TONY TONY TONY TONY TONY!

If you read nothing in this blog b/c you don't like theater, just watch this video! It's the opening number to the Tony's this year.


I would just like to voice my opinions on the Tony Awards this year. I do NOT pretend to be an expert in this area! But I do love it! I was a little skeptical, honestly, about this years awards because cbs was really dying for more viewers. They cut out a bunch of the awards and they brought in touring productions from around the country in an attempt to rope in Americans. Still, I really enjoyed them! Some of my highlights were:

1. Alice Ripley winning Best leading actress in a musicalI was pulling for her b/c when Next to Normal performed they drew me into their performance and she was actually "acting" (too much to expect from broadway right?). Her speech had an odd start by screaming a JFK quote, but she finished stunningly!

2. Quote of the night: during the beginning of the Guys and Dolls performance the mics weren't working (again). You could hear the tech guy say "Do I take it on? I'm going! I'm going!" and a tech guy runs onstage and hands Titus Burgess a mic! Burgess didn't miss a beat either. I was a little disappointed Lauren Graham (Lorelei Gilmore) didn't perform. She is currently in the revival of Guys and Dolls as well.

3. Anytime Angela Lansbury was onstage. End of story.

4. The Legally Blonde Tour performance of So Much Better.

Well actually only Becky Gulsvig (Elle) is on tour anymore. I actually did see 2 of the Delta Nus backing her up on tour (and met Kate Rockwell!) and I was so excited to see Tracy Jai Edwards up there! I was kind of upset that they cut half the song out, it felt a little awkward that way. It was just thrilling to see someone perform at the Tony's that I've actually seen peform in person! Living in Memphis/Greenville that NEVER HAPPENS. It's not like I can go up to New York whenever I want to see a show. But everyone should give Legally Blonde the Musical a chance. I was really skeptical but it really surprised me! (getting off my soapbox now)

Ok so no one in this picture performed, and Becky Gulsvig isn't even in it BUT the Delta Nus are my favorite part of the show especially Cortney Wolfson (far left playing Serena) who is sporting some lovely dark lipstick in this photo.

Things I did not like/Tony Awards need to improve on:
Since every Tony producer executive chairman keeps close tabs on my blog, I am confident that my voice will be heard on this.

1. Mamma Mia performance-bad costumes, singing, sound and actors. sorry that should've been axed.

This picture isn't from the Tony performance and truly the picture just doesn't capture the horrifying nature of that performance, but you get the idea.

2. TECH. Microphones were too loud/not on/on at the wrong times. Cameras showed the wrong nominees at the wrong times. Names were misspelled and presenters mispronounced half the people's names in their intros. Get it together guys! This is national tv for goodness sake! I don't really know whose fault this was. Maybe they should hire new sound guys, or maybe they need to buy new mics?

3. I would like to have seen a re-enactment of Patti LuPone's freak out in Gypsy (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5Wh6DAFpW4 NOW!!!!)

4. Choose performances that are represenative of the shows. Hair's performance was a perfect example of this. It's the title song, "Hair", the entire cast is up there and there is singing and dancing going down. Billy Elliott however....I have not seen that show but I'm pretty sure that the that show is not about an angsty boy who runs around the stage screaming "eek" a thousand times while being beat up by the police. The kid was a phenomenal dancer, but there was zero singing. None, not a note. Apparently the song they were going to do got cut out for time, but still, just make it work. Shrek was alright, but with a show called "Shrek" shouldn't the character Shrek be performing?!

Gavin Creel and Will Swenson in Hair

5. Don't cut things just because you think they won't get you more viewers. Things like best choreography, orchestrations, book of a muscal etc were presented before the Tony's started. I just think that anyone who takes part in the production of a show is brilliant and deserves recognition. If you didn't have the book, you wouldn't have the musical. If you didn't have the orchestrations you would be listening to actors sing a capella. Anyway, it just bugs me!

I think that's all I have to say on the Tony's for now. I'm sure I'll think of something else!