Neil Patrick Harris: Hosts Tony Award 2011

Neil Patrick Harris, who will be hosting the 2011 Tony Award for the second time,  sat down with the ladies of “The View” to talk about the changes for this year’s award show, which airs tonight, June 12, on CBS live from the Beacon Theatre.

Harris talks about taking the award show to a new space. The Tony Awards have recently been held at Radio City Music Hall, but will be held this year at a smaller, more intimate setting—with much less wing and fly space for set pieces of the performing musicals.

At this year’s award show, musicals set to perform include Tony nominees Sister Act, The Scottsboro Boys, The Book of Mormon, Catch Me If You Can, Anything Goes and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, as well as the Tony Award-winning production Memphis, new musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert, and the soon-to-open Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark.

Harris will also perform with the cast of the New York Philharmonic production of Company. The Tony host will sing alongside his Company cast members, including Stephen Colbert, Jon Cryer, Katie Finneran, Christina Hendricks, Aaron Lazar, Patti LuPone, Jill Paice, Martha Plimpton, Anika Noni Rose, Jennifer Laura Thompson, Jim Walton and Chryssie Whitehead.

The 65th Annual Tony Awards will air live on CBS from the Beacon Theatre beginning at 8 PM ET.

Neil Patrick Harris' Game Plan

Neil Patrick Harris has his game plan down for when he hosts the Tony Awards on CBS this Sunday – stay out of the way, and stay sober.

“I feel like when you’re hosting a show, you don’t want to be so egocentric that you make the show about you, so the job is to do something initially that makes them feel comfortable with you, and then pass the buck,” he told Access Hollywood as he rehearsed in New York City on Thursday.

“You don’t want to spend too much time trying to win people over, because it just looks desperate,” he continued. “They’re not here to watch me, they’re here to watch the performances and see who wins the awards. So, I just want to make sure I’m not so drunk that I’m slurring. That would be bad.”


Neil has been rehearsing with an all-star cast of “Company,” from Stephen Sondheim. Among the stars who will be part of the performance include Broadway legend (and recent “Glee” season finale guest star) Patti LuPone, “Mad Men’s” Christina Hendricks, Stephen Colbert and “Two and a Half Men’s” Jon Cryer.

Just days after the Tonys, Neil will celebrate his first Father’s Day as a father himself, to twins Harper and Gideon.

“No big plans,” Neil said of Sunday, June 19. “Daddyhood’s been great. It’s a brand new experience, every week, every day, every hour and they’re just at that age, they’re 8 months now, where they’re changing so much. They’re starting to sit up and recognize and interact and maybe start crawling. Every time we come home, it’s something new, and I appreciate that.”

The Tonys air at 8 PM EST/PST on CBS on Sunday.