The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
‘Shine the light:’ Ariana DeBose to host Sunday’s Tony Awards
Tony Award host and theater veteran Ariana DeBose says this year’s telecast will spread its arms wider than just Broadway’s stars and celebrate the unsung heroes like understudies and swings who kept shows open during the pandemic restart.
“As the host of this particular Tony ceremony and as one of your own, I say to those people, ‘I promise you, I got you,’” she told The Associated Press. “There’s no way in the world that this Tony Awards will go by without us taking the time to shine the light.”
The Oscar-winning and Tony-nominated actress — who was once an ensemble member and understudy on Broadway — will for the first time host the three-hour awards show Sunday on CBS, helping hand out the top competitive Tonys.
“We’re going to have a lot of fun. I’m trying to keep it light, keep it joyful, say a little something that maybe we need to hear. But we’re celebrating,” she said. “It feels great. I am, in the words of Stephen
Sondheim, ‘excited and scared.’”
DeBose is quite familiar with the massive Radio City Music Hall stage. She’s performed during three previous telecasts including in “Summer,” “Motown the Musical” and “Bring It On: The Musical.”
“It is helpful, but I don’t think any of those times really compares to this one. I feel like I’m being tasked with driving the train a little bit,” she said. “I think, if I’m honest, I do feel the pressure. But it’s because I have skin in the game. It’s because I care.”
The season — with a whopping 34 new productions — represents a full return to theaters after nearly two years of a pandemic-mandated shutdown. DeBose calls it a roller coaster of a season with starts and stops.” The fact that the Tonys are even happening seems like a win.
“Thank goodness we’re going to have a Tonys that are live,” said playwright Lynn Nottage, nominated for the play “Clyde’s” and the musical “MJ.” “The theater feels like it’s been resuscitated, and the fact that we can have this big celebration just speaks to the resilience of the form and of the community.”
The telecast will have performances from this year’s Tony Award-nominated musicals, including “A Strange Loop,” “Company,” “Girl from the North Country,” “MJ,” “Mr. Saturday Night,” “Music Man,” “Paradise Square” and “Six.” The original cast members of the 2007 Tonywinning musical “Spring Awakening” will also reteam and perform.