Nicole Scherzinger stepped onto the stage for one of the 2024 Tony Awards’ most poignant moments.
The actress and singer appeared at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater in New York City on Sunday, June 16, to perform during the show’s In Memoriam segment, honoring those in the theater community who have died over the past year.
Brooke Shields introduced the segment. “As the newly elected president of Actors Equity Association, I am so proud to be here to celebrate the entire theatrical community,” the actress, 59, said. “But this is a moment that’s bittersweet, as we also honor the memories of those no longer with us. For every well-known artist, there are countless others whose contributions both onstage and behind the scenes forever changed Broadway.”
Then, she introduced Olivier Award winner Scherzinger, 45, who sang a heartfelt and somber version of “What I Did For Love” from the musical A Chorus Line.
Theater figures included in the show’s In Memoriam segment included Christopher Durang, Louis Gossett Jr., Hinton Battle, Maurice Hines, Michael McGrath, Ron Cephas Jones, Alan Arkin, Glenda Jackson, Treat Williams and Illinoise production stage manager Thomas J. Gates, among others.
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Chita Rivera, who died in January at age 91, was additionally featured in the In Memoriam segment. Elsewhere during Sunday’s awards ceremony, Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Bebe Neuwirth celebrated the late actress’s more than seven decades of work on Broadway with host Ariana DeBose.
DeBose, 33, is hosting the Tonys for the third time. She is joined by a starry list of presenters including Nate Burleson, Cynthia Erivo, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Josh Gad, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Sean Hayes, Taraji P. Henson, Jennifer Hudson and Angelina Jolie.
More big-name stars include Nick Jonas, Idina Menzel, Ashley Park, Jim Parsons, Wendell Pierce, Ben Platt, Anthony Ramos, Andrew Rannells, Solomon Thomas, Taylor Tomlinson, Pete Townshend, Tamara Tunie, Adrienne Warren, Patrick Wilson and Jeffrey Wright.
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Scherzinger herself will make her Broadway debut in a revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard on Sept. 28.
The production began performances in London in September 2023 and officially opened on Oct. 5, 2023. The show’s producers announced in January that Sunset Boulevard would move from the U.K. to N.Y.C.’s St. James Theatre.
Sunset Boulevard was an immediate sensation in London, with Scherzinger winning an Olivier Award for best actress — one of seven record-setting awards the musical took home, including best revival.
The 77th Tony Awards are airing live on CBS and Paramount+.
