Best Tony Award Performance- Page 2

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow]

Posted: 10/23/07 at 11:32pm

I really adored Liza in The Act Tony performance, and the performance of On the Twentieth Century at the Tonys. I wish that someone would post it at the forbidden site again.

[sanda]

Posted: 10/23/07 at 11:41pm

Simply Irresistable - Contact

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 10/23/07 at 11:48pm

"wow, as if pulling off anything LIVE is such an amazing thing to see on a THEATER actor. Do you listen to yourself? He does that eight times a week same as everyone else who performs on the Tony's (give or take a few perfs.)I think your references are extremely limited for you to think that Hunter was "exceptional". He was good, but he pales in comparison to his sister, who performed that same night with a cast just as energetic."

I think it IS amazing to pull off his performance live on the Tony's, especially based on other Tony performances where the actors disappoint. For example, I don't think Faith Prince was nearly as electric in I'm Going Back (from Bells Are Ringing) on the '01 broadcast, as she was in many performances of the show. And hey- that's why it's fun to see LIVE theatre. And let's not forget Lot's Wife in '04 and how disappointed many were with Tonya Pinkins' performance, especially those used to her rendition of that song on the Caroline or Change cast recording. She was burnt out and vocally hoarse and unable to perform the song at the vocal level she previously had. This is why I think Hunter's performance is exceptional- he had been performing Bobby Strong for nearly a year, and yet I still felt his energy radiating off the screen. His performance was specific and dynamic and translated well to a broadcast. Hitting that last note without any chance of a re- take is admirable. I think his performance and the Urinetown cast's as a whole is amazing, and it is my prerogative to hold that opinion.

And while Sutton Foster and the cast of Millie did an incredible job that year as well, I don't believe it to be superior in any way. In fact, at the Tony party I was at that year, MANY people (who had not seen either show yet) could not believe that the "Forget About the Boy" show won over the "Run Freedom Run" show. Based on those performances, they thought for sure Urinetown was the winner. That says something to me.

I think for you to assume that actors give the same performance 8 times a week is also very limited. I can think of at least 10 times where I saw an actor give a shockingly different performance than one I had previously seen them give in the same role. For example, a few months after Adam had been in Aida, he was going for lower notes at a lot of points. Which is just fine! But of course it's a different level of vocal performance. And back in the day, plenty of actors got away with skipping entire songs they had previously done in the run! (Wasn't there just something about this in Louis Botto's recent playbill article?)

A Tony performance is special, not an exact carbon copy of what the actor did on stage every night during their run. To be able to give a performance at the precipice of one's talents in the role... that's incredible. That way, the performance that represents your show for years to come puts it in the best possible light.

Another Tony performance I love is the women from Baby singing "I Want It All". The 1984 broadcast seems amazing, all around. I remember hearing a story about how they found out they'd be closing shortly before they performed. Liz Callaway, Beth Fowler, and Catherine Cox are all so phenomenal. (Off topic, but I saw Cox and Martin Vidnovic sing "With You" at Broadway Originals this past weekend and they were incredible. I envy anyone who got to see the OBC of this show.)

[Boq101]

Posted: 10/23/07 at 11:53pm

I have to agree with Baby, that performance is TO DIE FOR.

However, I'd like to point out the difference between roles like Caroline and that of Bobby Strong. Compared to Caroline Bobby is not that challenging, both emotionally and on the chords.
Updated On: 10/23/07 at 11:53 PM

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 10/23/07 at 11:56pm

Um, yes, I'm aware of that. It wasn't a direct comparison, just an example to illustrate that some Tony performances may be far inferior to other performances the actor gave in the actual show. You know, to defend the point I was making which you just attacked?

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow]

Posted: 10/23/07 at 11:58pm

I was disappointed in Urinetown's performance because I thought it was better at the Broadway on Broadway special that aired on tv. Had I not seen that first, I probably would have liked the Tony performance a lot more.

[Boq101]

Posted: 10/24/07 at 12:02am

I agree with Scotty.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 10/24/07 at 12:04am

Definitely the Tonys performance for West Side Story, which I saw on the Unmentionable Website.

Also:
- Titanic
- Side Show
- Maybe you'll disagree, but I love the performance from The Life

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 10/24/07 at 12:15am

The Broadway on Broadway performance IS exceptional. Too bad it's not on any of the sites, for everyone to see.

