Overview
- P!nk kicked off the 79th Tony Awards with a staged parody retitled "Leading Lady Marmalade" that turned the opening into a celebratory, self‑mocking Broadway showcase.
- Megan Thee Stallion made an unannounced entrance in a Zidler costume to deliver a reworked rap verse, a surprise that viewers and attendees singled out as one of the night’s standout moments.
- Tony winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul rewrote the song for the number, which assembled more than 170 Broadway performers to create a large‑scale theatrical spectacle.
- Later in the ceremony P!nk led a Chicago medley and Leslie Odom Jr. performed the In Memoriam segment, and Megan returned to present Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical to Shoshana Bean.
- Sunday’s opening highlighted the growing crossover between pop stars and Broadway, strengthened the Tonys’ live‑show appeal, and is likely to prompt more casting and guest appearances that bridge commercial music and stage theater.