Are Tony Award Numbers Really Live?

[ggersten]

Posted: 7/31/08 at 9:03am

I'm curious, since the nominated performers seem to be in the audience dressed to the nines and beautifully coiffed, then they're on stage in hair/costume/makeup, then they're back in the audience, dressed to the nines and hair back in place. In particular, I'm thinking of Laura Benanti on this year's telecast or of Idina Menzel in Wicked (Does green really come off so easily?) I always assumed the numbers are live - and if so, then there are some amazing unsung dressers/hair persons helping out.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 7/31/08 at 9:16am

Yes, they're live, and the dressers/make up people that work on the telecast are incredible.

The best example is the year Kristin Chenoweth was nominated (and won) for YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN.

She had to give her performance in her Sally Brown costume and wig, and immediately following the performance was the announcement of her category.

Her name was called as the winner and she came out from backstage and made a comment at the start of her speech about how that was the quickest change she had made in her life.

[candydog2]

Posted: 7/31/08 at 9:56am

Yeah, they're live. It'd be pretty ironic if performances in an award ceremony for live entertainment were pre-recorded!

[Gothampc]

Posted: 7/31/08 at 9:58am

There have been a couple in the past that have been pre-recorded. Several years ago, Aspects of Love turned in a pre-recorded performance.

Also, there have been some performers that have lip-synched.

[Mamie]

Posted: 7/31/08 at 10:01am

If you ever have a chance to go to the rehearsals held that morning, you get to see them working on adapting the performances to the Radio City stage. At the same time, the camera people are working on where to place the cameras during the performances. They have highly detailed notes on which camera to use, where to aim it, when to draw back for full stage shots, when and were to zoom in for closeups. Sometimes the performers will have to repeat their performances 3 or more times - just so the cameras will be ready for the best shots that night, when they really do perform it live.

[skb2010]

Posted: 7/31/08 at 11:21am

They are live, but delayed by like 10 seconds because if someone swears or something, they can bleep it out.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 7/31/08 at 11:33am

Oh, skb2010 -- your naivete' is showing.

Its a 7-second delay which not ALL shows use. The Tony Awards being one of them.

[TheaterBaby]

Posted: 7/31/08 at 11:42am

Wanna Be A Foster, yes. But also Kristin has said that it was not her real hair when she accepted. lol She actually had the hair people make her a wig that looked like her own hair so she could just switch wigs. Otherwise she could have never made it THAT quickley.

More proof that the performances are live: That same year, Bernadette Peters accepted her Best Actress Award still in costume because she had just performed before her category.

[DrewBill]

Posted: 7/31/08 at 11:50am

I believe that back in the 1980s there were a few taped performances for really big shows that couldn't be easily moved to the Tony show venue. I'm pretty sure the "Cats" performance was taped in the Winter Garden, and I could be wrong, but I think "Miss Saigon" was also taped in its own theater.

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 7/31/08 at 12:01pm

"Wanna Be A Foster, yes. But also Kristin has said that it was not her real hair when she accepted. lol She actually had the hair people make her a wig that looked like her own hair so she could just switch wigs. Otherwise she could have never made it THAT quickley."

I think it was on Seth's Broadway Chatterbox that she said she used her old Steel Pier wig.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 7/31/08 at 12:06pm

Betty Buckley performing "Memory" from CATS was indeed prerecorded at the Winter Garden Theatre and MISS SAIGON started their segment with a montage of scenes from the show (pre-recorded at the Broadway Theatre) then went 'live' with Jonathan Pryce and ensemble performing "The American Dream" on the Tony Awards stage.


Betty Buckley singing "Memory" at Tony Awards: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxMSdEJ5RxY


Jonathan Pryce and Broadway cast show montage/"The American Dream" at Tony Awards: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aD3mcFGTGg&feature=related

[JBSinger]

Posted: 7/31/08 at 12:09pm

back in the 1988 Tony's, selections of both Into the Woods and Phantom were both clearly taped. ITW started with a montage sequence to the title song and then we go live to Phylicia Rashad and cast singing 'Children will listen".
Phantom started with its title song, into Sarah singing about 16 bars as a lead-in to a Live "Music of the night". she might have been live too, but the opening section wasn't.
Miss Saigon did a montage sequence and then to an apparantly live "American Dream."

I just wish they'd go back into a theatre instead of Radio City. when i watch the recordings of earlier broadcasts, it just seems more intimate. no one watches but us anyway, so get out of Radio City.

[defyingravity07]

Posted: 7/31/08 at 12:17pm

I belive Phantom was live. The TONYS were filmed at the Majestic that year makeing it easier for them to do a fully staged song.

[StageManager2]

Posted: 7/31/08 at 12:27pm

I seem to remember parts of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST were pre-recorded/filmed.

[winston89]

Posted: 7/31/08 at 12:28pm

The Tonys were not at The Majestic when Phantom won. If you watched the video of Crawford getting his Tony and giving his speech, you can see that the inside of the theatre is The Minskoff not The Majestic.

[gypsy4]

Posted: 7/31/08 at 12:29pm

yes they are live there were some performances in the past when where some of the stars voices have cracked because they are nervous but I think some of the performance from the secret garden was recorded.
Updated On: 7/31/08 at 12:29 PM

[[tos]fan999]

Posted: 7/31/08 at 12:40pm

I never have gotten a straight answer on this, but did Patti lip sync for Evita? I've seen people have YouTube arguments about this, but I've never really gotten an answer.

[scaryclowns223]

Posted: 7/31/08 at 1:54pm

Its live, and the principals are singing live. Ensemble members, however, pre-record their voices for the telecast.

It's in one of the Playbill Q&A columns...

[skb2010]

Posted: 7/31/08 at 2:08pm

Oh, skb2010 -- your naivete' is showing.

Its a 7-second delay which not ALL shows use. The Tony Awards being one of them.


Excuse me then. 7 seconds. I'm not naive. I was mistaken.

Updated On: 7/31/08 at 02:08 PM

[esparza 333]

Posted: 7/31/08 at 2:43pm

If i am not mistaken Lachanze came out pretty fast the year she won.

[Act4ever]

Posted: 7/31/08 at 2:51pm

They have dressers backstage for quick changes. Cheno had to do one after her YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN performance. She talks about it in an interview or her speech or something. But yeah, head-to-toe quick change into Tony dress.

[TheatreFreak05]

Posted: 7/31/08 at 3:32pm

I think this is a pre-recorded montage, and than a live performance at the end for the Secret Garden.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBPbDwvN374

[fanadu1996]

Posted: 7/31/08 at 5:01pm

i was at the tonys this year, rehearsal and actual show and ALL songs are prerecorded, as far as the ensemble goes, but leads sing.

[WestVillage]

Posted: 7/31/08 at 5:22pm

Years ago, Coco's segment was pre-recorded, even though the Tony's were held at the Mark Hellinger, where Coco was playing. I was in attendance, and vividly remember watching the Coco sequence on screen. Hepburn didn't even attend that year.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 7/31/08 at 5:34pm

[tos]fan, I was going to ask about Patti singing "A New Argentina," too.