2019 Tony Awards Reactions Thread- Page 11

[SFFrontRow]

Posted: 6/10/19 at 2:22am

For those who thought this was a bad/boring Tonys show, is it really because no category was up for grabs? By the time the Tonys came around, we all pretty much knew who the winners were going to be (with the one exception for me where Beetlejuice did not take Set Design for a Musical).

It didn't help that Mockingbird was not in the Play category and maybe some of the musical numbers selected for the shows were not the best options either.

But hey, the Tony awards show is like the yearbook for the season and it is what it is. Just be happy it is still on network TV.

[TooTiredForThis]

Posted: 6/10/19 at 2:22am

That horrendous treatment you say I should be outraged by, is perpetuated by ideas at the core of Tootsie. And I acknowledge that the show accidentally aligns with those points, I was explaining why many do find it offensive, and why the hard it perpetuates cause harm in 2019.

Also if you think a work is beyond ethical criticism because some find joy in it then you understand neither art nor advocacy. 

Updated On: 6/10/19 at 02:22 AM

[SmoothLover]

Posted: 6/10/19 at 2:28am

I was a little surprised that the program was not a little more political given the climate we have been living in. It was almost like Trump has sucked the life out of everyone. I am glad that nobody mentioned his name however. The program felt more sedated than usual.

There were some touching moments. I did not care for the opening number. Too much going on. I was the most inspired by the songs from Oklahoma and I was intrigued with the Hadestown number. I thought Brooks was fabulous in The Prom number and I thought it worked very well. It made me want to see the show where the Tootsie number did not make me feel the same way although Santino can sing me to sleep any night of the week and I mean that as a compliment. Love him on the Frozen soundtrack. And I will say he is the go to actor when you need someone to lead the troops through material that is not perfect. I reference his work in the Moss Hart production at LCT and in City Center Encores productions.

[Pose2]

Posted: 6/10/19 at 2:30am

Oh, I found a lot of HOT in it, thank you! Sorry, the theater community is not the enemy but enjoy your life being outraged at every little thing the rest of your life while people over at Tootsie enjoy the show!

 

 

 

 

 

[TooTiredForThis]

Posted: 6/10/19 at 2:42am

Enjoy trying to talk about the arts in the future while getting offended that people offer more than just ovation and applause and apply intellectual criticism to modern works. I'm sure this isn't the only time you try to lecture someone to be quiet and turn the brain off.

Good night.

Updated On: 6/10/19 at 02:42 AM

[Show2n]

Posted: 6/10/19 at 2:54am

I thought Kristin might mention that she played Ado Annie in College. She gave KMK a standing O. 

[Itonlytakesajourney]

Posted: 6/10/19 at 3:02am

Even ignoring the troubling aspects of Tootsie, that performance did absolutely nothing for me. It was just corny, and not in the endearing, classic way, but in the “oh, this is just outdated” kind of way. To me it feels like it’s trying too hard to emulate a golden age comedy- without any of the charm to pull it off. Hadestown, Choir Boy, and Kiss Me Kate were all great, and The Prom was quite good too. Hokey lyrics aside, the show has a lot of heart, and it shows.

Corden was alright, but I found the comedy lacking this year. Some of the bits were funny. Most of the ceremony felt disingenuous and fairly boring. Nothing was outright bad, just middling for most of the evening.

[bear88]

Posted: 6/10/19 at 4:05am

As usual, it's a little different to watch the telecast when you've seen the shows. A few thoughts:

- Ephraim Sykes may have been trying too hard in the Ain't Too Proud performance, which suffered at first from him getting too caught up in extra dance moves to sing. He was my favorite performer in the show when I saw it at the Berkeley Rep, and I also enjoyed the choreography. So I'm not complaining that it won in that category. (I didn't see Kiss Me, Kate so I can't compare.)

- The Tootsie performance was OK, but the problem there is simply that the song isn't one of the better ones. Santino Fontana's character has no good songs. 

- The Beetlejuice performance was amusing with its rewritten lyrics, but I'm not sure it changed many minds. (I didn't see it.)

- The Choir Boy performance and description both made me more interested in seeing the show if it tours regionally.

