Chicago Actor Pays Homage To Lost Tony Awards

When The Broadway League announced that the annual Tony Award ceremony originally scheduled for June would be postponed due to COVID-19, Chicago-based actor David Robbins (SPAMILTON), like so many others, was disappointed

Robbins recalls his own annual traditions of gathering around the television to watch the ceremony.

"I remember one year I was interning on my first summer stock production, and we had that Sunday night off," he said. "The entire cast piled into a room and gathered around a small television just to watch it live."

So, when CBS announced last week that the network would broadcast a GREASE singalong in lieu of the Tony Awards, Robbins, like many industry insiders, was furious.

Robbins reached out to his friend Donterrio Johnson, who was most recently seen performing in the national tour of WAITRESS, and the pair began brainstorming on how they could pay homage to the Tony Awards. They came up with an idea to produce an "unauthorized" virtual event honoring the best moments in Tony history as an alternative to the network's programming.

"This is about tradition and community, says Robbins. "It's a chance for us to tip our hats to a community that we are proud to be a part of."

The David Robbins Unauthorized Tony Awards Special! will live stream across multiple platforms on June 7 at 8 p.m.

For more information, follow Robbins on Instagram @david.s.robbins or Johnson's social media channels @donterriolive.