Entertainment

Proof Tonight's Tonys Will Be Awesome

by Alanna Bennett

The Tony Awards are tonight, and the Broadway babies are getting antsy. I know this because I'm one of them at heart, and the only thing my brain seems to want to allow me to do in the hours leading up to the ceremony is fall into the deep, endless abyss that is Youtube clips of past Tony performances. The power of their voices, you guys! The sets! The spectacle! They're so resonant! So really, what better time is there to go through the best of what the Tonys has to offer? In lieu of going through all of televised Broadway history, though (neither you nor I have that kind of time), let's get focused: There are a lot of notable Broadway stars set to make this Tonys one to remember. They're the Hugh Jackmans, the Neil Patrick Harrises, the Idina Menzels, the Sutton Fosters — and those are only a few.

Jackman's hosting; Harris, Menzel, Foster, and many (many!) more are performing as nominees. All, and many more taking part in nominated shows and/or nominated themselves — including Alan Cumming and Kelli O'Hara — will also be making various musical appearances tonight. So what can you count on when you get all these people in a giant room together and let them go ham, musical-style? A damn good show. Here's proof, pulled from their past Tony performances.

That Time Hugh Jackman Made Sarah Jessica Parker Dance Sexy

He pulled her onstage as part of his Boy From Oz performance. She blushed pretty thoroughly. A good time was had.

Neil Patrick Harris Pays Homage To Broadway Stars Turned TV Stars (Whose Shows Then Got Canceled)

Includes New Normal and Girls star Andrew Rannells, Go On's Laura Benanti, and Smash's Megan Hilty. Benanti's drunkenness is downright adorable.

Idina Menzel and Anthony Rapp As Part Of the Original Cast Of Rent

Suck it, Frozen, Rent will always be what launched Idina Menzel into the Broadway canon. She was beloved long before John Travolta mispronounced her name, and it's this Rent performance and this Wicked performance (below) that made it so. Both Anthony Rapp and Menzel will be at the Tonys tonight as part of the cast of the nominated show If/Then.

Sutton Foster Declares That Anything Goes

Proving she can go toe-to-toe with Broadway legends like Patti Lupone (who performed this number at the Tonys decades before), Foster killed it with this performance, proving she's a Broadway superstar — as if her seven Tony noms left any room for doubt. She's nominated tonight for Violet. If you still need more proof that she's one of the best, there's her turn at the Tonys from Thoroughly Modern Millie:

And from The Drowsy Chaperone:

Kelli O'Hara Proves You Can Win A Duet

Kelli O'Hara's a favorite to win for Best Actress in a Musical tonight, so you should probably get your shit together and make sure you're caught up on her amazingness. These clips (the above from Pajama Game, the below from the Light In the Piazza) should do the job.

Neil Patrick Harris Reminds Us Why He's Hosted A Zillion Times With A Show-Ending (& Show-Stopping) Rap

Harris is one of the Tonys most frequently-used and thoroughly beloved hosts, and he proved why when he ended one show with a rap (co-written by In the Heights' Lin Manuel Miranda) paying homage to everything that had gone down during the broadcast.

Alan Cumming Gets Dirty With Cabaret

Alan Cumming's played the MC in Cabaret many times in his career — in fact he won a Tony for it already in 1998 — and he'll be performing again tonight as part of the show's revival. No better time to compare and contrast, right?