James Corden's Electrifying 2019 Tony Awards Opening Number Salutes The Magic Of Live Broadway

James: HOW MANY SHOWS ARE LEFT IN MY QUEUE? YOU HAVE 24,601 SHOWS LEFT, JAMES. DO I JUICE THEM? Jaime: YES. PLAY MY CUE. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ THERE ARE ONLY SO MANY SERIES YOU CAN WATCH ♪ ONLY SO MANY SEASONS TO GET BITCHED ♪ BEFORE YOUR EYES GLARE YOUR ASS FALLS ASLEEP ♪ AND YOUR MIND STARTS UNHANGING ♪ YOU WATCH NETFLIX HULU, AMAZON ♪ UNTIL YOU CAN ! REMEMBER WHAT SHOW IT'S ON ♪ I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT NETWORK TV WHICH IS WONDERFUL, OBVIOUSLY ♪ SO WHEN YOU GET TIRED OF PICTURES OF ACTORS ON THE FLAT SCREEN ♪ WHO ARE NOT IN SHOWS ♪ MADE FAR AWAY AND FINISHED A LONG AGO ♪ CHANGE THE REMOTE REMOTE NEARBY ♪ LEAVE YOUR COUCH AND TRAVEL HERE (Applause and applause) ♪ AND EXPERIENCE A DIFFERENT KIND OF SHOW ♪ THE KIND THAT IS...

THE KIND THAT IS LIVE ♪ THE KIND THAT REAL LIVING PEOPLE RECREATE FOR YOU ♪ LIVE A SHOW THAT IS LIVE ♪ A SHOW WHERE WHEN YOU LAUGH THE CAST WILL WAIT FOR YOU ♪ REAL PEOPLE IN A REAL SPACE ♪ SEE ACTORS WHO ARE REALLY THERE ♪ IT'S SOMETHING UNIQUE FROM THAT MOMENT AND THAT PLACE ♪ IT'S SOMETHING YOU FEEL IS SOMETHING SHARE ♪ ES━- LIVE! ♪ WE DO IT LIVE! AND EVERY MOMENT IS ♪ UNREPEATABLE LIVE! ♪ WE DO IT LIVE! IT CANNOT BE HASHTAGGED AND ♪ IT IS NOT TWEETABLE THERE IS A VISCERAL HAPPINESS ♪ JUST WALK INTO A THEATER SEE PEOPLE DO THIS: ♪ THAT IS THE HAPPINESS ARTISTS STRUGGLE FOR ♪ AND TONIGHT YOU ARE OUR GUEST WHILE WE HONOR THE BEST ♪ ONE OF THE BEST WHO DO IT LIVE!

James: GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE AND WELCOME TO THE 73RD ANNUAL TONY AWARDS. HOST JAMES CORDEN AND TONIGHT WE HAVE A RIF ETING... SORRY, SORRY, EXCUSE ME, EXCUSE ME, BRYAN, BRYAN, WHAT... WHERE ARE YOU GOING? (LAUGHTER) I JUST HAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM. James: NOW? I TELL MYSELF THAT THE JOE LITERALLY JUST BEGIN. WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OPENING NUMBER. I KNOW, BUT I REALLY HAVE TO GO. James: REALLY? YOU CAN NOT WAIT. I'M SWOLDEN AND I'M NOT GOING TO STAND IT ANYMORE! James: BRYAN, BRYAN, LIVE, WE DO IT ♪ LIVE! WE DO IT LIVE! ♪ WE SING AND DANCE AND WE ARE NOT TOO PROUD TO BEG FOR YOU! ♪ GET READY BECAUSE HERE COMES JAMES NOW ♪ GET READY LIVE! ♪ DEAD NOT DEAD, BUT ALIVE!

AND VERY READY TO SHAKE AN EXTRA ♪ LEG FOR YOU! EIGHT TIMES A WEEK OUR ACTORS ♪ EXCELLENT IN DANCING IN HEELS WITH ALOMB ♪ EIGHT TIMES A WEEK WE GO STRAIGHT TO HELL! ♪ EIGHT TIMES A WEEK WE GO GAY TO THE PROM! ♪ LIVE! WHEN WE REVIVE ♪ YOU CAN'T SAY NO TO MORNINGS THIS UNMISSABLE! ♪ LIVE! YOU CAN'T FIT ♪ ANOTHER OP'NIN' WITH A MORE KISSABLE KATE! ♪ WE WORK WITH ADVANCED MONTHS! BECAUSE WHEN YOU SEE US TONIGHT ♪ WE WILL HAVE ONLY ONE CHANCE! ♪ ♪ ♪ (Applause and applause) James: THAT WAS PERFECT! EVERYONE TAKE FIVE. TAKE FIVE. (LAUGHTER) I THINK IT WAS GOOD. ♪ IT FEELS TIGHT, IT FEELS GOOD, HEY, EVERYONE, EVERYONE, ATTENTION, LISTEN UP, JUST REMEMBER, NEXT TIME WE DO IT, JUST REALLY TRY AND GET THAT REALLY-- OH WAIT, I ♪ I FORGOT: ARTISTS DON'T CAN YOU ♪ TAKE A BREAK BECAUSE THIS IS LIVE YOU ARE NOT WATCHING IT ♪ A SIGNAL BROADCASTING NONE OF OUR SHOWS ARE BROADCASTING ♪ THEY DO NOT START ANYTIME HERE ♪ WE DO NOT CHARGE VIA MONTHLY BILLING ♪ NO ONE IS 'BROADWAY AND CHILLING' ♪ AND NO ONE IT'S ON BROADWAY PRIME WE ARE THE HEIRS ♪ OF A GREAT TRADITION THE STAGE IS OUR NOBLE MISSION ♪ IT RUN DEEP IN OUR BONES WE ARE MUCH BETTER ♪ THAN TELEVISION WE WATCH IT WITH A LOT ♪ WELL, EXCEPT "GAME OF THRONES" AND "FLEABAG" ♪ AND "HANDMAID'S TALE" AND "KILLING EVE" ♪ AND "CASTLE ROCK" AND "WALKING DEAD" ♪ AND "DEAD TO ME" AND "STRANGER THINGS" ♪ AND "BETTER THINGS" AND ANYTHING ♪ THAT ENDS WITH ORANGE THINGS IT'S THE NEW BLACK MIRROR ♪ MARVEL'S MARVELOUS MRS.

