The excitement is building on Broadway as the 2009 Tony telecast approaches. Neil Patrick Harris will host the American Theatre Wing’s 63rd Annual Tony Awards®, which will be broadcast on CBS on Sunday, June 7th at 8 p.m./7c, live from the stage of Radio City Music Hall® (delayed PT). He’ll be joined by an all-star cast of presenters, who will hand out Broadway’s most coveted honors, and more live musical entertainment than ever before.

In Performance

Broadway fans who tune in on Tony Night will be treated to a full evening of entertainment, including some of the most exciting musical performances of the season. All four of the Best Musical nominees (Billy Elliot, The Musical, Next to Normal, Rock of Ages, and Shrek The Musical) and the four Best Musical Revival nominees (Guys and Dolls, Hair, Pal Joey, and West Side Story) will take the stage.

In addition, there will be special performances from Dolly Parton along with the cast of 9 to 5: The Musical; Elton John with the cast of Billy Elliot, The Musical; Liza Minnelli, and the band Poison with the cast of Rock of Ages.

Finally, the telecast will include special performances from three current touring Broadway productions – Jersey Boys, Legally Blonde, The Musical, and Mamma Mia!.

Live Simulcast in Times Square

For the first time ever, fans in the New York area are invited to watch the Tony Awards telecast right in the heart of Manhattan’s Theatre District. The Tony Awards ceremony will be simulcast live from Radio City Music Hall on the ClearChannel Spectacolor HD Screen in Times Square from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. The simulcast will feature both the pre-telecast Creative Arts Awards and the Tony Awards broadcast. Seating will be provided in Duffy Square, the northern section of Times Square (Broadway between 46th and 47th Streets). More info...

Mark Indelicato: Celebrity Tweeter

A teenage star of ABC’s "Ugly Betty" will be the official TonyAwards.com Celebrity Tweeter for Tony Awards® weekend. Mark Indelicato will work with TonyAwards.com to cover various Tony events on the weekend of June 6 and 7, with backstage and behind-the-scenes access to rehearsals and live coverage from the wings during the Tony Awards telecast. Follow the Tonys at Twitter.com/TheTonyAwards.

Tony Night Schedule

6:00 p.m. ET – Red Carpet

The excitement of Tony night begins here at TonyAwards.com at 6:00 p.m. ET with our live coverage of the celebrities’ arrivals on the Red Carpet, presented by Audemars Piguet, courtesy of NY1 News.

7:00 p.m. ET – Exclusive Webcast: The Creative Arts Awards

Then, at 7 p.m., you can log in for a TonyAwards.com exclusive. Our site will present a live webcast of the Creative Arts Tony Awards, the categories covered before the telecast begins. Past winners Laura Benanti and Brian Stokes Mitchell will host. You can see the presentations, acceptance speeches, and everything else that happens on stage—as if you were sitting in the Radio City auditorium.

8:00 p.m. ET – The Tony Telecast on CBS

And then comes the main event – the live CBS telecast from the stage at Radio City. The show begins at 8 p.m./7c. central. On the West Coast, the show will be shown on tape delay beginning at 8:00 p.m. PT

TonyAwards.com Coverage

TonyAwards.com is your insider’s pass to this year’s awards. Here is some of what you can expect to find here during and after the telecast:

• Thank-you Cam - Our live video camera in the wings at Radio City will record the winners' immediate responses as they exit the stage after winning their Tony Awards. The backstage camera will capture intimate and exciting moments from the winners as they give thanks to the people that helped them along the way.
• Posting Winners - We’ll be updating the site throughout Tony night with the names of winners
• Winner's Circle Interviews – Valerie Smaldone will chat with the winners in the Press Room.
• Press Room Blog – Brian Scott Lipton, the editor-in-chief of TheaterMania.com, will be blogging here on TonyAwards.com all night from the backstage press room.
• Photo Galleries – Pictures from the Red Carpet, the awards ceremony, the post-show gala, and more.

For West Coast Viewers

A note for our friends on the West Coast: The Tony telecast will be broadcast on tape delay at 8:00 p.m. Pacific Time on CBS. However, for the benefit of those fans across the globe who do not have access to the broadcast, our website coverage of the Tony Awards is live. We will post the winners' names as they are announced, beginning with the Creative Arts Awards at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT. So if you prefer to remain in suspense until you watch the telecast, we suggest that you log on for our live Red Carpet and exclusive Creative Arts Awards coverage beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. PT. Then close your browser and come back after the telecast is over, at which point you can watch video clips of backstage interviews with the winners and presenters.

See you at the Tonys!