The Tony Awards have nabbed a pair of all-star singers turned Broadway stars to host its 72nd annual tribute to all things theater.
Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban will emcee the proceedings as a pair on June 10, live from New York’s Radio City Music Hall. “The Theater has completely transformed my life in every way possible. I have never felt more embraced and encouraged by a professional community,” Bareilles said in a statement.
“I feel incredibly lucky to get to spend an evening celebrating and applauding this outstanding collective of artists, friends, collaborators and creatives. It is my great honor to join my friend Josh Groban in hosting the Tonys this year, and use the opportunity to simply say a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to this wonderful community . . . in high heels, with jokes.”
Bareilles, 38, and Groban, 37, made a splash on the Great White Way in 2016, both making the jump from recording artist to the Broadway stage and earning a Tony nod in the process. Bareilles starred in and wrote the score for the hit musical “Waitress,” while Groban scored a best actor in a musical nomination for Dave Malloy’s “Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812.”
“The dedication and inspiration surrounding live theater gave me my life path as a young kid and the warmth and support of the Broadway community has been the highlight of my career,” Groban said. “So to be at the helm of a night celebrating the best of that theater with a person I just laugh way too much with, is beyond words. But I will have words on Tony night! The best words! I look forward to flailing about in front of my peers.”
