Photo: Curtis Brown
Kristin Chenowethhas made good on her promise to boyfriend Josh Bryant.
TheSchmigadoon!star, 53,vowed to take the guitarist— who she said has only been to “two Broadway shows” in his lifetime — to seeThe Lion Kingto experience the magic of Disney on Broadway.
On Tuesday, Chenoweth and Bryant were among the first theatergoers to attend Broadway’s reopening since the coronavirus pandemic put live productions on hiatus in March 2020.
“This is Broadway. This is Broadway at its best,” Chenoweth tells PEOPLE. “I am fighting back tears. It’s really rewarding to be an actor in an audience like this, and receive what my other talented friends are doing up there.”
Kristin Chenoweth and Josh Bryant.Bruce Glikas/WireImage
“I kept telling Josh to get ready, but we both cried,” admits the Broadway star. “I sawThe Lion Kingwhen it first opened, and it is still just as special.”
Before attendingThe Lion King, the actress — who won a Tony Award for her performance as Sally Brown inYou’re a Good Man, Charlie Brownand is best known to theater fans for originating the role of Glinda inWicked— was also on hand at the Gershwin Theatre to greet the audience atWicked.
“I have to say it… There’s no place like home,” Chenowethexclaimed to an enthusiastic audienceduring the curtain speech atWicked.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly newsletterto get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.
Bruce Glikas/Getty
Chenoweth and Bryant have been linked since August 2018 and quarantined together in New York City amid the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
“We managed to stay creative and still have a good time,” she told PEOPLE in November 2020, adding that the two kept busy creating TikToks during their downtime together.
“My boyfriend is 14 years younger than me. Thus, I’m good at TikTok,” she said laughing. “I didn’t know what TikTok was, I didn’t necessarily want to do TikTok. Now I love TikTok with his help.”
She added at the time that the social media platform helped her stay connected to fans when the curtain came down on Broadway.
“It was very helpful,” Chenoweth said. “I have been a creature of the theater and on concert tours for so long that I am used to the immediate gratification of a live audience reaction. I didn’t grow up in the generation of Instagram, but now I sort of love it because [of] the immediacy of it. So not only have I learned a lot about social media for real, but I’ve come to appreciate it. It’s the audience, so to speak. And until we can come back safe and strong, then that will remain the case.”
source: people.com
