Tony Awards ceremony slumps to 2.6 million low on television

Tony Awards ceremony slumps to 2.6 million low on television
John Batiste poses on the red carpet as he arrives for the 74th Annual Tony Awards in New York, US, on Sept 26, 2021.
PHOTO: Reuters

LOS ANGELES - The television audience for Sunday's Tony Awards for theater slumped to a new low despite a star-studded cast that promoted Broadway's return after an 18-month shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Broadcaster CBS said on Monday (Sept 27) that just 2.6 million Americans tuned in for the two-hour special, which did double duty as an awards ceremony and a commercial for the return of live theater.

In 2019, the last time the Tony Awards were held, some 5.5 million people watched the ceremony on television, which was the first time the show marking the best of theater fell below 6 million.

Sunday's ceremony took place almost two years after most of the nominated plays and musicals first played in New York City.

[[nid:418528]]

Best-play winners The Inheritance, an AIDS drama set in the 21st century, and The Soldier's Play, about the murder of a Black officer on an US military base in 1944, both closed in 2020 and have no plans to return.

Moulin Rouge! The Musical, which was named best musical and won nine other Tonys, reopened last week, joining dozens of other shows that returned in September.

Sunday's broadcast, called Broadway's Back, featured performances from multiple shows and appearances from Broadway stars, including Chita Rivera, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth who urged viewers to buy tickets.

This website is best viewed using the latest versions of web browsers.