Tony Awards: P!nk Leads Rousing ‘Lady Marmalade’ Opener With Megan Thee Stallion, Sara Chase, The Guy With A Cake…

As expected, P!nk soared into her Tony Awards hosting gig on flying wires – dressed as Peter Pan. Ok the costume wasn’t expected, but former host Neil Patrick Harris quickly put a stop to that.

Hasn’t she heard, he asked? “The flying twinks are all vampires now.”

P!nk, changing into a more trademark look of tophat, pink corset and feathered cape, the host first belted out some snippets from The Phantom of the Opera,  Les Misérables and Wicked before getting down to business with “Lady Marmalade,” the Labelle hit used in Moulin Rouge! Before long she was joined by just about everyone currently on Broadway, including Sara Chase, Marla Mindelle, and folks from The Lost Boys, Titanique, Chess (including snubbed non-nominee Lea Michele), the kids from Ragtime and recent players like Megan Thee Stallion (Moulin Rouge!) and Whitney Leavitt (Chicago).

The lyrics were a nice Broadway mash-up too. Sample: “Gitchie, gitchie Laurie Metcalf!” — sub Metcalfe with Carrie Coon, Lesley Manville, etc. — and shout-outs to Liberation, Proof, Becky Shaw, Rose Byrne and Kelly O’Hara of Fallen Angels. June Squibb, a nominee for Marjorie Prime sitting in the audience, added the line “Every role I’ve played I slayed!”

All in all, one of the better opening numbers of any recent awards show, Tonys or otherwise.

Oh, and there was a nice little look forward: Neil Patrick Harris made a return trip to the stage carrying a Paddington bear stuffed animal. “Next season,” P!nk yelled. “Spoiler alert!,” Harris responded. The British musical Paddington is Broadway bound.

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