James Corden -- Orlando, You Are Not Alone ... (VIDEO)

James Corden opened the Tony Awards in NYC with a heartfelt dedication to the victims of the Orlando nightclub massacre and their families.

It's a tough position for Corden -- hosting something as trivial as an entertainment award show ... while the country is reeling in the wake of its worst mass shooting ever.

Corden and the show's producers probably handled it the best way possible, under the circumstances -- addressing the horrific events head-on, while vowing ... "Hate will never win."