Dates set for 2020/21 TONY AWARDS on Paramount+ and CBS

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 5/26/21 at 12:01pm

A date for Tony Awards has been announced at last! On September 26, a 4-hour event will air in two parts on Paramount+ and CBS. https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Breaking-The-74th-Annual-Tony-Awards-Will-Air-This-September-in-Two-Parts-20210526?fbclid=IwAR1JYaGZWqOkMpnp46bKEKG2OgLe4G_1JZ6X6QQFobKBhBQIoP3kA5mpZeQ

Updated On: 5/26/21 at 12:01 PM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 5/26/21 at 12:07pm

I hope Aaron acts surprised and pretends like he didn’t even write a speech.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 5/26/21 at 12:07pm

See you at 9:00 everybody!

[KingOfTheMine]

Posted: 5/26/21 at 12:09pm

Happy these plans were finally announced.  This hybrid online/TV ceremony seems like it's going to be disjointed, but I guess they're trying to make the TV ceremony more of a celebration of Broadway than just about handing out awards.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 5/26/21 at 12:10pm

Looking forward to this!

[Hairspray0901]

Posted: 5/26/21 at 12:31pm

Definitely won’t be subscribing to Paramount just to watch the Tony’s. Interesting move on their part but looking forward to the “concert” on CBS!

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 5/26/21 at 12:32pm

Glad this has finally been announced, though I wonder how the concert is going to work, like will it be an actual concert format or will it be fully staged numbers, or something more like the NBC special? And I hope they do end up having performances from more than just the nominated musicals, as there's a lot to look forward to this fall that isn't just those three.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 5/26/21 at 12:35pm

Yessssss

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 5/26/21 at 12:45pm

Paramount+ also has a free trial, which I think is a weeklong. (I subscribed in early 2020 for all the new Star Trek series, and Paramount+ and CBS are the only streaming services I'm paying for — worth it to me!)

[Theatrefanboy1]

Posted: 5/26/21 at 12:50pm

Well if 1) if they were really looking for a news maker. The Tony voters would vote against Aaron winning... could you imagine. 

2) I'm kind of disappointed that they aren't doing the regular format I agree that it seems like it will be disjointed. 

3) If they are having "celebrations from past shows" as a celebration of Broadway being back I they will have:

-Phantom performance with Sarah Brightman and Crawford

- Angela Lansbury, Len Cariou, Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters and the cast of Company in a Sondheim tribute

- A preview performance of Diana... but I'd also love to see a preview from SIX and Company as well

- A "divas" medley - Chita Rivera, Julie Andrews (even just two lines in sing-speak) and Liza

 

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 5/26/21 at 1:13pm

I really don’t like this. I understand that there is a free trial, but putting the majority of the awards behind a paywall is the exactly opposite of the lesson they should’ve learned over this past year. We want to make the arts more accessible to everyone - not build more obstacles.

I also hope it’s a nice mix of shows performing. I don’t need to see the three nominated musicals perform the same songs again.

[AllThatJazz2]

Posted: 5/26/21 at 1:18pm

Forgive my ignorance, but this year, is this being pre-recorded, or is it live, or a mix? Will it impact that weekend's scheduled performances?

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 5/26/21 at 1:19pm

The Tony awards is not exactly ratings gold so Im not surprised they put the actual award show on a streaming platform. But, it's not expensive and pretty accessible to the majority of people who actually want to watch it. 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 5/26/21 at 1:39pm

IdinaBellFoster said: "t putting the majority of the awards behind a paywall is the exactly opposite of the lesson they should’ve learned over this past year. We want to make the arts more accessible to everyone - not build more obstacles."

"They" is CBS, which is in the business of getting people to watch their network, not promoting the arts.

TBH this is a very successful result for Broadway, and one that was beyond the wildest dreams a few months ago. Producers get their marketing bonanza on CBS, and the diehards get the Tony Award ceremony albeit across two platforms. The only alternatives would be to stream the whole thing on a theatre website (like the DDs do/did) or MAYBE to get PBS to broadcast the whole thing which would (a) seriously damage the CBS relationship even if it were allowed, (b) provide a far weaker marketing opportunity, and (c) result in the same hodgepodge of local station decisions about if or when to broadcast that happened when we had the first hour on PBS in the good ol' days. 

