The 79th Tony Awards ceremony, a celebration of American theater and musicals, will be held on June 8th (Japan time) at Radio City Music Hall in New York City and will be broadcast live exclusively on WOWOW. Ahead of the awards ceremony, musical actor Yoshio Inoue and actress Emma Miyazawa, who will serve as navigators for the live broadcast, spoke about the highlights of the Tony Awards and their enthusiasm for the live broadcast.
--The live broadcast of the Tony Awards ceremony is fast approaching. This will be Ms. Inoue's 12th appearance and Ms. Miyazawa's 6th. Could you tell us your thoughts when you were asked to be the presenters again this year?
Yoshio Inoue: This is my 12th time, so I've been doing this for a whole cycle of the Chinese zodiac. I'm very grateful, and I'm so happy to have been asked to do it again this year. However, every year around the time of the Tony Awards, I'm usually either performing or rehearsing for my own play, so I worry about where I'll be at that time. Tokyo? Osaka? (laughs). In the end, this year I'll be in Hokkaido at that time...
Thanks to the cooperation of everyone around me, I'm relieved that I'll be able to participate from my studio in Tokyo this year. I've always had a strong desire to attend the Tony Awards ceremony, even if it meant making some sacrifices, so I'm happy that I can deliver it from the studio this year.
Emma Miyazawa: I am also very grateful that I was asked to participate again next year, quite early on, after last year's Tony Awards ceremony. I was genuinely happy about that. I have been serving as a presenter since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, but it has only been two or three years since the Tony Awards returned to their normal format. I feel that my understanding of and affection for the Tony Awards, as well as my passion for theater, are growing little by little each year. So, it is a real honor to be involved again this year.
--This is Taiga Kyomoto's third year as a special supporter. Please tell us about your expectations for the three of you to be together in the Tokyo studio for the first time in two years.
Inoue: Taiga and I have worked together on stage before, but I think he started out saying, "I like musicals, but I'm not that familiar with the Tony Awards or Broadway." But last year he went to New York, and this year he went to Korea, and he's becoming more and more knowledgeable about musicals around the world. He's also building his career in other areas, and his ability to comment is improving rapidly. It might sound a little arrogant, but I can see his growth. I'm happy and relieved that we'll be working together in the same Tokyo studio this year.
Miyazawa: Taiga-kun co-hosted the show with me last year. He said, "I'm still learning about the Tony Awards and things like that," but it was very clear from the amount of knowledge he had prepared that he had studied a lot. He was incredibly reliable when Yoshio-san wasn't in the studio. At first, Yoshio-san was there, then I joined him and we became like a "two-in-one" team, and then Taiga-kun joined us and I feel like we gradually developed a "three-in-one" team dynamic. I hope we can show off the unique chemistry between these three of us to the fullest this year as well!
--The Tony Awards will be broadcast live from early morning Japan time. What are your thoughts and what are you looking forward to as you prepare to get excited first thing in the morning and face such a long live broadcast?
Miyazawa: I'm sure that viewers who watch the show in real time early in the morning are also looking forward to getting up early and joining in the excitement. In that sense, having Yoshio-san in the same studio makes me feel like we're all going to have a great time together from the morning, so I'm honestly very happy and excited!
Inoue: The live broadcast is a long one, lasting about four hours. Plus, it's an international broadcast, so there are time differences and some delays, and the scheduled timeline can change suddenly, with commercials coming in out of nowhere, or conversely, not coming in at all... (laughs). At first, I was really nervous, but now I just go into it thinking, "That's just how it is." Emma is also good at adapting to the situation. I had never emceed before becoming the navigator for the Tony Awards. I'm a musical actor, after all (laughs). But becoming the navigator really trained me. I even inserted songs to bridge the gap to commercials... I did all sorts of things. I felt like, "If I can do this, there's nothing to be afraid of!" (laughs).
--The nominees for this year were announced the other day. Were there any that caught your attention?
Inoue: I'm interested in "The Lost Boys" because I saw it during the workshop stage. It was a really interesting production even at that stage. I also know the director, Michael Arden, and he's currently at the top of his game. Last year he won the Musical Direction award for "Maybe, Happy Ending," so I'm hoping he can win it for the second year in a row. Overall, I think there are fewer nominated works this year, but I believe there are still some good works being created that will endure.
