‘Hamilton’ Leads the Pack at the James Corden Hosted 70th Annual Tony Awards

The theater is one of the oldest forms of entertainment dating back to ancient Greece. In recent decades shows like “Cats” and “Wicked” have been some of the few to cause a stir (and possibly paved the way) for more theater fans to be acquainted with the biggest buzz of 2016, “Hamilton.” The show is one of the most difficult stage productions to attend due to tickets being nearly impossible to get, and it’s likely to walk away with every trophy it’s nominated for at the 2016 Tony Awards.

That’s not to say there aren’t a plethora of other deserving shows and actors up for their performances. It’s just that “Hamilton” is in the zone. Sara Bareilles and Steve Martin worked wonders with their scores for “Waitress” and “Bright Star” but it’d be a shocker to see either of them win over “Hamilton’s” Lin-Manuel Miranda that night. The same goes for Best Musical where both of the aforementioned are up against the giant once more in addition to “School of Rock – The Musical” and “Shuffle Along.” In addition to that popular show likely dominating the night, there is quite the batch of faces from the big and small screen nominated as well.

Netflix stars Jane Krakowski and Danielle Brooks are both up for Tonys, with Brooks (from “Orange is the New Black”) a favorite to win for the stage production of “The Color Purple.” This Juilliard-trained actress is no surprise for the running. Those from the world of television like “Dawson’s Creek” alum Michelle Williams and “Chuck” star Zachary Levi also earned nominations for their work in the theater, as did Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong’o.

A man all these stars are quite familiar with will act as host, so they’ll feel right at home with late night’s James Corden. A Tony winner, Corden is no stranger to the stage himself. One can only hope that he brings his viral sensation, “Carpool Karaoke,” to the Tonys for a Broadway edition. It’s too good of an idea to pass up and it’ll take the awards show to a whole new level.

The evening will feature performances from Tony nominees Lin-Manuel Miranda, Phillipa Soo, Leslie Odom Jr., Renée Elise Goldsberry, Christopher Jackson and Daveed Diggs and the cast of Hamilton, Tony nominees Sara Bareilles, Christopher Fitzgerald and Jessie Mueller and the cast of Waitress, Tony nominee Alex Brightman and the cast of School of Rock-The Musical, Tony nominees Danielle Brooks and Cynthia Erivo and the cast of The Color Purple and he cast of Spring Awakening to name a few. Among the presenters will be non other than Barbra Streisand as well as Oprah Winfrey, Uzo Aduba, Cate Blanchett, Jake Gyllenhaal, Neil Patrick Harris, Angela Lansbury, Steve Martin and Saoirse Ronan.

James Corden hosts the 70th Annual Tony Awards on Sunday, June 12. Tickets can be purchased here. You can also watch it live at 8/7 c on CBS.