We are getting a virtual Tony Awards this year! All the virtual ceremony details are still TBA but for those plays and musicals that opened by the February 19, 2020 cutoff this season - things could be getting exciting!
So what could these virtual Tonys look like this year? Will performers be socially distant? Will companies perform on online conferencing programs? Looking back at musical and musical revival nominees in Tony history, it is not out of the ordinary for only one performer to make an enormous impact representing their entire Tony nominated musical. Spotlights have shown on stages with one sole person singing out - heck, Tony winner Bernadette Peters has done this twice!
We have collected 12 performances done by solo superstars that might pave the way for performances we'll see in this 2020 virtual Tony Awards ceremony.
Seesaw's Michele Lee sings "I'm Way Ahead" / "Seesaw" at the 1974 Tony Awards
Side By Side by Sondheim's Millicent Martin sings "I'm Still Here" at the 1977 Tony Awards
Ballroom's Dorothy Loudon sings "Fifty Percent" at the 1979 Tony Awards
Song and Dance's Bernadette Peters sings "Unexpected Song" at the 1986 Tony Awards
Bells Are Ringing's Faith Prince sings "I'm Going Back" at the 2001 Tony Awards
Gypsy's Bernadette Peters sings "Rose's Turn" at the 2003 Tony Awards
Caroline, or Change's Tonya Pinkins sings "Lot's Wife" at the 2004 Tony Awards
Grey Gardens' Christine Ebersole sings "The Revolutionary Costume for Today" at the 2007 Tony Awards
Company's Raúl Esparza sings "Being Alive" at the 2007 Tony Awards
A Little Night Music's Catherine Zeta-Jones sings "Send in the Clowns" at the 2010 Tony Awards
Ragtime's Christiane Noll sings "Back to Before" at the 2010 Tony Awards
Hello, Dolly!'s David Hyde Pierce sings "Penny in My Pocket" at the 2017 Tony Awards
At the same time, what if the Tony nominated musicals want to set their scene at iconic Manhattan landmarks? That idea would not be a first for the Tonys either. Let's look at three musicals that were dancing in the streets for their Tony performances.
42nd Street tap dances on NYC's West 42nd Street on the 2001 Tony Awards
Movin' Out's Billy Joel plays the piano in the middle of Times Square on the 2003 Tony Awards
A Chorus Line auditions in front of Radio City on NYC's 6th Avenue on the 2007 Tony Awards
As soon as we have more info on the upcoming virtual 2020 Tony Awards, we'll be sure to give you the scoop!
