THEATRICAL THROWBACK THURSDAY: The 2014 Tony Awards

Today we are revisiting Broadway's biggest night in 2014 thanks to this weekend's upcoming presentation of the 2015 Tony Awards.

For the fourth time in a decade, Broadway superstar and Hollywood leading man Hugh Jackman took to the stage of Radio City Music Hall to serve as host of the 2014 TONY AWARDS and he was expectedly entertaining, as always, yet the surprises of the night were far-flung and ubiquitous. While it was a rich season as far as new musicals and plays go, the big winner of the night ended up being the murder mystery musical A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE & MURDER which managed to snag 10 top honors including Best Musical, while a mega-hit revival featuring another familiar face from stage and screen who has made a name for himself as a triple-threat not unlike Jackman, Neil Patrick Harris, made a major mark and clicked his perilously high high heels all the way to Tony GLORY as the title star of the rock musical HEDWIG & THE ANGRY INCH, which also scored major nods for Best Revival Of A Musical and Best Featured Actress In A Musical (Lena Hall). Nonetheless, the ceremony was not all about GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE and HEDWIG - there were plenty of other awards to go around along with the merriment of the night.

Disney's ALADDIN claimed the showstopper of the evening thanks to Best Featured Actor In A Musical James Monroe Iglehart leading a BREATHLESS and brilliant rendition of the breathtaking "A Friend Like Me" sequence from the screen-to-stage hit, while the cast of the fresh revival of international mega-musical mega-hit LES MISERABLES dazzled viewers around the world with their impressive "One Day More". Of course, Audra McDonald made TONY AWARDS history in receiving her sixth competitive statuette for her role as Billie Holiday in LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR & GRILL, while Jessie Mueller claimed her first leading lady trophy for her headlining turn in BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL. Additionally, a few previews of upcoming mainstage musicals were presented, as well, with Jennifer Hudson leading a FINDING NEVERLAND preview and Sting singing a selection from THE LAST SHIP. And, of course, who could forget Idina Menzel and IF/THEN?! Indeed, it was a generally effervescent and enjoyable show and we can hope that this year's telecast is just as smooth, seamless and fun.

Check out the performance number from Best Musical champ A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE & MURDER.

As a special bonus, view Neil Patrick Harris as the titular HEDWIG & THE ANGRY INCH, as well.

So, what was your absolute favorite moment of the 2014 Tony Awards? Furthermore, what category are you looking most forward to seeing on this year's telecast? With races so tight in so many categories this year, the 2015 TONY AWARDS could very well be a nail-biter for the record books! Don't miss it on Sunday at 8 PM on CBS - and be sure to check back on BroadwayWorld for all the reactions, commentary, clips and all the rest!