The Tony awards left me with many impressions, from the bizarre (was it just
me or did Alan Cumming -- between the haircut and the boots -- look like
some life-size action figure?) to the benign (is it possible not to like
Julie Andrews?), from the haughty (I uncharitably found the speeches of the
first two recipients -- Ian McDiarmid and Frances de la Tour -- tedious and
pretentious) to the heartfelt (I found "Jersey Boys" John Lloyd Young's
unusual tribute -- recognizing his father and no one else -- particularly
touching). Don't have time to write much more about it but, overall, was
happy at the spread of the awards among many shows and only had one major
disappointment ("Pajama Game" beating out "Sweeney Todd" for best musical
revival). Any other impressions out there in the blog-o-sphere?
Monday, June 12, 2006
Tony impressions
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3 comments:
I thought the awards were boring, lacking in class, and more importantly - lacking in magic. Broadway theater has become a commercialized, lackluster, unfeeling factory of "crank 'em out" juke-boxicals. Thank goodness for "The Drowsy Chaperone", one of the few completely original, heart-driven peices in a long time. The most magical parts of the evening were seeing clips from the old days of Tony shows (i.e. Jennifer Holliday's stunning "And I Am Telling You" from Dreamgirls). The Hal Prince tribute was barely that - more of a pantomime that didn't feel fitting to such a man who has made such an imprint on the American Musical. The whole night felt off, and I was very dissapointed. Oh, and the only touch of class, I felt - was seeing the always radiant and classy Julie Andrews at the end. How fitting "Mary Poppins" will be taking to the stage soon. We could really use some magic back on the New York stage.
Harry Connick, Jr. looked like he was bored out of his mind at the top of the show. I don't blame him. The only number that made me yearn for a trip to New York was from The Drowsy Chaperone. Sutton Foster couldn't be more charming and she can sing and dance her ass off. I was strangely intrigued by Three Penny Opera, but I don't think I would pay $100 to see it. I wouldn't see Sweeney Todd now if someone gave me house seat comps. I enjoyed Beth Leavel's acceptance speech. She acknowledged her fellow nominees, unlike LaChanze who somehow didn't seem at all surprised (like I was) that she beat out Broadway legends Patti Lupone and Chita Rivera. I was impressed by Kathleen Marshall's ability to remember all those people with no index cards, and it was especially fun to see the clip of Daisy Egan's acceptance speech for The Secret Garden (maybe my favorite ever).
I can understand your points, anon and oneeye. I think in comparison to the shows themselves ("Drowsy" does seem worthy of a trip northward), the awards show pales. Somehow they haven't been able to project the magic that the Oscars for instance can sometimes manage. But I was intrigued by the personalities of some of the winners who somehow (not surprisingly, I guess) seemed so much more theatrical than Oscar or Emmy winners.
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