Posted: 3/28/16 at 11:23pm
Matilda, Aladdin, and The Book of Mormon's are a few of my favorite Tony performances. Well, from this decade at least. As for worst, I don't think it was necessarily "the worst" or even that bad, but I was very underwhelmed by A Christmas Story's performance. Fun little show, but it just didn't pop at the Tonys for me.
Posted: 3/29/16 at 12:52am
One that delighted me in recent years was A Christmas Story. I hadn't seen the show or heard the score and kind of dismissed it as the original film is a favorite of my family's. But that number was so fun with those tapping kids and Caroline O'Connor serving it up.
Posted: 3/29/16 at 1:02am
The best performance of at least the last five years has to be Fun Home. Most shows make the mistake of trying to fit too much into a four-minute time slot, either by creating a jumbled medley or by drastically cutting a much longer number so that it doesn't really work anyway. Meanwhile, this performance was simple and beautifully performed, so it really stood out against everything else on the show. It's an example more producers should look to when picking a number for the Tonys- don't work so hard to show your production off.
Posted: 3/29/16 at 2:44am
I really loved the performances from Matilda, Fun Home, Book of Mormon, Annie 1997 revival, Beautiful, and Billy Elliot to name a few.
the strangest and least enjoyable performance for me was Finding Neverland from 2014 before it even opened in Boston. I remember being utterly confused by it and didn't make me interested in the show at all. The legally blonde performance was a disappointment as well because I love the show so much and I knew Becky could have done better. Im not a fan of Kinky Boots but they could have picked a much better number to showcase the show instead the picked a really random filler song. Im not my fathers son could have really been good. It would have showed more of the depth of the show.
Updated On: 3/29/16 at 02:44 AM
Posted: 3/29/16 at 3:14am
FINDING NEVERLAND's Jennifer Hudson performance actually may get my vote for worst as well.
Posted: 3/29/16 at 3:33am
I really can't describe the 1970 number of Kate Hepburn as 'Coco" as the worst, but's fascinating in a roadkill "bad" kind of way.
Posted: 3/29/16 at 8:06am
How about Robert Lindsay's performance doing The Lambeth Walk for 'Me and My Girl'? It often gets overlooked because that was the year of Les Miz, but I thought it was pretty cool.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oimHJCURbo
Posted: 3/29/16 at 8:07am
I actually really love Finding Neverland (I know, I know), but that Jennifer Hudson performance was super terrible.
Posted: 3/29/16 at 8:12am
Let's not forget Lea Michelle screaming her way through Don't rain on my parade. I found it incredible awkward.
Posted: 3/29/16 at 8:13am
Jeffrey Karasarides said: "My Least Favorite: A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder-I just never got what people were singing their praises about. I may have found the show itself to have been extremely overhyped, but I thought the number they did on the Tonys worked much better in context of the show."
I thought it was a terrific performance and it made me but the recording. Too bad I thought it was the best song in the show.
Posted: 3/29/16 at 9:55am
Mr. Nowack said: "FINDING NEVERLAND's Jennifer Hudson performance actually may get my vote for worst as well.
"
I actually forgot about this one...so I just had to re-watch it. OK..enough said.
That said, it was Interesting to see little Alex Dreier so many years ago - such a tiny Michael at the beginning who's still with the show, now playing Peter in rotation with 2 other boys at this time.
Posted: 3/29/16 at 11:44am
Some of my favorites (not necessarily best, just ones I really enjoy):
Dreamgirls - Jennifer Holliday; you can't not love this performance!
Anything Goes - Sutton Foster; was never a fan of Sutton before this, but she is absolutely BEAMING in this performance and her dancing is spectacular.
42nd Street - 2001 revival I'm a sucker for those pre-taped performances, especially if they involve the subway
A Chorus Line - OBC; no explanation required.
Fun Home - This performance instantly made me book a trip to NY and buy tickets to the show. Sadly, I ended up thinking the show suffered of severe over-hype (not the show's fault), but this number did everything a Tony performance should do
Next to Normal - Alice Ripley is pure fire in this performance
Ragtime - OBC I get chills everytime the triangle formation begins, also special shout out to Christiane Noll's performance that was terribly mistreated and cutoff at the 2010 Tony's.
If/Then - Performance did a beautifu job of showing how much emotion and power you can convey without a ridiculous amount of glitz and setpieces.
