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Theatre legend Michael Crawford is being honored at the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors ceremony and a number of Broadway favorites are stepping out to pay tribute to Broadway’s original Phantom, including Laura Osnes and Carrie Manolakos.
The show will include Manolakos’ performance of “It Only Takes a Moment” from Hello, Dolly, along with Laura Osnes and David Phelps, performing from The Phantom of the Opera.
“I’m so honored to be here. I do not take a single second of it for granted. Pinch me right now. The best of the best are here tonight and I’m so proud to be included with them,” said Osnes.
“I’m here to honor Michael Crawford. And he has certainly paved the way for people like me to come after him and to be on Broadway. He had so many iconic roles that defined musical theatre”
Other attendees included Miranda Lambert, Debbie Winans, Kurt Russell, Vince Gill, Elle King, and more. Watch Kelsey Grammer’s introduction of Crawford in the video, featuring a reimagined version of Hello, Dolly.
The annual tradition honors those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture with performances and tributes.
This year, honorees included Tony Award-winning performer Michael Crawford (The Phantom of the Opera), actor/writer Sylvester Stallone (Broadway’s Rocky), country music star George Strait, disco and gospel artist Gloria Gaynor, and the rock band KISS. Kennedy Center Chairman and U.S. President Donald Trump hosted the ceremony.
CBS will broadcast the ceremony on Tuesday, December 23, at 8:00-10:30 PM ET/PT, and will also stream on Paramount+. Last week, it was announced that the board overseeing Washington’s John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts voted to rename the iconic venue the Trump-Kennedy Center. The President currently serves as chairman of the board. Watch highlights from the initial medallion ceremony below.
Past Broadway honorees at the Kennedy Center Honors include Leonard Bernstein, Agnes De Mille, Julie Andrews, Angela Lansbury, Chita Rivera, Carol Burnett, Mel Brooks, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Stephen Sondheim, and many more.
