Bernadette Peters and Gregory Hines, former Tony winners themselves, will be the hosts of the 2002 Tony Awards saluting the best of the Broadway season.
The three-hour show is scheduled to air starting June 2, with the first hour shown on PBS and the remaining two on CBS. In recent years, the program has suffered from declining ratings, although last year expectations were high that ratings would be better. They weren't, despite the hoopla over "The Producers," Broadway's biggest hit in years, and the presence of its stars, Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, as hosts of the telecast.
Peters won a Tony in 1986 for Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Song and Dance" and again in 1999 for the revival of "Annie Get Your Gun." She's expected back on Broadway next season in a production of "Gypsy," directed by Sam Mendes. Hines received a Tony in 1992 for his performance as Jelly Roll Morton in the musical "Jelly's Last Jam."
The 2002 Tony Awards will be broadcast from Radio City Music Hall.