(CNN) James Corden kicked off the 73rd Annual Tony Awards Sunday night with a boisterous, colorful number that highlighted the importance of Broadway in the time of streaming services.

He opened the show binging TV on a drab couch in a New York City apartment, telling the audience to "trade the remote" in order to experience a different kind of show -- the kind "that's live and can't be hashtagged."

Corden broke into a split during his dance number, belting out a song about the importance of being in the moment instead of streaming shows.

Television did get credit, though, with Corden telling the crowd, "TV we all love you."

"You pay us so much more money than the theater," he said, joking that most of the actors on stage had at one time or another played "Law & Order" corpses.

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