AceShowbiz - Broadway stars are furious after U.S. network bosses decided to replace the annual Tony Awards ceremony broadcast with a sing-along viewing of movie musical "Grease".

Chiefs at CBS announced that the classic 1978 musical, starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, will fill the June 7, 2020 time slot vacated by the 2020 Tony Awards due to the coronavirus pandemic.

However, the decision has been slammed by Broadway stars, who took to Twitter to express their disappointment over the move.

Gideon Glick of "To Kill a Mockingbird" tweeted, "I'm certain there are a million gays out there who could help you curate a greatest hits of the Tony Awards to air instead!"

"(Not) a retrospective of past great Tony performances and speeches and moments? Or something highlighting the amazing work that people in theatre do for their community? Or literally anything other than this?" "Frozen" star Patti Murin mused of the network's move.

Lyricist Benj Pasek, "Hamilton" 's Lin-Manuel Miranda, and "Wicked" star Andy Mientus also took to the platform to object to the broadcast.

Since New York government officials announced a ban on gatherings over 500 on March 12, 2020, Broadway has remained shut, marking the longest hiatus in its history. The Great White Way will remain dark until at least September 2020.

"The Grease" sing-along will air on CBS on 7 June at 8.30 P.M. ET.