Theater News

Watch Sting, Tom Hanks, Lily Tomlin, and More Become Kennedy Center Honorees

The annual ceremony will be broadcast on CBS this evening, featuring a performance from Laura Benanti, Kelli O’Hara, and Jessie Mueller.

The Last Ship composer Sting and Tony winner Lily Tomlin are two of this year's Kennedy Center honorees.
The Last Ship composer Sting and Tony winner Lily Tomlin are two of this year's Kennedy Center honorees.
(© Manuel Balce Ceneta)

The 37th annual Kennedy Center Honors will be broadcast on CBS this evening at 9pm EST. The event was held at the Washington, D.C. venue on Sunday, December 7, hosted by Emmy Award winner Stephen Colbert who is slated to take over for David Letterman at the helm of CBS' Late Show in 2015.

This year's honorees include soul singer Al Green, former New York City Ballet principal dancer Patricia McBride, two-time Oscar winner and Tony nominee Tom Hanks (Lucky Guy), Tony Award-winning comedian Lily Tomlin (The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe), and Grammy-winning rock star-turned-Broadway-composer Sting (The Last Ship).

A number of Broadway vets join the recipients in the festivities. Two-time Tony winner Christine Baranski (Disney's Into the Woods) leads the tribute for McBride; Jane Fonda, Reba McEntire, and Jane Lynch offer spoken tributes to Tomlin, along with Saturday Night Live star Kate McKinnon; and Tony winner and upcoming It's Only a Play star Martin Short pays homage to Hanks, followed by a rendition of the song "They Can’t Take That Away From Me," performed by Broadway leading ladies Laura Benanti (Gypsy), Jessie Mueller (Beautiful — The Carole King Musical), and Kelli O’Hara (The King and I).

Tune in tonight to watch the complete broadcast on CBS. Check local listings for times.