When asked about her favorite Tony Awards moment, Cynthia Erivo doesn鈥檛 have a hard time choosing: 鈥淢y very favorite memory was walking up on stage and picking up that Tony,鈥� said the actor, with a bit of cheek. She won a Tony in 2016 for her performance in The Color Purple, and that experience was so overwhelming, Erivo to this day still can鈥檛 put it into words: 鈥淭hat evening was wonderful. It was one of the most memorable things I鈥檝e ever experienced. So I don鈥檛 know that I can ever sort of describe how I felt that day, but I know that it was a good day.鈥�
The 70th Tony Awards was also the first time she had watched a ceremony in its entirety. Erivo grew up in the U.K., so she wasn鈥檛 like other theatre kids who could watch the telecast from their childhood living room and dream of Broadway鈥攕he only saw bits and pieces on YouTube.
But now, Erivo is the host of the 78th Annual Tony Awards. 鈥淭his is a really beautiful full circle moment for me,鈥� she says. 鈥淚鈥檓 so excited to be back in this capacity, to be able to share with people and celebrate other people winning. I think there is something really lovely about being able to do that.鈥�
The conversations around Erivo hosting the ceremony actually began two years ago, before the Wicked films. Erivo had never hosted an awards show before and found the potential challenge of that appealing. Though it took some time for it to all fall into place, for this Oscar nominee, now is the 鈥減erfect time鈥� for her to show off her master of ceremony chops.
鈥淚鈥檓 just bringing myself to it, allowing myself to connect with the people who are in the room and connect with people who are on stage,鈥� she explains. 鈥淚 want to be the person who is carrying people through the evening and making sure that everyone is still enjoying themselves鈥 think it鈥檚 just a challenge in general, because it鈥檚 a big night, and I want to get it right, and I want to make sure that I appropriately bring people through the evening and still end up with a smile on their face at the end of the night, no matter what the results end up being.鈥�
Erivo has attended a number of Tonys since her 2016 win. Her favorite past Tony moments include Joaquina Kalukango singing at the 75th Tony Awards in 2022, and when James Corden and Billy Porter led an audience singalong of 鈥淓verything鈥檚 Coming Up Roses鈥� during a commercial break at the 73rd Tony Awards in 2019. She鈥檚 taking those as inspiration. 鈥淚鈥檝e been thinking about what we can do to keep the energy up throughout the evening as we鈥檙e going through, not just when we鈥檙e on screen, not just when the telecast is up, but when we鈥檙e waiting and we鈥檙e in the commercial break.鈥�
Erivo is also hosting the Tonys in the middle of a gigantic moment in her career. She was nominated for an Oscar for part one of Wicked; she is gearing up for the release of Wicked: For Good November 21; she releases her second album, I Forgive You, June 6; and she just played quintuplets in season two of Poker Face on Peacock. Despite her busy film and music schedule, Erivo is keeping one foot firmly planted in the theatre community鈥攕he will play Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles August 1鈥�3. In 2026, she will play 23 characters in Dracula in London.
鈥淭he theatre, it鈥檚 definitely part of my DNA,鈥� she says, while adding that she wants to play in all mediums. 鈥淚鈥檓 just doing what makes me tick, what makes me scared, what makes me intrigued鈥攃haracters I haven鈥檛 played, stories I haven鈥檛 told. And if the best way to tell it is on a stage, then that鈥檚 the way I鈥檓 going to tell it. The best way to tell it is on a screen? Then the screen is the way I鈥檓 going to tell it. So, I go where the soul leads me.鈥�
And sometimes that鈥檚 to a Broadway show. In between flying around the world, Erivo has been keeping up with the latest in New York. She is quick to name her favorites: 鈥淚 love Purpose. I love Buena Vista Social Club. I saw Good Night, and Good Luck, that was fabulous. Operation Mincemeat was insane and wild and zany, but brilliant and surprisingly heartbreaking in places, as well. Oh, and Gypsy, of course, was just fucking phenomenal. It鈥檚 a strong year.鈥� Is she rooting for any show in particular? Being a diplomatic host, Erivo answers: 鈥淚鈥檓 rooting for everyone right now.鈥�
What about the opening number? Will Erivo have a big dance sequence? Will she fly like Elphaba? Erivo is keeping firmly mum on any details, teasing: 鈥淵ou will have to wait and see and enjoy on the night. Hopefully it will be fun for you and me.鈥�
