Josh Groban and Sara Bareilles to host 2018 Tony Awards (original) (raw)

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Josh Groban and Sara Bareilles are hosting Broadway's biggest night this year, the Tony Awards announced on Wednesday.

The pair of singer-songwriters both made recent Broadway debuts: Groban starred as the lead in Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, while Bareilles took on the lead role in Waitress, for which she also wrote the music and lyrics. Both received Tony nominations for their work, for Best Lead Actor in a Musical and Best Original Score, respectively.

"The Theater has completely transformed my life in every way possible. I have never felt more embraced and encouraged by a professional community, and I am so grateful for that," said Bareilles in a release. "I feel incredibly lucky to get to spend an evening celebrating and applauding this outstanding collective of artists, friends, collaborators, and creatives."

Added Groban, "[To] be at the helm of a night celebrating the best of that theatre with a person I just laugh way too much with is beyond words. But I will have words on Tony night! The best words! I look forward to flailing about in front of my peers. It will be with all the love and respect in the world for the room we're lucky enough to be in."

The duo also released a video to announce their hosting gig, showing off their natural chemistry: <iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FTheTonyAwards%2Fvideos%2F10160376422300338%2F&show\_text=0&width=560" width="560" height="315" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" class="" resize="0" replace_attributes="1" name="">

Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss will executive produce this year's ceremony, with Weiss on board to direct.

The 72nd Annual Tony Awards will air on Sunday, June 10, at 8 p.m. on CBS. Nominations will be announced Tuesday, May 1.