This whole year is Ariana DeBose’s, we’re just being allowed to live in it. Fresh on the heels of her Oscar win for her role as Anita in the 2021 version of West Side Story, DeBose is set to host the Tony Awards! She has truly taken the whole world by storm and there is no stopping her.
Who is Ariana DeBose?
You have almost certainly heard of Ariana DeBose and, if not, you would (or should) recognise her face. She was best known for her performance in the smash hit Hamilton on Broadway. However, after her Oscar win for her role in West Side Story, she has shot to the top of society’s radar.
What are the Tony Awards?
The Tony Awards are basically the Oscar’s of the theatre world. They occur annually, much like all other award shows, and recognise the excellence of the past year.
The Tony Awards detail their beginnings as such: ‘Named for Antoinette Perry, an actress, director, producer, and the dynamic wartime leader of the American Theatre Wing who had recently passed away, the Tony Awards made their official debut at a dinner in the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria hotel on Easter Sunday, April 6, 1947.’
The Tony’s were always held in the home of all theatre, Broadway, up until 1997. It was then that the show moved to its current home, Radio City Music Hall in New York.
Notable Tony Award hosts
With the Tony Awards approaching on their 75th year, there have been way too many hosts to name them all now. But here are a few of our favourites.
National treasure Dame Angela Lansbury has hosted the most Tony Awards show, with an amazing five hosting gigs to her name. Coming in second are two musical theatre titans, Neil Patrick Harris (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) and Hugh Jackman (Oklahoma!) with four shows each.
Neil Patrick Harris is known for his Tony Award opening numbers. His 2013 opening went viral and currently has 4.5 million views on Youtube.
It has been said that Rosie O’Donnell was the ’Neil Patrick Harris of the 90’s’. She has an amazing stage presence and a cool confidence, so it is no surprise that she has a trio of shows under her belt
Brit, almost turned American, James Corden hosted the Tony’s in 2016, after winning an award himself in 2012 for One Man, Two Guvnors.
Other amazing hosts include Kristen Chenoweth, Sean Hayes, Nathan Lane and EGOT-holder (someone with an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award) Whoopi Goldberg.