Among the nominees for Best Musical Revival is "Ragtime," in which I also appeared. It's a truly wonderful show, and I'm happy to see it revived and appreciated now. I think it's a musical that really addresses what the times demand, a great way to think about living together in America, a country with diverse people and increasing division.
Miyazawa: Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see any of the shows in person this time, but there are many that I'm interested in. The musical section has a select few, and in previous years there have been so many good shows that I often think, "If these two shows are competing against each other, even if one wins, the other will be disappointed," but this year has a different kind of appeal.
Personally, I'm very interested in "The Lost Boys," which Yoshio-san also mentioned. I'm personally very drawn to the idea of "flying" in a performance. Like in "Finding Neverland," I'm very interested in how they will portray flying as a unique stage effect. Also, from what I've seen in the trailer, it seems to have some heartwarming elements, which makes me curious.
Similarly, in terms of being heartwarming, I'd also like to root for "Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)." However, its rivals, "Shumigadoon!" and "Titanium," are such pure entertainment films that it's really hard to predict how the awards will turn out.
--Finally, please tell us about the appeal of this year's live broadcast of the 70th Tony Awards, and share your enthusiasm and message as the presenter.
Inoue: Thanks to WOWOW, I feel that awareness of the Tony Awards is increasing. At first, there were few people in the Japanese musical and theater world who knew about the Tony Awards, so I had to start by explaining what the Tony Awards were. But now, they do a lot of promotion, and many people, including Emma and Taiga, are involved. While I'm happy that awareness is increasing, I want even more people to know about it.
While the Tony Awards are primarily known for their glamorous stage performances and appearances by Hollywood stars, as I mentioned earlier, they also reflect global affairs. And with P!NK hosting this year, I think it will appeal to a wider audience, including music fans. I hope you'll feel free to watch it, as it's an awards ceremony full of opportunities to pique your interest, rather than thinking it's something unrelated to you.
As the navigator... I just enjoy it every year (laughs). This year, I'd like to make sure that it's easy to understand even for people who aren't familiar with musicals or theater. Emma is by my side so I can be silly without any worries (laughs), and Emma will surely keep things moving smoothly (laughs). Taiga has also become more reliable, so all we can do is enjoy it! And then there's my performance at the opening. I've thought of a lot of things for this year as well, so I hope you'll look forward to that too.
Miyazawa: The appeal of the Tony Awards lies in the fact that, more than any other award, they are filled with a strong determination to "showcase the power of entertainment!" And that determination is not based on rivalry that tries to bring each other down, but on the strength of the bond that "we are an important community that loves theater." I think it's a truly unique and wonderful award because it makes you feel the preciousness of a community where, by connecting with each other, we can deliver the wonder of performing arts to more people.
In terms of the sheer spectacle of the performances, I think the Tony Awards truly stand out. The unpredictability of a live show, the excitement of not knowing what's going to happen, and the powerful social messages conveyed in the acceptance speeches are all major highlights. Some might wonder, "Is America really at the forefront of culture?" But at least in theater, there is such talent and resilience, and they tackle themes that might even seem radical. I think that this pioneering spirit, and the economic power to support it, can only be found on Broadway in the world. So, if you're a theater lover, watching the Tony Awards might give you a glimpse into the future of theater, and even if you're not familiar with it at all, I think you can have a very enriching time just by enjoying the performances.
Since all three of us are performers ourselves, we hope to convey information from that perspective and act as a bridge between the specialists and the viewers. And I think our mission is to convey the information with such high energy that we can all get excited together from the morning, shouting "Woo!" (laughs).
*... "Live Broadcast! The 79th Tony Awards Ceremony" (with simultaneous interpretation) will be broadcast and streamed live on WOWOW Prime and WOWOW On Demand from 8:00 AM on June 8th. Additionally, a subtitled version of the awards ceremony will be broadcast and streamed on WOWOW Live and WOWOW On Demand from 6:30 PM on June 13th.
