VIDEO: Laura Benanti, Kelli O'Hara & Jessie Mueller Pay Tribute to Tom Hanks at KENNEDY CENTER HONORS

By: Dec. 31, 2014
LAURA BENANTI
Click Here for More on LAURA BENANTI
Enter Your Email to Unlock This Article

Plus, get the best of BroadwayWorld delivered to your inbox, and unlimited access to our editorial content across the globe.




Existing user? Just click login.




Singer Al Green; actor and filmmaker Tom Hanks; ballerina Patricia McBride; singer-songwriter Sting; and comedienne Lily Tomlin received honors for 2014 on THE 37TH ANNUAL KENNEDY CENTER HONORS, broadcast last night, Tuesday, Dec. 30 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. CBS has broadcast the special each year since its debut 37 years ago.

Below, Broadway stars Laura Benanti, Kelli O'Hara and Jessie Mueller pay tribute to Tom Hanks with a performance of the Gershwin classic, "They Can't Take That Away From Me."

Click here to watch the "Sing-Off" champions Pentatonix pay tribute to Hanks with a performance of 'That Thing You Do', a featured song from the film directed by the Oscar-winning actor.

Click here to watch Martin Short, along with the U.S. Army Chorus, the U.S. Army Color Guard, the U.S. Naval Academy Gospel Choir, the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps and the United States Air Force Band's Ceremonial Brass pay tribute toTom Hanks with a performance of "He Is Our Yankee Doodle Boy".

Click here to watch Bruno Mars perform a medley of Sting hits "So Lonely" and "Message in a Bottle", and Bruce Springsteen and Esperanza Spalding also pay homage to the singer and composer.

Click here to watch performances by Jennifer Hudson and Lady Gaga from last night's broadcast

In a star-studded celebration on the Kennedy Center Opera House stage, the 2014 Honorees were saluted by great performers from Hollywood and the arts capitals of the world. Seated with President and Mrs. Obama, the Honorees accepted the thanks of their peers and fans through performances and heartfelt tributes.

The Honors recipients are recognized for their lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts - whether in dance, music, theater, opera, motion pictures or television - and are selected by the Center's Board of Trustees. The primary criterion in the selection process is excellence. The Honors are not designated by art form or category of artistic achievement; over the years, the selection process has produced a balance among the various arts and artistic disciplines.

Photo credit: Jeffrey R. Staab/CBS



Videos