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After a year-long postponement due to COVID-19, the 2020 Tony Awards (the franchise's 74th installment) are finally happening on September 26—albeit looking very different from what theater lovers are used to watching.
Three of the event's most sought-after awards (best musical, best play and best revival of a play) will be given out during "The Tony Awards Present: Broadway's Back," a special that will air on CBS and also feature a slew of live performances from nominated musicals, including the three jukebox shows in the running for top musical (Jagged Little Pill, Moulin Rouge! The Musical and Tina—The Tina Turner Musical).
The remaining 22 awards—from individual ones honoring top performances to best direction, design and more—will be presented before the CBS program during a ceremony that will solely stream on the relatively new subscription streaming service Paramount+.
According to the New York Times, "the organizers' current expectation is that the [CBS] event will be live and in-person, taking place inside a Broadway theater." That being said, no information has yet been divulged about the exact location of the happening, whether there will be a host and who will perform in addition to the three already-announced casts. Historically, the award show has been airing live from Radio City Music Hall.
The decision to broadcast the ceremony in September isn't a random one: after nearly 18 months of darkness, Broadway theaters will finally welcome audiences once more, beginning with the re-opening of 2019's best musical, Hadestown. Here are all the other shows you can already buy tickets for.
We can't forget that it has been a long journey to the Tonys. In fact, the nominees for the 2019-2020 season were made publi back on October 15—basically an entire year before the winners will be announced. We, of course, can't wait to sing and dance along with the CBS special while celebrating the night's nominees.