I second the suggestion of Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman, Alan Menken, Stephen Schwartz, and Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty.
Jeanine Tesori, Susan Stroman, Paula Vogel, and Lynn Nottage could be candidates, considering they're among the most decorated women of their generations in their respective fields, and the KenCen is deeply conscious of spreading the wealth in terms of gender and race.
Other theatre folks who SHOULD be honored in their lifetime --
Elaine May (what are they waiting for??)
Harvey Fierstein
Nathan Lane
Liza (discussed ad naeseum)
Michael Feinstein
Tommy Tune (what are they waiting for??)
James Lapine
Lydia Tár
Audra McDonald
Bernadette Peters
Patti LuPone
People I expect them to honor in the next decade or so (whether all "deserve" it or not over others is a wholly different matter; these are populists who could draw starry tributes) ----- Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, James Cameron, Kathryn Bigelow, Joel & Ethan Coen, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, Robert Downey Jr., Kevin Costner, Martin Short, Glenn Close, Sigourney Weaver, Tim Burton, Steven Soderbergh, RuPaul, Wes Anderson, Chuck Lorre (he's made a lotttt of money for CBS), Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, John Carpenter
Under a Republican presidency we could get David Mamet, Gary Sinise, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kelsey Grammer, Jon Voigt, or Caitlin Jenner.
Updated On: 12/29/23 at 12:23 PM