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theater, receiving their trophies at the awards ceremony this June.
The lifetime achievement honors are in one category of a handful of special Tony Awards that are doled out as part of the theater industry’s biggest night. Along with the list of competitive awards that make up the night’s main event, Tony Honors are handed out to industry figures who are not eligible in any of the competition categories, and another special award is given for outstanding commitment to humanitarian or charitable causes.
Rivera, 85, is one of Broadway’s best-loved performers. She began her career as a dancer and made her Broadway debut in the original 1950 cast of “Guys and Dolls” before her breakout role as Anita in the original 1957 production of “West Side Story.” She won acting Tonys for “The Rink” in 1984 and “Kiss of the Spider Woman” in 1993.
Lloyd Webber, 70, is one of the very few Broadway composers with a marquee name, penning the music for massive, globally popular successes like “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Evita,” “Cats” and “The Phantom of the Opera.” As a composer and producer, he’s won a total of seven Tonys.
The 2018 Tony Awards — hosted by Josh Groban and Sara Bareilles — are set to air live June 10 on CBS, with nominations due to be announced May 1.