Hamilton will drop muskets as Tony Awards dedicated to Orlando shooting victims

Producers behind the Tony Awards are dedicating Sunday's show to victims of the mass shooting in Orlando.

"Our thoughts are with the families and friends of those affected," the show posted on its Twitter account.

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A gunman opened fire in a crowded gay dance club in Orlando, Fla., early Sunday morning, leaving at least 50 people dead and 53 injured in the worst mass shooting in U.S. history.

According to a spokesman for the acclaimed musical Hamilton, the cast will no longer use prop muskets in Sunday's performance.

The Tonys, which celebrate excellence in Broadway theatre, were expected to be all about the hugely popular hip-hop musical, which has been nominated for a record-breaking 16 awards.

Hamilton, about American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, has already won a Grammy and Pulitzer Prize for drama. The production has been praised not just for its music and storyline but for its approach to diversity and inclusion.

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Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator and star of Hamilton, posted this image Sunday after news of the shooting and ahead of the Tonys.

Sean Hayes, who has hosted the Tonys and been nominated in the past, called it a "sad, horrific day in U.S. history."

Six-time Tony award winner Audra McDonald also took to Twitter.

Kristin Chenoweth, who starred in Wicked and won a Tony for You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, wrote: "When will the violence end?"

The Tony awards air Sunday at 8 p.m. on CBS and will be hosted by The Late Late Show host James Corden.