- Oklahoma! managed to pull off the always-tricky medley, featuring its two standout performers and going for the rousing/funny instead of the beautiful or disturbing. As a marketing decision, that makes sense. More tourists are going to be in for a surprise.

- The Prom also pulled off a medley and made Tootsie seem staid and dull by comparison. They're not trying to hide the ball from anyone who might be turned off by a teen lesbian romance. In fact, the telecast made it seem steamier and emphasized it more than happens on stage. Then again, the producers don't have much to lose. The show isn't doing well but already is going to be made into some sort of movie.

- I am curious about the reactions to the Hadestown performance from people who haven't seen it. I'm not sure it was the right choice or one that plays as well on television as in the theater, but it does convey some of the ambience and atmosphere of the show. It was a bit weird to see Patrick Page and Amber Gray on stage and then exit without saying a word. (I understand why they didn't use Wait For Me II, which gives away too much of the story.)

 - Kiss Me, Kate played to what I understand are its strengths.

 - The Cher Show performance did not make me regret missing it, and to be honest, made me wonder if Eva Noblezada should have won in that category. 

Overall, the telecast was flat, bland but insular (which made me laugh at Bryan Cranston's opening line). 

I was expecting Hadestown to win and was relieved it did. At least the best musical won. 

[BentleyB]

Posted: 6/10/19 at 5:51am

disneybroadwayfan22 said: "Fighting slumber as I write this, so forgive any typos:

-Can not be any happier with the winners: Celia, Andre,Stephanieand Bertie (He deserved it so much for Matilda!) finally get their Tonys. I love Santino (AHHH BABY GIRL!!!)and oh my gosh, Ali! You make us, the disability community, proud! My college self needed you so bad after I was convinced I could never be a theatre or acting major.

That be said,I get why Ali waited in backstage for her Tony, but her not to be up there with her co-stars (I saw Mary and Damion)and the team for Oklahoma’s win is infuriating

-So annoyed with Hadestown's performance. Love the Reese and Andre attention, but I'm so mad Eva didn't sing Wait for Me when she could easily do the reprise.

-Agreed about Cher Show and the BMC bit. George, who deserved a nom, could have easily done Michael in the Bathroom and still get his recognition. A treat to have Sara and Josh sing it though. Cher Show was nothing, but a costume show.

-I couldn't help, but think Daniel should have won Best Direction. Rachel's direction was sublime, but she deserved it for GC. Daniel recreated OK, a classic show, completely.

-So disappointed ATP won Best Cherography. It looks good, but "Darn Hot" is one of the best dance numbers I've seen on Broadway."

We sat next to Ali’s mother (who was so fun to sit by and so proud) she told us the could not make the stage accessible and really tired very hard to do so.  

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/10/19 at 5:55am

Isnt that illegal? I thought there HAD to be equal access.

[BentleyB]

Posted: 6/10/19 at 6:01am

Apparently it’s not to go from the audience seating directly to the stage.  

[magictodo123]

Posted: 6/10/19 at 6:30am

BOM said: "The amount of people calling Tootsie transphobic is kind of jarring. I’ll admit the Tony performance wasn’t great, but that’s not indicative of Santino’s performance as a whole."

I was discussing this with someone last night and I fully agree. They are very supportive of Santino and his career, and have been for years. To see someone whose career you've admired and supported for years finally win a Tony is something to be happy about! You can acknowledge the shows problematic aspects while still being happy for the actor, not the show. 

[John Adams]

Posted: 6/10/19 at 7:34am

RE: comments about Kristin Chenoweth's physical appearance - she's perfectly lovely. 

For me, if there was a 'standout' worthy of mention regarding physical appearance it was Elaine May. She looks fantastic. I loved her acceptance speech; especially her comment about Lucas Hedges, "watching from the wings I thought, 'I'm gonna win this guy's Tony'".

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 6/10/19 at 7:44am

Personally, the show fell flat to me, but I will continue to watch every year. For me, the lack of surprises in winners made the show less exciting. Any interest in Hadestown I had before the show is gone. It came across as a boring slog. Although, not sure what show came of as the best.

One thing I can say is the opening number was long as f. Also, the sound seemed weird to me, so I missed a lot of the lyrics. Those bits with James and the audience were a bit boring as well. I was hoping Patti LuPone popped up and aired any displeasure with Andrew Lloyd Webber!

