Tony Awards – live: Lupita Nyong’o, Jodie Comer, Ariana DeBose and more arrive at Broadway’s biggest night

Broadway’s biggest night is upon us, as the 2023 Tony Awards gets underway.

The annual ceremony has recognised the biggest achievements in Broadway theatre since 1947.

This year’s Tony Awards will take place at New York’s United Palace and will air from 8pm ET. Proceedings will be led by Oscar-winning performer Ariana DeBose for the second year in a row.

The revival of the classic musical Some Like it Hot leads the pack with 13 nominations. In the plays category, Ain’t No Mo’, A Doll’s House, and Leopoldstadt are the most nominated, with six nods apiece.

Of course, the night wouldn’t be complete without performances from some of the productions up for awards.

Those attending can expect performances from the casts of Camelot, Into the Woods, & Juliet, Kimberly Akimbo, New York, New York, Parade, Shucked, Some Like It Hot and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Key Points

• How to watch the 2023 Tony Awards

• Who and what is nominated at this year’s Tonys?

The queen has arrived...

Monday 12 June 2023 00:52 , Tom Murray

15 minutes to go...

Monday 12 June 2023 00:47 , Tom Murray

Hello folks and thank you for joining us tonight for our live coverage of the Tony Awards! Some big names including plenty of British exports are up for the top gongs tonight, such as Killing Eve star Jodie Comer and the plays Prima Facie, Leopoldstadt and & Juliet.

Stay tuned...

What shows have received the most nominations at the Tonys?

Monday 12 June 2023 00:00 , Nicole Vassell

In the play category, the production with the most nominations is Jeremy O Harris’ Slave Play, which received 12 in 2020. The provocative show also holds the record of the play with the most losses, as it ended up winning none.

For musicals, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton received 16 nominations in 2016 and won 11, the highest number for an individual show that year.

WATCH: Tony Awards 2022: Prince and Paris Jackson pay tribute to their late father

Sunday 11 June 2023 23:40 , Nicole Vassell

MJ: The Musical, a show about the life and career of Michael Jackson, received 10 nominations at last year’s ceremony.

In the end, it won four: Best Lead Actor in a Musical (Myles Frost), Best Lighting Design of a Musical, Best Sound Design of a Musical and Best Choreography.

Watch the moment Prince and Paris Jackson paid tribute to their late father at the awards in 2022 below:

What does a Tony Award look like?

Sunday 11 June 2023 23:20 , Nicole Vassell

The Tony Award trophy consists of a spinnable medallion, with faces portraying an adaptation of the comedy and tragedy masks. It is mounted on a black base with a pewter swivel.

It stands at around 24cm tall (9.5 inches) and weighs 1.6kg (3.5 lbs).

Here’s Cynthia Nixon displaying hers proudly in 2006, after her Best Actress in a Play win for Rabbit Hole.

WATCH: Ariana DeBose performs musical monologue at the Baftas

Sunday 11 June 2023 23:00 , Nicole Vassell

Effervescent performer Ariana DeBose will provide hosting duties for tonight’s show for the second year in a row.

Earlier this year, she created a viral moment with her musical monologue for the Baftas, in which she uttered the timeless words: “Angela Bassett did the thing.”

Here is a look back at the host’s unforgettable performance:

The show must go on: Putting on a Tony Awards telecast during a writers' strike

Sunday 11 June 2023 22:15 , Nicole Vassell

Putting on a live telecast with no writers, no script and no rehearsal is no easy feat.

Due to the Writers Guild of America strike, no writers in the union were permitted to write material for this year’s Tony Awards.

Mark Kennedy looks into how the show will come together below:

The show must go on: Putting on a Tony Awards telecast during a writers' strike

WATCH: Alex Newell’s performance of ‘Independently Owned’ from Shucked

Sunday 11 June 2023 21:15 , Nicole Vassell

Alex Newell is nominated for Best Actor in a Musical for their portrayal of whiskey entrepreneur Lulu in the new Broadway musical, Shucked.

The former Glee actor makes history as the first non-binary performer to be nominated for a Tony Award.

Their performance of the song “Independently Owned” is frequently highlighted as a standout moment from the show and reliably receives standing ovations from the audience.

Watch the performance that continuously has crowds on their feet below.

How did Jodie Comer’s performance in Prima Facie go down in the UK?

Sunday 11 June 2023 20:15 , Nicole Vassell

Before its Broadway transfer, Prima Facie ran at London’s Harold Pinter Theatre from April to June 2022.

Killing Eve star Jodie Comer takes on the show alone as a lawyer who frequently defends rapists, but is forced to call her whole belief system into question when she is raped by a fellow lawyer.

The play has four nominations at tonight’s awards: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Jodie Comer), Best Sound Design, Best Lighting Design and Best Scenic Design for a Play.

Last year, The Independent gave the show four stars, with particular praise going to Comer’s performance.

Here’s Ava Wong Davies’ review in full:

Jodie Comer is extraordinary in the striking if tidy Prima Facie – review

WATCH: Ariana DeBose performs from Andrew Garfield’s lap in 2022

Sunday 11 June 2023 19:15 , Nicole Vassell

Who and what won at last year’s Tonys?

Sunday 11 June 2023 18:15 , Nicole Vassell

For the 2022 season, 29 of the 34 productions on Broadway stages received nominations.

Michael R Jackson’s A Strange Loop won Best Musical, while Stefano Massini’s The Lehman Trilogy bagged the coveted award for Best Play.

In terms of individual performers, Myles Frost, Joaquina Kalukango, Deirdre O’Connell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Phylicia Rashad were among those to take home some of the night’s top acting prizes.

Here’s a look back at the full list of last year’s winners:

See the full list of winners at the Tony Awards 2022

How is the writers’ strike affecting the Tony Awards?

Sunday 11 June 2023 17:15 , Nicole Vassell

Members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) have been on strike since Tuesday 2 May, with more than 11,500 writers across film, television and other entertainment forms downing pens until their terms are met by Hollywood executives.

This means that, in contrast to other years, no writers in the union were on hand to write a script for tonight’s show.

Lead host Ariana DeBose, and other presenters for the night, will be forced to use their improvisational skills to entertain the viewers and keep the show moving, with no scripted teleprompter.

At one point, the show itself was up in the air, before the WGA confirmed that they would not be picketing at the ceremony.

This year’s nominations – in full

Sunday 11 June 2023 16:15 , Nicole Vassell

Funny Girl star Lea Michele and 2022 Lead Actor in a Musical winner Myles Frost announced the nominees in a ceremony on Tuesday 2 May.

The revival of Some Like it Hot leads the pack with 13 nominations. For the plays, it’s currently a three-way tie between Ain’t No Mo’, A Doll’s House and Leopoldstadt, with six nominations each.

Here’s the full list of nominees:

See the full list of nominations for this year’s Tony Awards

How to watch the Tony Awards

Sunday 11 June 2023 15:20 , Nicole Vassell

This year’s Tonys will kick off at 8pm ET at New York’s United Palace.

Viewers in the US will be able to watch the ceremony as it happens on CBS and Paramount Plus.

Isobel Lewis has the full details of how to enjoy the awards from afar:

Everything you need to know about the 2023 Tony Awards