Some I thought fizzled and died: Xanadu, aside from Cheyenne Jackson in those shorts, it did nothing to make me want to see this show, have seen it since and enjoyed but I don't think that was the right song/moment to highlight for the show. Legally Blonde, enough has been said about this performance. Cabaret, most recent revival of the revival just made Alan's performance of Willkommen tired and boring, the song had already been performed TWICE at the Tony's. It's beyond me why they didn't chose to highlight a different song.
Posted: 4/4/16 at 2:01am
Some of the best: My One and Only (does it get any more stunning than Twiggy?); Will Rogers Follies; Fun Home; Grand Hotel (Michael Jeter indeed!); Steel Pier; and definitely Donna M. and Co. in Promises, Promises.
Updated On: 4/4/16 at 02:01 AM
Posted: 4/4/16 at 8:42am
Best:
Fun Home
Sunday in the Park with George
Grand Hotel
Nine
Hedwig
Worst:
Finding Neverland (just dreadful)
Wicked
Guys and Dolls (2009)
Finding Neverland promotional performance (?!?!?!?)
Posted: 4/4/16 at 8:55am
My all-time favorite remains "Life Is" from the original company of ZORBA. Among its standout features: it's intact, and almost exactly as performed in the theater. It's still stirring, and one reason the Encores! production, despite its pleasures, seemed pale. The authenticity of milieu and Hal Prince's brilliant conceit of the cafe circle (abandoned now, for a strange generic start-up) make it unmatched. Anyone who hasn't seen it, should find it on YouTube.
Posted: 4/4/16 at 9:08am
Matilda should've performed the same medley the London cast performed at the Royal variety show. I felt like the performance they gave at the Tonys didn't convey the happiness the show has. I'm also a sucker for the swings.
Posted: 4/4/16 at 9:17am
My favorite Tony performance is Boy From Oz back in 2004. Hugh Jackman's performance as Peter Allen and his improv including Sarah Jessica Parker to dance live on stage without warning was classic!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie8UIP8DrNk
Other favorites: Secret Garden 1992 (practically told the entire story but loved John Cameron Mitchell as Dickon and Mandy Patinkin as Archibald Craven), Lion King 1998 (seeing the animals come alive in "Circle of Life" is classic), Avenue Q 2004, Wicked 2004 (boy 2004 was a great Bway year), Pippin 2013
One of the worst was Jane Eyre back in 2001. I personally loved the musical when I saw it but their Tony performance was meh. Loved Marla Schaffel's and James Barbour's voices though.
Posted: 4/4/16 at 9:29am
Even though it's not an an official show performance, Neil Patrick Harris's opening number from 2013 was by fat the greatest opening I've ever seen for an awards show.
Posted: 4/4/16 at 9:32am
Best ever: Michael Jeter from Grand Hotel. Followed by one of the most memorable acceptance speeches ever.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QUCt4t92Zs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhzsgp4lki8
Updated On: 4/4/16 at 09:32 AM
Posted: 4/4/16 at 12:24pm
Alex10 said: "I actually really love Finding Neverland (I know, I know), but that Jennifer Hudson performance was super terrible.
"
Really?!?!?! That standing ovation she got begs to differ, but to each it own
Posted: 4/4/16 at 12:27pm
I think Tonya Pinkins performance of Lot's wife is one of the most underrated greatest tony performances ever. And although she wasn't in the best vocal health that night (neither was idina) I felt she gave a performance that easily rivals Holliday's AITYING in terms of passion and pure gut busting heart wrenching roof raising power.
Posted: 4/4/16 at 12:31pm
Also the 2009 opening with the cast of Hair singing Let The Sunshine In, is by far my favorite Tony performance ever, I don't think the producers could ever capture that kind of magic again with all the great musicals of that year on stage all at one.
Posted: 4/4/16 at 12:40pm
Have to agree with most posters above...Patti in Evita and Gypsy, Jennifer in Dreamgirls, and I actually really loved Sutton in most of her Tony performances (but my favorite might be from Drowsy Chaperone as that show has such a special place in my heart!)
Posted: 4/4/16 at 1:00pm
The Wedding Singer's performance owned the 2006 Tony Awards.
Posted: 4/4/16 at 6:52pm
I feel On the Twenthieth Century was a little rough
