NEW YORK (AP) — Alicia Keys electrified the Tony Awards on Sunday, teaming up with superstar Jay-Z on their hit “Empire State of Mind” and belting a hip-hop love letter to their shared hometown of New York at the top of the telecast.
Keys appeared at the piano on the stage of the David H. Koch Theater in Lincoln Center as the cast of her semi-autobiographical musical “Hell’s Kitchen” was presenting a medley of songs and then began singing her and Jay-Z’s 2009 smash. She then left the stage to join the rapper on some interior steps to wild applause.
Host Ariana DeBose kicked off the telecast with an original, acrobatic number and Jeremy Strong took home the first big award of the night as Broadway’s biggest party opened its arms to hip-hop and rock fans.
Ariana DeBose performs onstage during The 77th Annual Tony Awards at David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on June 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
Pre-Show hosts Julianne Hough, left, and Utkarsh Ambudka speaks during the 77th Tony Awards on Sunday, June 16, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
Bobby Conte (C) and the cast of “The Who’s Tommy” perform onstage during The 77th Annual Tony Awards at David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on June 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
Danai Gurira speaks onstage during The 77th Annual Tony Awards at David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on June 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
Ariana DeBose performs onstage during The 77th Annual Tony Awards at David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on June 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
Jeremy Strong accepts the award for best performance by an actor in a leading role in a play for “An Enemy of the People” during the 77th Tony Awards on Sunday, June 16, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
(L-R) Brandon Victor Dixon and Shoshana Bean of “Hell’s Kitchen” perform onstage during The 77th Annual Tony Awards at David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on June 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
CJay Philip poses with the Excellence in Theatre Education Award at the 77th Annual Tony Awards at David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on June 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
Ali Louis Bourzgui, center, and the cast of “The Who’s Tommy” performs onstage during The 77th Annual Tony Awards at David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on June 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
Will Brill accepts the Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play award for “Stereophonic” onstage during The 77th Annual Tony Awards at David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on June 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
Brooke Shields (C) attends FIJI Water at the 77th Annual Tony Awards at David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on June 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for FIJI Water)
Pete Townshend performs onstage during The 77th Annual Tony Awards at David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on June 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
(L-R) Julianne Hough and Utkarsh Ambudkar speak onstage during The 77th Annual Tony Awards at David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on June 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
Tom Scutt accepts the Best Scenic Design in a Musical award for “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club” onstage during The 77th Annual Tony Awards at David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on June 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
Billy Porter accepts the Isabelle Stevenson award during the 77th Tony Awards on Sunday, June 16, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
Alicia Keys joins the cast of “Hell’S Kitchen” for a performance at the 77th Tony Awards, at the Lincoln Center in New York on Sunday, June 16, 2024. (Sara Krulwich/The New York Times)
Ariana DeBose speaks onstage during the 76th Annual Tony Awards at United Palace Theater on June 11, 2023, in New York. DeBose returns as host for the 2024 ceremony on Sunday, June 19, 2024. (Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions/TNS)