Bruce Springsteen: Special Tony Award, Performance

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On May 1, it was announced that a Tony Award® would be added to Bruce Springsteen’s long list of honors. The organizers announced that day that the 2017-2018 season’s honorees would include Special Tony Awards for Springsteen and John Leguizamo. The two honorees will receive their awards at the American Theatre Wing’s 72nd Annual Tony Awards ceremony on Sunday, June 10.

Today (June 6), the Tony Awards announced that Springsteen would make a rare live television appearance when he performs on the broadcast. Word has it that he’ll play at approximately 10:45 p.m. ET, just prior to the Best Musical award.

Springsteen is currently starring in Springsteen on Broadway, a solo acoustic performance at the Walter Kerr Theatre, which is an intimate night with the musician, his guitar, a piano, and his stories.

Leguizamo is being honored for the body of his work. He was represented on Broadway this season with Latin History for Morons, which he wrote and starred in—and which received a Tony nomination this year as Best Play.

The American Theatre Wing’s 72nd Annual Tony Awards, hosted by Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban, will air on the CBS Television Network on Sunday, June 10 (8:00-11:00 PM, ET/delayed PT) live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Some of the performers expected to appear: Billy Joel, Tina Fey, Rachel Brosnahan, Jim Parsons, Claire Danes, Patti LuPone, Robert De Niro and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

With his Tony, Springsteen will now be three-quarters of the way to earning the very rare “EGOT”: the acronym for an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. (He’s been nominated several times for an Emmy but hasn’t won.) It’s a very select list; 12 have won for competitive awards including Mel Brooks, Marvin Hamlisch and Audrey Hepburn. Six others have achieved it with at least one honorary (i.e., non-competitive) award including Barbara Streisand, Harry Belafonte and Quincy Jones.

On March 26, Springsteen extended the show’s run until December 15. It’s believed that that will be its final performance. The run is essentially sold-out but there is a digital lottery which continues to operate through the extension for fans interested in purchasing tickets. For details, visit luckyseat.com. Tickets might also be available here and here.

Congratulations Bruce on your Special Tony Award! Take a walk backstage with him through the wings of #SpringsteenBroadway here… pic.twitter.com/F48qXGfunv

— Bruce Springsteen (@springsteen) May 1, 2018

The Tony Awards, which honors theatre professionals for distinguished achievement on Broadway, are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing.

Springsteen’s recording career spans more than 45 years, beginning with 1973’s Columbia Records release Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ. He has released 18 studio albums, garnered 20 Grammy Awards, won an Oscar, has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, was a 2009 recipient of Kennedy Center Honors, was named 2013 MusiCares Person of the Year by The Recording Academy, and in 2016 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

A new book, Bruce Springsteen: The Day I Was There, featuring accounts and experiences from over 250 fans, is being published July 4.