29 shows will compete in 26 categories in the 75th Tony Awards

The past two years on Broadway have been marked by suffering and triumph. Sickness, closings, cancellations, lost wages and lost livelihoods have given way to a fragile recovery fueled by a remarkable resilience of spirit — and the heroic efforts of understudies and swings who stepped in time and again when leads fell ill.

Despite seemingly insurmountable setbacks, the shows have gone on — and the time has come to honor them at Radio City Music Hall.

The 75th Tony Awards seek to remind fans and viewers of why theater matters through a glitzy, celebrity-studded, three-hour broadcast airing live on CBS and streaming on Paramount Plus, beginning at 7 p.m. There is also an hourlong preshow, billed as "The Tony Awards: Act One," which will be streamed exclusively on Paramount Plus beginning at 6 p.m.

The former event is hosted by Academy Award winner Ariana DeBose, and will feature presenters including Andrew Garfield, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Paris and Prince Jackson, Bryan Cranston, Laurence Fishburne, Nathan Lane and Bowen Yang.

The latter, hosted by Darren Criss and Julianne Hough, promises to deliver exclusive content, various awards and special performances.

Unlike last year's odd ceremony, which was sliced into two parts, with the bulk of awards being given out during a streaming-only preshow — this year's Tonys promises to celebrate the bulk of the awards on network television.

A total of 29 shows earned nominations in the 26 eligible categories this year. Nineteen of those shows are still running.

Broadway watchers particularly have eyes on Michael R. Jackson's Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, "A Strange Loop," about an overweight gay Black man struggling to write an original musical. The show notched 11 nominations, including best musical, book, original score, performance by an actor in a leading role and direction of a musical.

When Jaquel Spivey found out he was nominated for lead actor in "Strange Loop," he was shocked. Not just for the normal reasons, but for the statement it made.

"This is an industry that in history has not been here for people like me. And when I say people like me, just to be specific, like fat, Black, queer men who had just very openly feminine energy. I'm not the most masculine man in the room," Spivey said.

Jackson, who earned the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for the musical, admits the story was influenced by his own life, right down to working as an usher for a Disney show, though he says it's not autobiographical. More than his own experiences, Jackson believes the story is relatable to anyone who has ever felt like an outsider or wants to know how that feels.

Another young newcomer to watch for is Myles Frost in "MJ," the Michael Jackson musical. Speaking of musicals, Sharon D. Clarke is expected to nab the prize for best actress in a musical for her sterling turn as the exhausted housekeeper in the revival of "Caroline, or Change."

Other shows expected to do well include "Lehman Trilogy," about the rise and fall of one of the country's largest financial institutions, which has eight nominations including best play; and "Company," which leads the revival of a musical pack and has nine nominations.

Lynn Nottage's "Clyde's" is up for five awards. The dark comedy about the denizens of a truck stop, all of whom are trying to create the perfect sandwich, debuted at the Guthrie in 2019 as "Floyd's" but Nottage changed its title to avoid confusion with the George Floyd tragedy. In its credits, former Guthrie artistic director Joe Dowling is listed as "original commissioner" and successor Joseph Haj is listed as "original producer."

Angela Lansbury at 96 will receive a 2022 special Tony for lifetime achievement in the theater, making it her sixth.

Lansbury made her Broadway debut in 1957 in "Hotel Paradiso" and won Tonys for "Mame" in 1966, "Dear World" in 1969, "Gypsy" in 1974, "Sweeney Todd" in 1979 and "Blithe Spirit" in 2009. Other Broadway credits include "A Little Night Music," "Gore Vidal's The Best Man" and "Anyone Can Whistle."

Hugh Jackman is among the notable stars who received nominations this year.

Others include Ruth Negga, Patti LuPone, Uzo Aduba, Phylicia Rashad, Rachel Dratch, Billy Crystal, Sam Rockwell and Mary Louise-Parker.