[John Adams]

Posted: 6/10/19 at 7:58am

I hate the way nominated plays get short-shrift every year.

Years ago, the telecasts used to include representations of the plays as equally as they do the nominated musicals. This year, especially, I REALLY wanted to see snippets from Network, To Kill a Mockingbird, and all of the nominated plays. They could have been recorded in their theaters, and shown during the telecast (like they did for King Kong).

This season, the plays were so, SO much more interesting than the musicals. Their exclusion from the telecast points up how the Tonys telecast has become less about honoring the award worthy shows, and more about being one big TV commercial to promote the shows that can generate revenue. 

What dummy made the decision that musicals are the ONLY shows worth seeing on Broadway (and consequently the only shows that get TV exposure)?

[massofmen]

Posted: 6/10/19 at 8:49am

i think the issue is that you have theatrical directors directing for TV and they either don't know how to do it or aren't in communication with the Director of the telecast. 

So are the actors acting for Radio City or the small tv camera? NPH knew how to do it perfectly. When you see the lead girl from OKlahoma have the biggest face, mouth expression, you realize that the actors have no idea what to do and its not their fault as their directors have no idea what to do. 
 

Also the direction of the whole thing was bad. MASSIVE dance numbers are happening and we are watching close ups of James corden..then vice versa. Its a shoddy tv show because there is also almost no rehearsal. Which is the fault of the producers and CBS not wanting to put more money into the show. Actors get there early yesterday morning, do ONE run through and thats it. 

Until broadway USES all that money from the massive profits they are making to make a better tony's they are going to keep seeing ratings fall flat (i predict these ratings will be pretty bad)

Also...again. Mr. fontana could't be more boring up there. What a bland year for leading men on broadway. 

[MadsonMelo]

Posted: 6/10/19 at 9:12am

Funny that so many thought it was boring, as I watched with two friends, we didn't mind!

Corden was forgettable tho, the loser face and fight skits were good - not great. the host big was very good tho.

The winners were predictable, but they were very well deserved!

Elaine May and Stephanie J. Block MADE MY NIGHT! And I loved that Boys in the Band also won!

Santino, Ali, Celia, André, all really great actors with great performances!

Hadestown won 8 Tonys, it was their night and I really liked the performance, but Reeve doesn't seems great!

Tootsie was good, Beetlejuice was better but don't know the future for both productions!

KMK did that number again, well, good too!

Oklahoma! was AMAZING, really wish I could see the production!

The lesbian kiss made the number from The Prom very special!

Don't care about the mess of Cher Show's number, sooooo campy!

 

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 6/10/19 at 9:20am

I tried listening to the Tootsie OBCR on Friday and could only made it through the first act. There's just something about the score that I dislike. The showcase didn't really make me think that I was missing out.

I actually love that Hadestown chose "Wait for Me," although I think "Wait for Me II" would have been better (I mean, can you really spoil the myth of Eurydice and Orpheus?) I want to see the show more after that performance, although since I already wanted to see it I'm not sure I'm the type of person they were going for. I thought that the number did show off the staging, which I didn't know was so cool.

I've started disliking James Corden recently and his hosting last night did nothing to change my feelings.

[Sauja]

Posted: 6/10/19 at 9:22am

I'm a bit surprised by all the love for the Beetlejuice performance, BUT I wasn't a fan of the show, so it might just be sour grapes on my part. 

 

I thought Ain't Too Proud struggled a bit, particularly Sykes--an outstanding performed who seemed to just be a touch off. It made me think about how hard Tony day/week is for these performers who have been up for 15 or so hours before the show starts and had an eight show week AND had rehearsals. Not to mention that the first performance slot is likely the toughest coming right out of the opening. I didn't think he was bad or the number was bad--I think it just wasn't the best it's been.

 

For me, Hadestown and Oklahoma had the best performances. The Prom was sweet. Choir Boy was wonderful but some of the step sound felt like it got swallowed up by the giant hall. Kiss Me Kate was enjoyable. But all in all, not a great Tonys. Something seemed to be missing, and I can't put my finger on it. 

