Our favorite Tony Awards performances

See the Tony Awards performances from hit musicals that are still running today.

The performances from the nominated Broadway shows are some of the most thrilling parts of the Tony Awards every year. All the Best Musical nominees get to perform at the Tonys, and sometimes other shows, like special award winners, Best Play nominees, or buzzy fan-favorite hits, will get a spot, too. For many New York locals and tourists alike, a show's performance is what captures their interest first.

A show may come away with lots of Tony Awards or a few, but no matter what, there's always bound to be viewers that see each performance and know that's the show to put on their must-see list. If you've missed the broadcasts in years past or want to revisit some great numbers, we've rounded up Tony performances from shows you can still catch today. If you're captivated by these clips, grab your tickets on New York Theatre Guide to see these Broadway musicals live in full.

Once the 2023 Tony Awards ceremony takes place on June 11, check back here to see this year's nominees' performances, too! Learn more about how to watch the 2023 Tony Awards, and see all the 2022 Tony nominees.

Get tickets to Tony-nominated shows on New York Theatre Guide.

Who performed at the 2022 Tony Awards? 

The 2022 Tony Awards began with a musical mashup opening number led by Tony Awards host, Ariana DeBose. Six creators Toby Moss and Lucy Marlow penned the original song, and then later on in the night they won Best Original Score for Six.

The awards ceremony included performances from the casts of A Strange Loop, Company, Girl from the North Country, MJ, Mr. Saturday Night, Paradise Square, Six and The Music Man. 

Bernadette Peters performed "Children Will Listen" from Into the Woods during a touching tribute to Stephen Sondheim, and Billy Porter sang "On the Street Where You Live" from My Fair Lady during the in memoriam section. The New York City Gay Men's Chorus performed the title song from Mame during a tribute to Angela Lansbury, and the 2007 cast of Spring Awakening reunited to sing "Touch Me." 

Check back here to see videos from the 2023 Tony Awards after they take place on June 11. In the meantime, watch performances from some Tony-winning shows that are still running, and get tickets to see them in full.

Get tickets to Tony-winning shows now. 

Six

The Queens of Six delivered a royal performance at the 2022 Tonys, delivering a mashup of multiple songs from the Tony-winning score. In a few short minutes, they shared their stories — how they were once all married to Henry VIII, but want to be remembered as more than just his ex-wives — with catchy pop flair and glitzy costumes to boot. (Those costumes won a Tony of their own, too.)

Get Six tickets now.

Moulin Rouge! The Musical

The performance from 2020 Best Musical Tony winner Moulin Rouge! The Musical was bound to be nothing short of a spectacular spectacular. Tony winner Aaron Tveit kicked off the performance by singing from atop the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, and the cast performed the high-energy opener, "Welcome to the Moulin Rouge!" The actual Tony Awards performance is only available to stream on Paramount+, but this performance of "Welcome to the Moulin Rouge!" on Good Morning America has all the glitz and can-can dancing, and provides a sneak peek at the Broadway set.

Get Moulin Rouge! The Musical tickets now.

Hamilton

You might think that the Hamilton performance would be of the opening number, "Alexander Hamilton," but the cast of the 2016 Tony Award-winning Best Musical took the stage to do a medley of "History Has Its Eyes on You" and "The Battle of Yorktown." The number starts off mellow, but the energy quickly picks up as the battle song begins, and the show's famous raps come fast and fiery. What's more, Barack and Michelle Obama virtually introduced the Hamilton performance, since creator Lin-Manuel Miranda first performed the opening number for them at a White House Poetry Jam in 2009.

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The Lion King

The Lion King won the Best Musical Tony Award in 1998 and performed one of the most beloved songs from the movie and show: "The Circle of Life." The number was a perfect showcase for all the life-size puppetry that brings the many animals of the African wilderness to life on stage, and that made The Lion King so visually groundbreaking on Broadway. Director/designer Julie Taymor also won the Best Direction of a Musical and Best Costume Design Tony Awards that year for her work.

Get The Lion King tickets now.