MAISEL BARRY, BASKETS, BLACKISH, ♪ BILLIONS BOJACK, OZARK, DARK AND NARCOS ♪ RICK AND MORTY GRACE AND FRANKIE... AND THE LATE LATE SHOW... ♪ WITH ME, JAMES CORDEN WEEK NIGHTS AT 12:30 ♪ HERE ON CBS (LAUGHTER) THE MOST VISITED NETWORK IN THE UNITED STATES! MY GOD WHAT AM I DOING, WHAT AM I SAYING, TV WAIT, TV, WAIT, WAIT, I DID NOT MEAN ANYTHING I JUST SAID! I DIDN'T MEAN A WORD OF THAT. IT'S AUDRA McDONALD MADE ME SAY IT, OKAY. SHE DID IT, SHE DID IT. SHE DID IT, THE TRUTH IS THAT I LOVE YOU, TV. WE ALL LOVE YOU. YOU PAY US MUCH MORE MONEY THAN THE THEATER. (LAUGHTER) LAW AND ORDER CORPSES?

LOOK, LET ME CONTINUE WITH YOU ABOUT BROADWAY THE PRICE OF ♪ THE PRICE OF A TICKET IS VERY HIGH ♪ YOU BUY IT AT THE LAST MINUTE IT'S STILL NOT CHEAP ♪ THE TRIP TO MIDTOWN IS A TERRIBLE DRIVE ♪ YOU MUST LEAVE JERSEY NO LATER THAN 5 :00 ♪ SOME THEATERS ARE CROWDED OR NOISY OR OLD ♪ OR THEY ARE KEPT AT SIBERIAN LEVELS OF COLD ♪ AND THE SEATS ARE SO Narrow THEY ARE CRUSHED LIKE A CLAMP ♪ AND WITH LIMITED LEG ROOM YOU'RE LIKELY TO GET CRAMPS ♪ YOU CAN'T DRINK A PHOTO YOU CAN'T USE YOUR PHONE ♪ AND IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME ASK PATTI LUPONE ♪ AND AS FOR THE LADIES ROOM I RECOMMEND ♪ OR TINKLE BEFORE OR USE A DEPEND ♪ BUT: LOOK AT A STAGE ♪ OF ARTISTS LIKE THESE OR ANY AND ALL ♪ OF TONIGHT'S NOMINEES BEING IN THEIR PRESENCE ♪ AND ENJOYING THEIR ART WILL JOY YOUR SPIRIT ♪ AND JOY YOUR HEART LAUGHTER FILLS YOUR BELLY ♪ TEARS FILL YOUR EYES THE HAIR OF ♪ THE BACK OF YOUR NECK BEGINS TO GET UP.

AND IT'S SO INDESCRIBABLE ♪ NICE YOU ARE IN THE MOMENT ♪ AND TOTALLY PRESENT YOU GO TO A SHOW ♪ BECAUSE THE SHOW MAKES YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE HERE ♪ AND YOU ARE NOW AND YOU ARE REAL ♪ AND YOU FEEL ALIVE ♪ AHHHH YOU FEEL ALIVE! ♪ YOU FEEL A SENSATION OF WONDER AWAKENING IN YOU! ♪ LIVE! YOU COME TO LIFE ♪ TO GET WHERE THE SHOW HAS TAKEN YOU ♪ THERE'S THE AUDIENCE HERE IS THE STAGE ♪ BUT THEATER IS ABOUT WHAT'S BETWEEN ♪ THE ENERGY FLOWS AND YOUR SENSES ENGAGE ♪ IN WAYS THEY CAN'T WHEN YOU WATCH ♪ IN A SCREEN IS NOT BROADWAY'S GREAT PANACEA ♪ BUT IT CAN REMIND YOU THAT IT IS ♪ EXCITING TO BE... ...ALIVE! ♪ BE ALIVE!

BE EXCITED AND EXCITED! ♪ BROADWAY IS ALIVE! AND THAT IS WORTHY ♪ OF BEING CELEBRATED, EVERYONE IS HERE; ♪ IT'S TIME TO START WE'RE GLAD YOU SHOWED UP AND ♪ WE'RE GLAD YOU TUNE IN AS FOR ME, I'LL JUST SAY THAT ♪ I HAVEN'T BEEN SURE IF I WOULD FINISH THIS SONG ♪ BUT I DID AND IT'S DONE AND MY GOD IT WAS FUN ! ♪ IT'S THE TONYS... AND WE ♪ WE ARE LIVE ♪ WE ARE LIVE ♪ (Applause and applause) (Applause and applause) (Applause and applause) (Applause and applause)