So, I’m back in New York from deep in the heart of Texas. It was a great trip, with some fine food, family, and friends. I will look upon this trip with fond memories and harsh indigestion. During my trip, I did manage to watch the Tony Awards from Houston. Furthermore, I managed to read a billion reviews on the topic and viewed some interesting debates/conversations. So, here is my very late, relatively undiplomatic, 12 cents (because it’s more than 2), which I’ll try to keep brief. But, I may fail in doing that.
1. Neil Patrick Harris: Hilarious and perfect for the broadcast. Not just his song at the end, but everything he did. Don’t give me “The sushi joke didn’t land.” Bullshit. If you knew the reference, it was hilarious and perfectly timed as they announced nominees for the Best Actor in a Play award shortly thereafter and panned to a very amused Raul Esparza (who, incidentally, stole that show from Mr. Mercury). NPH kept the show moving and was funny when he was on—like a good host.
2. 2. Sound problems: Inexcusable. Hey sound guys and producers of the Tonys, you’ve done this before, yes? You did a camera rehearsal, right? Dude, for your own benefit of not having Elton John throw a Bitch Fit, get it together. Years ago, I was in a show that was plagued with sound issues in Vegas. We were supposed to run 6 weeks. We ran 3. Nobody wants to see a show with music that you can’t HEAR!
3. 3. Alice Ripley. Madame, I didn’t see your show yet, but apparently you deserved this award. And I honor that. Just stop yelling at me.
4. 4. Poison, Poison, Poison. The fact that they were at the Tony Awards brought out the 12-year old hair-metal fan in me. The fact that Bret Michaels ate it via a stage drop brought out the 12-year old mean kid in me. Because I laughed. Sorry. Glad to hear he’s recuperating. (NPH’s "head banging" joke: Priceless)
5. 5. The number from “Guys and Dolls:” I preface this by saying that I'm singling this out because it is my favorite musical of all time. Which is why those nearest and dearest to me begged me not to go see it. I did have every intention of getting to see it this summer, just because I had to see this for myself. Unfortunately, it’s closing this Sunday. After seeing “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat” on the Tony broadcast, I understand why. How do you take the greatest 11 o’clock number in theatre history and make it boring and then spastically inappropriate? The people up there have talent. Use it. That number doesn’t need cheap laughs (Mary Testa is way talented, she doesn’t need to spank herself for attention….at least not with this material). When I heard Titus was playing this part, I was thrilled. But, looking at the entire number, save the last minute, he was completely stifled and it didn’t seem like he was allowed to make the song his own at all. By the time we “went to church” in the song, it was too little too late. Mic problems, not your fault. Keeping the spirit and the integrity of a classic, totally your fault (Producers and directors, not actors).
6. 6. The touring productions performing at the Tonys. See below.
Ok, so here’s the big debate and one I’d like to spend the most time on. Was it worth it? Jersey Boys, Mamma Mia, and Legally Blonde are performing all over the country and got a chance to show their stuff on a national broadcast. And that’s why I think it was a good idea. This award show is about bringing Broadway into your living rooms. Touring shows need to be showcased like this, so they can be properly marketed in their multiple stops across the country. This broadcast is a one-stop shop to the entire nation!
Now, there are arguments that state that the Tonys are about the best of Broadway, and I agree. But, aren’t these shows getting a life on tour because they are and have been among the best of Broadway? And regional audiences dig it. Apparently, while Legally Blonde did “ok” on Broadway, it is KILLING across the country. My sister-in –law in Houston cannot get a seat! How does that happen? National exposure. I’m sure this would not be the case without that MTV show that appealed to the core demographic of the audience for this show. But, the moms are the ones who buy the tix for the teenage girls, so the sale is doubled (or even tripled if dad can get drunk enough before the show to sit through it—I haven’t seen it, I’m just thinking this would not the show Dad would choose to see on Father’s day….or any day)!
There are also some people that say, “Well, these performers are not Broadway performers, so they shouldn’t be performing on a ‘Broadway’ awards show.” To them, I’ll say this: Stop the madness. More often than not, performers touring with a show ARE Broadway performers. They’ve been on Broadway, they’ll be there again and they are as talented (or sometimes more) than those currently on Broadway. Furthermore, they make more money! Often actors will go on tour with a show they were in on Broadway in order to bank some more cash. Touring companies get something Broadway companies don’t: a fat, tax-free per diem. It’s for road expenses, and you can use that to live off of while you bank your salary, which is directly equivalent to a Broadway salary. So when you give no credit to the Elphaba you see performing in Cheboygan, remember, she was headlining Broadway while you were still weeping about Idina Menzel leaving the show.
On the other side of things, I have a question for those who chose these particular numbers from the shows: Do you feel this was the best way to showcase these productions? The balance was off a bit, but I do understand that these shows are currently running across the country and the producers could not pull every performer from their current cities to do a huge, splashy advertisement…er…production number. I dunno, just a question. Seeing the multiple Frankie Valli’s made me think of the final scene of “Three Amigos” for some reason. I also blame a lot of it on sound mixing. And, no, I can’t do a better job of sound mixing. That’s your job.
So, yeah, it’s a lot to chew on, but I’ve been away for a week and had this on my mind for a little while. And there were a billion other things that happened that I marked out for (the Billy Elliot kids, Karen Olivo, Liza losing her mind for the umpteenth time), but if your still reading this, you stuck with me through quite a bit, and I don’t wanna push it. Feel free to discuss. Until later, HOOK ‘EM HORNS!!!
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