The press announcement does not include what songs the three shows will perform, although the official Mermaid website says star Sierra Boggess will perform that musical's "Part of Your World," and Variety reports Frankenstein's Megan Mullally will sing "Deep Love," and Catered's Faith Prince will belt out "Vision."
As previously reported by Playbill.com, the cast of the Tony-nominated Best Musical Passing Strange will perform "Keys" — the call-and-response portion of the new musical at the Belasco Theatre that features its Tony-nominated creator and star, Stew, singing, "It's alright . . ." — on the 2008 Tonys.
Playbill.com has also learned that In the Heights, which has been nominated for 13 Tonys — the most of any show of the season — will perform Lin-Manuel Miranda's "96,000," a joyous song about the hope of a lottery windfall.
Cry-Baby, also nominated for Best Musical, will perform "A Little Upset." That David Javerbaum-Adam Schlesinger song features Cry-Baby (James Snyder), Dupree (Chester Gregory II), Allison (Elizabeth Stanley) and the ensemble.
photo by Peter Lueders/Paul Kolnik Studio |
As previously announced, the 2008 Tony Awards will also include performances from the casts of Rent and The Lion King.
The original principal cast of Jonathan Larson's Rent will join the show's current company to celebrate the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical's lengthy run, which ends Sept. 7 at the Nederlander Theatre.
The current company of the Tony-winning musical The Lion King will also perform on the Tony telecast to celebrate the show's 10th anniversary; in fact, the Disney musical will open the telecast with "Circle of Life."
Stage and screen star Whoopi Goldberg will host the 62nd Annual Tony Awards, which will be presented June 15. CBS-TV will broadcast the event live from Radio City Music Hall, 8-11 PM ET. (Red-carpet arrivals begin at 6 PM).
Presenters for the program currently include Gabriel Byrne, Julie Chen, Harry Connick, Jr., Laurence Fishburne, Mandy Patinkin, David Hyde Pierce, Lily Tomlin, John Waters, Alec Baldwin, Kristin Chenoweth, Glenn Close, Richard Griffiths, Laura Linney, John Lithgow, Liza Minnelli, Mary-Louise Parker, Daniel Radcliffe, Brooke Shields and Marisa Tomei.
The Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. CBS has broadcast the annual event since 1978.
For more information visit www.TonyAwards.com.