Queen Latifah Sets up ‘Chicago’ 30th Anniversary Tonys Performance as Alex Newell and Pink Dazzle

The 2026 Tonys paid homage to Chicago‘s landmark 30th anniversary on Sunday night.

Alex Newell kicked things off with a performance of “When You’re Good To Mama,” after an introduction by Queen Latifah, who commemorated the show’s three-decade run on Broadway. Latifah’s intro paid homage to her own Oscar-nominated starring turn as Matron “Mama” Morton in the 2002 film.

“And now, ladies and gentleman, from one mother hen to another, the keeper of the keys, the countess of the clink, the mistress of murderers row; Matron ‘Mama’ Morton!” Latifah said before welcoming the Tony winner to the stage.

Pink, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Adrienne Warren, Julianne Hough, Whitney Leavitt and Dylan Mulvaney were among those who also appeared in the starry performance.

The long-running musical hit a new high at the box office this year, boosted by Leavitt and her Dancing With the Stars partner Mark Ballas’ limited run in the show. Chicago reached close to $1.5 million during the week of April 14, as the average ticket price went up to $171, and capacity at the Ambassador Theatre increased to 100 percent.

The 78th annual Tony Awards were hosted by Pink at the Radio City Music Hall in New York on Sunday night. The “So What” singer herself opened the awards ceremony with a performance that made reference to almost every single nominated musical and play from this season.

Pink also hit the stage again for the Chicago tribute, where she performed “All That Jazz” and commanded the stage. She and Newell certainly gave the 2026 Tonys the old razzle dazzle.

See all the red-carpet arrival looks here and the full list of 2026 Tonys winners here.

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