This opening act of the 2022 Tony Awards is coming into focus. Emmy Award winners Darren Criss and Julianne Hough have been named co-hosts of “The Tony Awards: Act One,” one hour of exclusive content streaming live, only on Paramount+. The program will air on Sunday, June 12 (7:00-8:00 p.m. ET/4:00-5:00 p.m. PT), prior to the live broadcast of the Tony Awards on CBS. Criss and Hough will kick off the evening celebrating the 2022 Tonys, bestowing multiple awards and introducing special performances throughout the exciting hour of programming.
As previously announced, Oscar winner and Tony Award nominee Ariana DeBose (“West Side Story,” “Summer”) will host The 75th Annual Tony Awards. The ceremony will be broadcast live coast-to-coast for the first time ever from 8:00-11:00 p.m. ET/5:00-8:00 p.m. PT on the CBS Television Network, and streaming live and on demand on Paramount+ for premium subscribers.
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“We are thrilled to have Darren and Julianne kick-off our 75th Anniversary with ‘The Tony Awards: Act One,’ celebrating the dynamic achievements of Broadway’s best,” said Charlotte St. Martin, President of The Broadway League and Heather Hitchens, President and CEO of the American Theatre Wing. “We can’t wait to see what these two triple-threat talents will bring to the stage on Tony night!”
Darren Criss is currently starring in the Tony-nominated Broadway revival of “American Buffalo.” That production recently earned nominations for Revival of a Play, Lead Actor in a Play (Sam Rockwell), Director of a Play (Neil Pepe) and Scenic Design of a Play. Criss has previously been seen on Broadway in “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” and “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” The actor won an Emmy for his performance in the limited series “American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace,” and earned an additional Emmy nomination for writing the song “This Time” for “Glee.”
Julianne Hough is currently making her Broadway debut in Selina Fillinger’s new comedy “POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive.” The comedy received Tony nominations for Featured Actress in a Play (Rachel Dratch and Julie White) and Scenic Design of a Play. The show plays a limited engagement at the Shubert Theatre through August 14, 2022. Hough received three Emmy nominations in the Best Choreography category for her work on “Dancing With the Stars,” winning on her third try for the routine “Elastic Heart.”
SEE the complete list of 2022 Tony Awards nominees
No word yet on which specific Tony categories will be featured in this “Act One” presentation. However, it is likely to include the eight design races and Best Orchestrations. Those categories have been given out before the telecast in recent years, with clips of the winners’ speeches featured immediately before or after commercial breaks. So be sure to login to Paramount+ on June 12 if you want to catch the full speeches for every single Tony winner this year.
The 75th Tonys celebration will recognize all the award categories and honor the incredible artistry of the 2021-2022 season. The Tony Awards, which honor theater professionals for distinguished achievement on Broadway, is presented by the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing and has been broadcast on CBS since 1978. A limited number of tickets to the 75th Annual Tony Awards are now available at www.TonyAwards.com/tickets.
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