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Past Chicago stars brought all that jazz to the 2026 Tony Awards to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the beloved musical.
Whitney Leavitt, Julianne Hough, Pink, Queen Latifah, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Alex Newell, Adrienne Warren, Dylan Mulvaney and more performed multiple during the Sunday, June 7, awards show at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
“And now, ladies and gentlemen, frrom one mother hen to another, the Keeper of the Keys, the Countess of the Clink, the Mistress of Murderer’s Row, Matron Mama Morton,” Queen Latifah, who played the character in the 2022 film adaptation of the hit play, said, before introducing the slew of Broadway stars to the stage.
Leavitt also joined in Tonys host Pink‘s musical monologue, helping to sing a cover of “Lady Marmalade” from Moulin Rouge with other leading ladies of Broadway.
The performance celebrated 30 years of Chicago on Broadway. The original production opened in June 1975 and closed in August 1977. Two decades later, the revival debuted in November 1996. It is currently the longest-running show on Broadway and holds the record for the longest-running musical revival and the longest-running American musical in Broadway history.
In 1997, Chicago won six Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical, Best Actor in a Musical for James Naughton, Best Actress in a Musical for Bebe Neuwirth, Best Direction of a Musical for Walter Bobbie, Best Choreography for Ann Reinking and Best Lighting Design for Ken Billington.
Many of the stars chosen for the 30th anniversary tribute at the 2026 Tonys have significant ties to Chicago. Leavitt, 33, notably starred as Roxie Hart in the Broadway production from February to May, with her run breaking a box office record for the musical’s highest weekly gross in its history.
Newell, 33, also appeared in the Broadway revival of Chicago, previously portraying Matron “Mama” Morton from November 2025 to January.
For her part, Latifah played Matron “Mama” Morton in the 2002 film adaptation of Chicago. The following year, she earned an Oscar nomination for her performance, though her costar Catherine Zeta-Jones ultimately won Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her portrayal of Velma Kelly.
Ahead of Sunday’s ceremony, Pink teased the Chicago tribute as she prepared to host the Tonys for the first time.
“The first thing I had to do was see if my hips worked, and they do … sort of,” she quipped in a Billboard interview published on Wednesday, June 3. “It’s not something I ever thought I’d do, and now that I’m doing it it’s really fun.”
She added, “It’s gonna be a medley. I’m doing … something! And it’s gonna be amazing! I’m, like, living out my childhood dreams right now.”
Chicago is not the only Broadway musical that celebrated a major milestone during this year’s Tonys. The original cast of The Book of Mormon — including Josh Gad, Andrew Rannells, Rory O’Malley and Nikki M. James — reunited to perform in honor of the show’s 15th anniversary.
Rachel Zegler also delivered a special tribute to A Chorus Line for its 50th anniversary, while Leslie Odom Jr. sang “Without You” from Rent to mark the production’s 30th anniversary.
The ceremony also featured performances from this year’s Tony-nominated musicals, The Lost Boys, Schmigadoon!, Titaníque, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York), Cats: The Jellicle Ball, Ragtime and Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show.
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