Queen Latifah, Alex Newell, Adrienne Warren, and more will take the stage for an all-star tribute performance celebrating the 30th anniversary of Chicago’s legendary Broadway revival at the 79th Annual Tony Awards, set to air live on CBS on Sunday, June 7, from Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Tony Awards host Pink will also join the performance.
The performers bring deep ties to the Chicago legacy. Latifah earned an Academy Award nomination for her role as Matron “Mama” Morton in the 2002 film adaptation of Chicago, Newell has played “Mama” Morton in the Broadway revival, while Hough previously danced the “Hot Honey Rag” at the 2023 Tony Awards alongside then-host Ariana DeBose. Leavitt and Mulvaney both recently completed runs in the Broadway production.
With a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander, and lyrics by Fred Ebb, Chicago is now the longest-running American musical in Broadway history. Produced by Barry and Fran Weissler, directed by Tony Award winner Walter Bobbie, and choreographed by Tony Award winner Ann Reinking, the revival won six Tony Awards in 1997, including Best Musical Revival. Set in 1920s Chicago, the musical follows Roxie Hart, a housewife and nightclub dancer who murders her lover and enlists the city’s most cunning criminal lawyer to spin her crime into front-page headlines.
The Chicago tribute is one of several special performances planned for the evening. The entire original cast of The Book of Mormon, including Tony winner Nikki M. James and Tony nominees Josh Gad, Andrew Rannells, and Rory O’Malley, will reunite to celebrate that show’s 15th anniversary on Broadway. The performance will be introduced by creators Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and Robert Lopez.
The ceremony will also feature performances from this season’s Tony-nominated productions, including The Lost Boys, Schmigadoon!, Titanique, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York), Cats: The Jellicle Ball, Ragtime, and Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show.
Prior to the main broadcast, Tony Award winner Laura Benanti and Tituss Burgess will host The Tony Awards: Act One, a live pre-show available for free on Pluto TV beginning at 6:35 PM ET. The main ceremony broadcasts live on CBS and streams on Paramount+ from 8:00 to 11:00 PM ET, and 5:00 to 8:00 PM PT.