Tag Archives: Broadway League

Ariana DeBose to Host Tony Awards for Third Consecutive Year

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Ariana DeBose is heading back to Broadway for a special night…

The 33-year-old half-Puerto Rican Oscar-winning actress, singer and dancer will return as host of this year’s Tony Awards, marking her third consecutive year fronting Broadway‘s biggest night.

Ariana DeBose,The 77th Annual Tony Awards airs live nationwide (8:00 pm ET/5:00 pm PT) on Sunday, June 16, on CBS, streaming on Paramount+.

The ceremony will take place at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City.

DeBose, an Oscar winner (West Side Story) and previous Tony nominee (Summer: The Donna Summer Musical), will serve as a Tony producer and will choreograph the opening number for this year’s show.

“I couldn’t pass up the chance to host the Tonys one more time, at Lincoln Center,” DeBose said in a statement. “I’m excited to collaborate with the team to create an incredible celebration of this season’s achievements on Broadway for our community and for everyone at home.”

“Ariana’s unique sense of artistry, creativity and talent continues to elevate the show and captivate nominees and viewers alike,” shared Heather Hitchens, president and CEO of the American Theatre Wing and Jason Laks, interim president of the Broadway League. Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner, executive producers for White Cherry Entertainment, said, “The third time is definitely going to be a charm for a host who is as charming and insanely talented as Ariana DeBose.”

Tony organizers also announced today that CBS and Pluto TV will once again partner to present The Tony Awards: Act One, the pre-show of live, exclusive content leading into awards ceremony. Act One, available on Pluto TV, includes the presentation of a first round of Tony Awards. Hosts and further details will be announced in the coming weeks.

This year’s Tonys will recognize and honor the Broadway productions of the 2023- 2024 theater season. Nominations will be announced on Tuesday, April 30.

The Tony Awards are produced in collaboration with Tony Award Productions, a joint venture of the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, and White Cherry Entertainment.

Miranda’s “Hamilton” Ends Year as Broadway’s Box Office Star

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Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton is the new king of the jungle…

The 36-year-old Puerto Rican actor, playwright, composer, rapper and writer’s Broadway musical nudged past Disney blockbuster The Lion King to top the Broadway box office end of the year chart.

Lin-Manuel Miranda's final Hamilton curtain call

Hamilton ended the year earning $105.5 million, besting The Lion King ($103.2 million) by a nose.

The show’s hugely profitable year comes as little surprise given the ultra-high demand for tickets and the rising prices of premium seats.

Over Thanksgiving, Hamilton became the first Broadway show to earn more than $3 million in a single eight-performance week.

Although Broadway bookkeeping mostly follows a season calendar that begins and ends in May, the year-end box office tallies nonetheless provide a good mid-season snapshot of the health of the Broadway industry. With box office measured in weekly increments that run Monday through Sunday, bookkeepers at the Broadway League are counting the week ending December 25 as the end of the 52-week year, with the 2017 calendar year beginning this week.

Hamilton and the 19-year-old Lion King, which had been the biggest earner on the street for the previous three calendar years, were the only two shows to earn more than $100 million in 2016.

Another of Broadway’s consistent hot tickets, Wicked ($89 million), followed them on the chart, with Disney’s Aladdin ($78.2 million) and The Book of Mormon ($70.6 million) rounding out the Top 5.

Ortiz Earns Obie Award for His “The Woodsman” Puppet Designs

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James Ortiz is a real puppet master…

James Ortiz

The Latino actor, director, writer and puppet designer has received an award at the 61st annual Obie Awards, established by the Village Voice to acknowledge achievement in off-Broadway theater.

The Woodsman

Ortiz picked up the award for his puppet designs for New World Stages’ production of The Woodsman, the one-of-a-kind show Ortiz created that tells the tale of the Tin Man, the woman he loved, and the witch that would stop at nothing to keep them apart.

It’s Strangemen and Co.’s critically acclaimed take on one of America’s original fairy tales, the Wizard of Oz.

The Woodsman

The Village Voice now runs the Obies with the American Theatre Wing, which also co-presents the Tony Awards (with the Broadway League).

The ceremony was held Monday evening at Webster Hall and hosted by Lea DeLaria.

Ortiz serves as the co-artistic director of Strangemen & Co. His design/directorial credits include The Tempest (DC Shakespeare), SeaWife (Naked Angels), Mercury Fur (The New Group), King Lear (Delacorte Theater in Central Park), Ludic Proxy (Soho Rep), King Lear (Theatre for a New Audience), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (New Place Players), Miss Lilly Gets Boned (Studio 42), My Base and Scurvy Heart (Studio 42) and An Intimate Evening with Typhoid Mary (Glass Bandits).