Three years ago I made a point of watching the Tony awards in order to see the original cast of RENT (my all-time favorite musical) perform as the show would be closing later that year. Despite my love of theatre, I hadn't watched the Tony's very often. It seemed that I rarely knew all the plays and musicals nominated and despite enjoying the occaisional performance, I didn't give it too much thought. I realized that year that I had been looking at it completely wrong. As a viewer who lives far from Broadway, I wasn't watching to see my favorites win (since I rarely knew anything about the nominees), I was watching to discover new shows. This was made abundantly clear after I watched a brilliant and riveting performance from the cast of that year's new musical winner, In The Heights. It was love at first sight as my sister & I immediately downloaded the soundtrack from iTunes. We'll finally get the chance to see it live this fall when the national tour comes to the 5th Avenue Theatre. Last year was another not to miss show with the immensely talented Neil Patrick Harris hosting. There were a number of brilliant performances, including a scene from Next to Normal, starring the adorable and insanely talented Aaron Tveit, who I would see later that summer on stage at the 5th Ave in Catch Me if You Can. Next to Normal is also coming to Seattle next spring, as is the incredibly popular Billy Elliot, last year's winner for best new musical. I wouldn't even know how popular it was though if I didn't take the time to watch the Tony's. I don't care where you live, if you love good theatre, you should be watching the Tony's. Every year.
That brings us to this year. The funny and brilliant Sean Hayes hosted, making me jealous that I do not live in NYC and will not have the opportunity to see him and the incredible Kristin Chenoweth in Promises, Promises, but glad I got a little glimpse. And amazingly, I had already seen the new musical winner, Memphis, a fantastic show with music that makes you want to dance and a heartfelt story that draws you in and occaisionally has you in tears. Memphis started its life at 4 different theaters before it went to Broadway, including Seattle's own 5th Avenue. Being a part of the audience that saw this play prior to Broadway allowed me to connect to this year's Tony awards even more than when the Intiman won the regional Tony a couple years ago. The performances were great and I could not be more happy to have watched again this year. A few more highlights and random moments:
- Green Day. Wow. I think the Tony audience might have been a little overwhelmed, but Billie Joe & company were incredible, following the opening medley of performances from the various musical nominees. Their energy level was outstanding.
- Not only was Green Day amazing, but the cast of American Idiot, performing both with Green Day and later in the show on their own (after an awkward, but honest introduction from Billie Joe Armstrong) burst onto screen with the same energy as the band that created the show. I hope this tours so that I can see this show live. For now, I'm listening to Green Day's American Idiot album.
- Mark Sanchez? Introduced Memphis? Really?
- Frasier! Kelsey Grammer teared up when presenting with David Hyde Pierce after congratulating him on winning a special award for his efforts to combat Alzheimer's disease.
- Kristin Chenoweth could probably be more amazing, but I'm not actually sure how. She was adorable and hilarious and generally brilliant every time she was on stage.
- Celebrities everywhere! While a number of well known actors who are known for their Broadway skills were in attendance, so were a number of big named celebs not generally associated with the stage including: Catherine Zeta Jones (winner!) & Michael Douglas, Will Smith & Jada Pinkett-Smith, Jay-Z & Beyonce, and Denzel Washington (winner!). Love to see Hollywood loving the stage.
- Glee! Broadway was clearly quite proud of their own doing well in another medium, giving them a place to show off. Matthew Morrison and Lea Michelle showed everyone their immense talents and hopefully their highly publicized performances brought new viewers to the show. And I'd like to cast my vote now for Laura Bell Bundy to be on Glee next season. Omigod you guys.
- Technical difficulties - There seemed to be more than at other awards show, but at least the if it has to happen somewhere, best to have all those professional theatre actors there to keep things moving no matter what.
- Paula Abdul stayed on script, didn't ramble, and appropriately presented the choreography award. Phew.
There was probably more of note, I loved the way the various plays were introduced with actors from each show introducing the plots and themes, and as noted above, Sean Hayes was a fantastic choice to host. If you don't watch the Tony's and love theatre, you might want to rethink that choice. I can't wait to see what they have planned for next year.
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