Before they take the Radio City Music Hall stage on Sunday to co-host the2018 Tony Awards,Josh GrobanandSara Bareillessat down with PEOPLE to spill secrets on what viewers can expect.
Thoughit’s the first timethe two singer-songwriters, Broadway alums and longtime friends have emceed any awards show, both Groban and Bareilles have a history at the Tonys.
He was nominated for a best actor in a musical trophy last year for his turn in the acclaimed musicalNatasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812,while Bareilles earned a nod in 2016 for composing the music and lyrics to the hit musicalWaitress.
So what they have planned now that they’re hosting? Read on!
Be sure to check out PEOPLE’s full Tony Awards coverage to get the latest news on Broadway’s biggest night.
CBS
You’ve been friends for a long time. What’s your favorite thing about the other?Bareilles: He is deeply kind, very intelligent and so incredibly funny. Sometimes he gets pigeon-holed as being a serious person because his art is serious, but he is an absolute riot!Groban: She has such great intuition, beyond the fact that she’s just a remarkable human being. It’s nice when somebody is as humble as they are obscenely talented. It’s also annoying. Get an ego! Just be a diva, already!
Will we hear you two sing?Bareilles: It’s safe to say we will be singing at one point or another. It would be weird if we didn’t!
Brian Ach/Getty Images
You’ve both been to many award shows. What do you look for in a host?Bareilles: What I love in a host is someone who doesn’t take themselves too seriously, keeps the eye on the prize and really enjoys themselves. We get to really just celebrate this community. It’s really about Broadway and these wonderful people who come together and work their butts off eight times a week.Groban: If you’re nominated, there’s always that tension and nervousness, whether anybody shows it or not. So I think the job of the host is to take away the tension in the room. Let everyone breathe a sigh of relief that this is going to be a fun night. And take the wind out of the sails of all the demons in the room. Make them wait outside.
Josh Lehrer
Sara, you’re Tony-nominated again this year for the song you contributed toSpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical.Bareilles: I am! It’s so out of box. It was such an interesting concept to bring toSpongeBob— to really cast the net wide in terms of who was supplying the music. I went and saw the show and the show is delightful. It is so sweet and theatrical and has all this heart. It’s just a feast for the eyes.
Chad Batka
Finally, what has it meant for you to be part of the Broadway community over the past few years?Bareilles: It’s been a return to myself in some ways. I grew up almost exclusively listening to musical theater albums. I always imagined myself on a theater stage, and then when my music career started to develop, I turned this beautiful left turn. But I was ready to return to theater, and it’s just changed everything about my life. From the very get-go, there’s been the warmest reception with nothing but love and support from other writers, actors, directors. I have a lot of love for my music colleagues in the music world, but I have never experienced a more supportive artistic setting than the theater community. I don’t think there’s anything like it in the world.Groban: These are some of the closest friends that I’ll have in my life. The music business is a community, of course. But especially if you’re a solo artist, you feel like you’re in your own bubble a lot. A place like the Grammys, it’s like a lot of bubble bouncing off of each other.Whereas the Tonys, everyone’s in the same bubble no matter what. There’s a camaraderie, stemming from the fact that it’s just so f—ing hard. You rely on your cast to get you through it. You literally can’t do it without the other person next to you. It really is a family that sticks up for each other and stands up for each other.
The 72nd annual Tony Awards air live Sunday from Radio City Music Hall (8 p.m. ET) on CBS.
source: people.com