This is one of those situations where everyone should be grateful for what we are getting and offer a hearty "job well done" to the fine producers who navigated this project to the best imaginable result. 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 5/26/21 at 1:46pm

No announcement of where this will be held. Should we assume Radio City?

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 5/26/21 at 2:03pm

ACL2006 said: "No announcement of where this will be held. Should we assume Radio City?"

NYT says : "The organizers’ current expectation is that the event — awards and performances — will be live and in-person, taking place inside a Broadway theater" but no specifics beyond that.

The St. James, Winter Garden, Neil Simon, or Marquis make the most sense to me since they're the largest that won't have a show running in them at that time (as of right now).

Updated On: 5/26/21 at 02:03 PM

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 5/26/21 at 2:03pm

I think this is fine. It’s not like it’s a big suspenseful awards show.

Did the voting happen before the Olivio drama? I mean Warren was going to win regardless.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 5/26/21 at 2:12pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "ACL2006 said: "No announcement of where this will be held. Should we assume Radio City?"

NYT says : "The organizers’ current expectation is that the event — awards and performances — will be live and in-person, taking place inside a Broadway theater" but no specifics beyond that.

The St. James, Winter Garden, Neil Simon, or Marquis make the most sense to me since they're the largest that won't have a show running in them at that time (as of right now)."

RCMH was already booked, as was the Beacon. I suspect it will be either the St. James or the Marquis which not only have no show running but so far as I know booked. I'd give the edge to the Marquis because it is more TV crew friendly.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 5/26/21 at 2:15pm

Would be lovely to see the opulence of......any theatre but the Marquis! Maybe CBS would like to give it a permanent facelift as a gift to the Nederlander Org? 

[barcelona20]

Posted: 5/26/21 at 2:20pm

Won't be signing up for Paramount (even with free trial) just to watch the Tony's. Sorry CBS and my apologies to the nominees.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 5/26/21 at 2:22pm

Note that this will be the first Tonys of the 21st century to be held inside a B'way theatre... the last time it happened was 1999 at the Gershwin: the ceremony was host-less and Fosse won Best Musical.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 5/26/21 at 2:33pm

To be honest, I don't see anything wrong with them splitting up the ceremony. Maybe it's just me, but I only watch the live thing for the performances and for the big awards. Everything else I look out for recaps on the morning news or online news sources. Its been years since I've seen a live telecast of the emmy's or golden globes because I know I can find out who won just by looking at twitter. I think this is smart and allows more time to celebrate the entire broadwat community and not just the winners. I hope they award all the best musical nominees in some way, because after 14-18 months of not performing at all, I'd hate be seen as a loser. 

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 5/26/21 at 3:30pm

Some here making it seem like they have a gun to their head signing up for a streaming service.

[Playbill_Trash]

Posted: 5/26/21 at 4:07pm

I was scratching my head also at first with the split between 2 platforms, but my question still came back to, what is on the CBS Sunday night schedule between 7-9pm that they couldn't spare air time for?

I don't know all the details, but 9/26 could be the week of September sweeps, and they could have already committed airtime to season premieres of previously announced shows before Broadway's return was ever in the picture.

Sunday at 7 is always 60 minutes on CBS, so at 8 it could be the season premiere of The Equalizer? Or a different previously announced show?

From the Tonys end, starting at 7 was always the case with the technical awards starting an hour before the 8pm broadcast - and then more performances spread out throughout the night. So it comes down to CBS and their air time. The League and American Theatre Wing always said they wanted to coincide the awards this year with the re-opening of all running shows, so this could have just been a result of a negotiation / compromise / scheduling requirements on both ends / working with previous agreements of air time?

Tonys wanted September/near the opening of most shows, CBS found a time that fit within their previously sold air time, and this is the result?

The extra step of getting a free-trial of a streaming service is annoying and frustrating, but given what the conversations may have been between producers and network execs, it sounds like they did what they could?

Either that or we could #cancelLesleyStahl

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 5/26/21 at 4:10pm

All the performances will be aired on TV. I just wonder if that means the stuff show on Paramount will just be a dull awards show with no performances!