Hosts With the Most

It has just been announced that Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, stars of the mega-hit Broadway musical The Producers, will co-host the 55th annual Tony Awards on Sunday, June 3. They will be backed by an all-female roster of presenters including Glenn Close, Edie Falco, and Sigourney Weaver during the CBS portion of the awards telecast, according to executive producer Gary Smith.

Though this will not be Lane’s first time at the rodeo, he feels that “The first three times I hosted were just a warm up to this year. The fourth time is the dream. I am thrilled to be asked back.” Broderick considers it “a true honor” to be invited to host the Tonys. “Knowing that Nathan and I will be up there together should also make it a great deal of fun,” he adds.

In one respect, the choice of these two as Tony hosts was a no-brainer; both are movie stars as well as theater veterans, and their current Broadway show is the biggest hit in many a season. But their assignment sets the stage for a rather embarrassing moment. We will know this coming Monday (May 7) if Lane and/or Broderick are nominated for Tonys in the category of Best Actor in a Musical. (Lane’s nomination is a foregone conclusion, Broderick’s somewhat less sure.) Even if both are among the nominees, only one can win the award, unless a highly unusual tie occurs.

As has been the case for the past several years, the first hour of the Tony ceremony (8-9pm ET/PT) will be telecast by PBS, the remainder (9-11pm) by CBS. If you want to see the event live at Radio City Music Hall, you’ll have to pay at least as much as you’d pay for tickets to The Producers, if not far more: Tony ducats available to the general public are priced at $100 and $250, and those are the cheap seats! Phone the Ticketmaster Tony Hotline at 212-307-4544 for information.