‘Funny Girl’ star Lea Michele among live performers at 2023 Tony Awards, despite ineligibility

Tribune Content Agency

NEW YORK — “Funny Girl” star Lea Michele will perform Sunday at the 76th Annual Tony Awards, even though her star turn in the hit musical isn’t eligible for competition this year.

The current stars of the acclaimed revival, which has been running for more than a year, will share the same stage as casts of newly opened Tony-nominated musicals including “Some Like It Hot,” “& Juliet,” “New York, New York” and “Camelot.”

Hosted by Oscar winner Ariana DeBose, the ceremony is scheduled to air live on CBS from 8-11 p.m. ET.

But “Funny Girl” isn’t the only holdover from the 2022 Broadway season to get some shine on Sunday.

“Paradise Square” star Joaquina Kalukango, who won the award for best leading actress in a musical last year, will also perform. The vocal powerhouse blew the roof off last year’s Radio City Music Hall ceremony with an commanding rendition of “Let It Burn” from the ill-fated show, which closed weeks later.

The cast of the Neil Diamond bio-musical “A Beautiful Noise,” which opened in November but didn’t receive any nominations, is also set to perform for the big show.

Producers also announced Thursday that the 2023 Tony Awards will feature a special performance for this year’s lifetime achievement recipients, Joel Grey and John Kander, whose prolific contributions to theater include iconic musicals “Cabaret,” “Gypsy” and “Chicago.”

“This year’s Tony Award nominees are a reflection of a tremendous year of Broadway,” Charlotte St. Martin, president of The Broadway League, and Heather Hitchens, president and CEO of the American Theatre Wing, said in a joint statement. “The show will feature performances by Broadway’s brightest lights — from breakthrough performers to industry icons — in recognition of the momentous productions wowing audiences worldwide.”

Other performances announced include numbers from “Into the Woods,” “Kimberly Akimbo,” “Parade,” “Shucked,” and “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.”