Streisand 1970 Tony was for “star of the decade”
46 years is a long time. Richard Nixon was president in 1970 when Barbra Streisand last appeared at The Tonys. She’s coming back this year as a presenter. Who knows why? Maybe she has Hamilton fever like the rest of the world. Maybe she has a tour to promote (she does). Whatever it is we will get to see Streisand on The Tonys stage.
And we can’t wait. No details have been provided about her appearance. So let the speculation begin about which category she will present. The obvious choice is the night’s biggest category - best musical. But just saying "Hamilton" might rob us of her great Oscar ad libs. “I’m so happy to give this to you again, Clint”. “Well the time has come”.
And as monumental as this news is, Barbra can't do it all alone. So there will be other presenters on the big night. Here are our category suggestions for a few of them:
Cate Blanchett - 'Lead Actress in a Play' because of her Oscar connection to the two frontrunners. She won her second on the same night as Lupita Nyongó (nominated for "Eclipsed") and, like Jessica Lange, Blanchett won Oscars on her 2nd and 6th nominations. Their second wins even share the same first word in the title, “Blue”. This would be a gift for Oscar nerds.
Oprah Winfrey - Any category that Lin-Manuel Miranda might win. Imagine Oprah saying his name the same way she says "JOHN TRA-VOL-TA”.
Audra McDonald - 'Lead Actress in A Musical'. It might be mean to ask her to present the category for which she was snubbed, but she IS musical theater’s most honored leading lady. It fits.
Saoirse Ronan - 'Featured Actress in a Play' just because we need to hear her say “Pascale Armand, Saycon Sengbloh and Jayne Houdyshell” in her lilting Irish accent.
Carole King - 'Original Score'. Duh.
Other presenters announced include Steve Martin, Nathan Lane and Patina Miller. The Tonys will be broadcast on Sunday June 12th and we'll undoubtedly celebrate here.
Which category would you like to see Barbra present?