Tonys: Kevin Spacey Spoofs ‘Dear Evan Hansen,’ ‘Sunset Boulevard’ in Opening Medley

Kevin Spacey on Sunday kicked off his first awards-show hosting gig at the 2017 Tony Awards with a slew of performances re-creating Broadway’s hottest musicals.

The actor’s medley saw him spoofing Josh Groban in Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, Glenn Close in Sunset Boulevard, Andy Karl in Groundhog Day The Musical and Ben Platt in Dear Evan Hansen. The cast of Come From Away was also joined by the Radio City Rockettes.

The House of Cards star’s opening included surprise appearances from Stephen Colbert, Whoopi Goldberg and a message from former host Billy Crystal. Spacey also mentioned other former Tonys hosts Hugh Jackman, James Corden and Rosie O’Donnell.

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Opening with a parody of “You Will Be Found” from the hit musical Dear Evan Hansen complete with his own cast, Spacey earned huge applause from Hansen star Platt. The host changed the lyrics to “I Will Be Found,” covering his journey to becoming this year’s host.

Before going into a twist on Come From Away, Goldberg appeared out of a closet and Spacey joked, “How long have you been in that closet, Whoopi?” referencing speculation about the daytime host’s sexuality, to which she replied, “Depends on who you ask, Kevin.” 

Later jokingly referencing speculation about his own sexuality, Spacey went on to sing the lyric “I’m coming out,” before starting over and changing the lyrics. 

He ended the opening number with a tap-dancing finale.

Besides being a seasoned actor with roles in Oscar-winning films and on his Emmy-nominated Netflix series, Spacey won a Tony himself in 1991 for his role in the play Lost in Yonkers. 

The 71st Annual Tony Awards are being handed out at New York City’s Radio City Hall. 

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