Young Frankenstein, Little Mermaid & A Catered Affair Get Slots on Tony Telecast

In a break with tradition, 11 musicals from the 2007-08 season will perform during the Tony Awards telecast on June 15, according to Variety. The featured shows will include Young Frankenstein, The Little Mermaid and A Catered Affair, none of which received a Best Musical nomination. "When you're trying to appeal across America, you want to get as many familiar names up there as possible," Ricky Kirshner, an executive producer of the show, was quoted as saying.

Little Mermaid star Sierra Boggess will perform "Part of Your World," Young Frankenstein's Megan Mullally will sing "Deep Love" and A Catered Affair's Tony-nominated star Faith Prince will sing "Vision," joining performers from nominated new musicals In the Heights, Passing Strange, Cry-Baby and Xanadu and nominated revivals South Pacific, Gypsy, Sunday in the Park with George and Grease. Already announced as part of the telecast will be excerpts from long-running hits The Lion King and Rent.

As Variety noted, the Tony telecast has lagged in the ratings for several years, and the addition of known quantities such as Disney's Ariel the Mermaid and characters from a classic Mel Brooks comedy may appeal to viewers unfamiliar with nominees that skew heavily toward performers and shows unknown to the general public.

The only Broadway musical from the 2007-08 season that will not be represented on Tony night is Glory Days, which closed the morning after its May 6 opening night.