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 6/10/19 at 9:29am

magictodo123 said: "I was discussing this with someone last night and I fully agree. They are very supportive of Santino and his career, and have been for years. To see someone whose career you've admired and supported for years finally win a Tony is something to be happy about! You can acknowledge the shows problematic aspects while still being happy for the actor, not the show."

To play the other side of this sentiment (and to use another Tony example), I’m not happy that Jonathan Pryce won a Tony Award for playing an Asian character, which deprived someone of Asian descent winning a Tony and gaining fame through playing a lead role on Broadway in a huge hit. Also, name one Asian man who has ever won an acting Tony in a musical (guess what, you can’t because there are no Asian male musical Tony winners). Can I still be a fan of Jonathan Pryce? Sure. But this doesn’t mean I will ever agree that he was appropriately cast in the show, let alone deserved a Tony Award for it. I think an actor is responsible for the character they’re portraying, and if it’s problematic, it needs to be addressed way before giving out awards. Given the tone and pointedness of the show in question, the people who are complaining have a point worth hearing and not instantly dismissed.

[raddersons]

Posted: 6/10/19 at 9:32am

dramamama611 said: "Isnt that illegal? I thought there HAD to be equal access."

ADA laws only require ADA compliant spaces for new construction or gut renovations. Radio City's been around much longer than ADA has existed.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 6/10/19 at 9:43am

Rewatched The Cher Show performance and it was really poorly shot. The camera angles we're all over the place. The number was a mash-up of the Finale and the fashion show. But the direction didn't really let you see all the costumes, just odd close ups of the three Cheers and then weirdly panning way out as if they were shooting from the last row of the balcony. It was still a good number, just poorly shot. Block winning right after should help sell tickets.

[magictodo123]

Posted: 6/10/19 at 9:54am

HeyMrMusic said: "magictodo123 said: "Iwas discussing this with someone last night and I fully agree. They are very supportive of Santino and his career, and have been for years. To see someone whose career you've admired and supported for years finally win a Tony is something to be happy about! You can acknowledge the shows problematic aspects while still being happy for the actor, not the show."

To play the other side of this sentiment (and to use another Tony example), I’m not happy that Jonathan Pryce won a Tony Award for playing an Asian character, whichdeprived someone of Asian descent winning a Tony and gaining fame through playing a lead role on Broadway in a huge hit. Also, name one Asian man who has ever won an actingTony in a musical (guess what, you can’t because there are no Asian male musical Tony winners). Can I still be a fan of Jonathan Pryce? Sure. But this doesn’t mean I will ever agree that he was appropriately cast in the show, let alone deserved a Tony Award for it. I think an actor is responsible for the character they’re portraying, and if it’s problematic, it needs to be addressed way before giving out awards. Given the tone and pointedness of the show in question, the people who are complaining have a point worth hearing and not instantly dismissed."

I would never dismiss them! But what puzzles me is given how problematic the show is, it has been shockingly quiet. Aside from pulling their merchandise, they haven't said anything to address the outrage that the show has caused. That's what really puzzles me. 

[Owen22]

Posted: 6/10/19 at 10:01am

TooTiredForThis said: "So, something hit me that hadn't hit me other times I've seen Stroker perform from Oklahoma! while watching. How do they handle this new sexually liberated Ado Annie when she does end up with Will, who doesn't like her ways, and she settles? How can they end that in a way done well that doesn't feel like it's shaming that liberation, whereas before it was something that made her feel insecure.

I'm seeing it in a month and really enjoyed this performance I just don't know how that would resolve. "

Rodgers and Hammerstein's took care of that problem years ago. It's called All or Nuthin'.

[ArtMan]

Posted: 6/10/19 at 10:02am

raddersons said: "dramamama611 said: "Isnt that illegal? I thought there HAD to be equal access."

ADA laws only require ADA compliant spaces for new construction or gut renovations. Radio City's been around much longer than ADA has existed."

Sorry, that isn't true.  Compliance with ADA also requires existing facilities to comply also.  It gets more complicated and the building has to meet many requirements/points before they are forced to make changes.  Radio City Music Hall may have easily been such a case where making changes were not required.  But to say it is only new construction or gut renovations is not true.