With the American Theatre Wing’s 2008 Tony Awards® now just around the corner, the list of musical numbers performed during the June 15 Tony telecast is beginning to take shape. In addition to offerings from this season’s nominated shows and special appearances by Broadway and Hollywood stars, the three-hour CBS special hosted by Whoopi Goldberg will include performances from two landmark Broadway shows, each a past Best Musical Tony Award-winner.

Moments So Dear

The 2008 Tony telecast will host a reunion of sorts: The original principal cast members of Rent are scheduled to appear together, alongside the current Broadway cast, to celebrate the show’s 12-year run. Jonathan Larson’s Rent is an impassioned re-imagining of the Puccini opera La Bohème set among residents of Manhattan’s East Village in the age of AIDS. The show, with a memorable rock-influenced score, debuted Off Broadway in the spring of 1996. It quickly moved to Broadway’s Nederlander Theatre and won four Tony Awards that June, including Best Musical. Sadly, Larson was not present to accept his Tonys for Best Book and Best Score; his death on the morning of the show’s first preview set the entire theatre community reeling. Rent went on to bring a whole new generation of theatregoers to Broadway.

Earlier this year, the show announced that it will end its run on September 7. This special Tony ceremony performance will pay tribute to Rent’s longevity, as well as its ability to move and captivate audiences through characters, story, and song. As Larson wrote, “It’s time now, to sing out/Though the story never ends.” Let’s celebrate, indeed!

Can You Feel the Love?

Broadway will take time out on Tony night to honor a second long-running hit musical. With a decade of performances now under its belt, The Lion King “ain’t no passing phase”--to paraphrase Pumbaa, the warthog who befriends young prince Simba, in this Disney musical based on the animated film of the same title. The current cast of The Lion King will be on hand at the Tony ceremony to give a special performance that will commemorate the show’s 10-year anniversary on Broadway.

The Lion King opened at Broadway’s New Amsterdam Theatre in the 1997-1998 season, winning six Tony Awards including Best Musical. Director Julie Taymor became the first woman to win a Tony Award for staging a Broadway musical; she also won as a co-designer of the show’s costumes. The production features innovative stagecraft (actors who wear animal costumes, giant puppets) and a score featuring songs by pop music legend Elton John and others. The Lion King moved a few blocks north to the Minskoff Theatre in 2006, where it is still delighting audiences of all ages eight times a week.

Stay Tuned for More Tony News

Check out TonyAwards.com frequently in the coming weeks for more announcements about this year’s performances.

The Tony Awards will be broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall on CBS, Sunday, June 15th, 8:00 – 11:00 p.m. (ET/PT time delay).