SporkGoddess, I enjoy The Life performance too

[jewishboy]

Posted: 10/24/07 at 12:20am

me three

[Boq101]

Posted: 10/24/07 at 12:29am

me four

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 10/24/07 at 12:34am

A New Argentina- EVITA
And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going- DREAMGIRLS
We'll Take A Glass Together- GRAND HOTEL
Ragtime- RAGTIME
Medley- THE WILD PARTY
Turkey Lurkey Time- PROMISES, PROMISES
Opening Sequence- A CHORUS LINE
Run, Freedom, Run!- URINETOWN

[Bwaypal213]

Posted: 10/24/07 at 3:16am

The Lion King~ "Circle of Life" 1998

[dramarama2]

Posted: 10/24/07 at 4:26am

There's definitely better examples, but Raul Esparza's "Being Alive" @ this year's Tony's blew me away. Much better than when I saw the show live and he cracked on "The Money Note"...

[madbrian]

Posted: 10/24/07 at 8:28am

I really, really liked Bonnie Franklin and cast doing the title number from Applause.

Here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26IlpKtAvZU

Updated On: 10/24/07 at 08:28 AM

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/24/07 at 8:29am

Oooh, one more that I can never get enough of...

"Where You Are" from Kiss of the Spider Woman

But I would agree that the top spot on this list would go to the Dreamgirls performance.

[mrkeatingsir]

Posted: 10/24/07 at 9:11am

Yes, my vote goes to Bonnie Franklin and company for Applause. A real Broadway talent -- I remember when she was on the Gerswhin Tonies when they renamed the theater from the Uris. So coked up during How Long Has This Been Going On? -- its great fun to watch it in slow motion because she actually snorts during just before taking the repeat. What a loss she never got to play Mama Rose.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 10/24/07 at 10:18am

The Les Miserables Tony performance is what got me obsessed with musical theatre. Even with Anthony Crivello's crazy hair.

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 10/24/07 at 11:24am

Omg, Applause! I don't know how that slipped my mind. That's a tie at #1 for me. That performance is unbelievable.

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 10/24/07 at 1:59pm

Somewhere in the 80s, Dorothy Loudon did "Broadway Baby" -- it was a real gem and much better than the one she recorded on one of her LPs (remember them?) Although done differently, was just as impressive as Elaine Strich's version in the 1985 Follies version at Lincoln. I wouldn't be without either

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/24/07 at 2:07pm

Loudon was hilarious on the Tonys. That was the year they did extended musical tributes to Jerry Herman, Stephen Sondheim and Kander & Ebb. They were each outstanding.

For the Herman tribute, Loudon stood on top of a white limousine with a gaggle of tuxedoed men dancing around her. She said to the audience, "Don't look in your programs... it's ME." She was a hoot.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 10/24/07 at 2:27pm

^^Loudon was always a hoot on the Tonys...

My vote goes to:
Worst Pies in London
AITYING
Bosom Buddies
Titanic
Ragtime
42nd Street revival

I much prefer Unexpected Song from Bernadette than Rose's Turn...

[jewishboy]

Posted: 10/24/07 at 2:36pm

Yes the overall best performance is Dreamgirls without a doubt.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 10/24/07 at 2:40pm

I've said this in other threads, but I think many great shows ruined their Tony awards by trying to cram mini commercials with a "greatest hits" feel. I like one scene/song done, not snippets from many.

[ggersten]

Posted: 10/24/07 at 3:27pm

As someone who doesn't and hasn't lived in New York, the Tony Awards were often the first time I saw sequences from current shows. So, here are the performances I saw live or on the Lost Treasures DVDs that have the most impact: And, of course, this is completely unrelated to the merits of the show they are culled from:

Watched Live:

1.Applause. I was a young 'un and it blew me away, especially when they did "oh calucutta", mooned the audience, and a woman very loudly and audibly gasps.

2.I Hope I Get It from A Chorus Line also blew me away. We are having a faux awards show the next day in English (for radio plays we had done, and I started it with a very loud "a 5,6,7,8"

3. Wedding Singer. Sole me on a show I had no interest in seeing. Okay, still didn't see, but did buy the OBCR.

Others I really enjoyed: Titanic; Ragtime; Big Deal

DVDs:

1. Apple Tree
2. Annie/Easy Street
3. Lansbury/Arthur Bosom Buddies
3.