Three Elon alumni performed on June 9 during the annual celebration of Broadway theater.
Elon University’s Department of Performing Arts was well-represented at the 73rd annual Tony Awards held Sunday, June 9. This year was unique in that each alum who performed at the awards show earlier had the honor of originating their roles in three Broadway shows.
The Tony Awards audience heard from Nasia Thomas ‘15 in the rousing performance from the cast of “Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations.” The cast performed a medley of songs including “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)” and “I Can’t Get Next to You.” “Ain’t Too Proud” received 12 nominations and took home the Tony for Sergio Trujillo’s impressive choreography. “Ain’t Too Proud” is currently playing on Broadway eight shows a week at The Imperial Theatre.
Gerald Caesar ‘16 also took to the Tony stage alongside the cast of “Choir Boy” in their captivating performance of “Rockin’ Jerusalem.” “Choir Boy” received five nominations, taking home Tonys for Best Sound Design of a Play, as well as the Special Tony Award for music director Jason Michael Webb. The production closed March 10, 2019, at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.
The Tony audience also heard from alum Drew Reddington ‘18 who performed alongside the cast of “The Prom.” The cast performed a brief medley from the show including “Tonight Belongs to You” and “It’s Time to Dance.”
Reddington has recently been seen performing with the cast of “The Prom” on "The Today Show" as well as "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." The production received seven nominations and is currently playing at the Longacre Theatre on Broadway.