Cast of Neil Patrick Harris-Led COMPANY to Perform on Tony Awards Telecast!- Page 2

[wonkit]

Posted: 6/2/11 at 2:16pm

"This is the most exciting thing that's happened to the Tony awards in decades."

A good summary of the problem, I think.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/2/11 at 2:17pm

I really wish there was a way to showcase the plays better.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/2/11 at 2:18pm

Which number from Legally Blonde will be performed?

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 6/2/11 at 3:03pm

I don't think there are many stand-alone moments from plays that could be performed on the Tony telecast without making everyone very uncomfortable.

They used to perform short selections from the plays though...I remember seeing a scene from Proof on the telecast a number of years ago. It's no more or less awkward than isolating a musical number from the nominated musicals, I think.

[walkedthroughmany]

Posted: 6/2/11 at 3:09pm

Songs generally have a beginning, middle, and end. Snippets from plays...not so much. I completely agree that plays should have their place on the broadcast, but I have no idea how they'd do it.

[pinoyidol2006]

Posted: 6/2/11 at 3:13pm

I don't know. I feel musicals numbers have a better ability to stand alone than scenes/moments from plays. Some musical numbers can be viewed as performers simply singing and dancing. That is, very little context of the show is needed. Usually, just a brief one to two-sentence synopsis can be enough to introduce a number.

Performing a selection from a play has a lot more complications to it since it's gonna be performed out of context. It's not gonna be as easy as when the Oscars show a five second clip of a film with one or two lines in it.

[best12bars]

Posted: 6/2/11 at 3:41pm

I think scenes can be done from plays quite effectively. One of my favorite moments on any Tony telecast in history is the Maggie Smith/Margaret Tyzack scene from "Lettice & Lovage."

They have to be edited down, just like musical numbers do. I don't think it worked in all cases ... some plays they featured looked downright silly (and unintentionally so). That's probably why they stopped featuring them. Too much work for mixed results and not enough payoff (either on the broadcast or at the box office).

As far as showing Company, it's a mistake. That isn't a Broadway production of the show, and that's what the Tony Awards are (supposedly) about. Next they'll start showing the Hollywood Bowl version of some show, because it has a high profile cast.

This decision is solely for ratings, not because it's showcasing the best of Broadway. It isn't even Broadway.

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 6/2/11 at 4:06pm

Colbert and Neil Patrick Harris can potentially bring large TV audiences to a broadcast that is perennially in danger of being canceled.

They won't and it's not.

I think it's much more fitting than having SPIDER-MAN or PRISCILLA on. It's certainly interesting how that rule has gone out the window.

HOW in any sense of the word is a concert of a show who's last revival closed 4 years "more fitting" than shows that opened this season? I choose to include Spider-Man because damn, why the hell not it's been playing long enough.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 6/2/11 at 4:31pm

The best-ever Tony snippet from a play was when Maggie Smith and Margaret Tyzack performed this scene from Lettice and Lovage.

http://youtu.be/LDRyHYDH7xI

And they BOTH won Tonys for it! Maggie for best actress and Margaret for best featured.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/2/11 at 4:53pm

Stopping the showcasing of plays just because some of the scenes didn't come off well was ridiculous. How many musical numbers over the years have come off horribly?

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 6/2/11 at 4:58pm

22

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/2/11 at 5:03pm

[pinoyidol2006]

Posted: 6/2/11 at 5:16pm

Yeah, but for most people a "Broadway show" is pretty much synonymous with a musical. That's why musical numbers will most likely be featured in every Tony Awards ceremony no matter how many failed musical numbers there have been in the past.

[James885]

Posted: 6/2/11 at 5:19pm

I would rather see a number from one of the other shows that opened on Broadway. I guess Colbert's presence qualifies it as a ratings grabber, but no one who isn't already a theater fan is going to sit through the Tony telecast just to watch Colbert for for minutes when they can easily youtube it the next day.

It's a shame that once again, straight plays are being given the shaft on the Tonys.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 6/2/11 at 5:54pm

This is Broadway enough for me.

You should all be grateful it isn't the cast of Glee performing a medley from Company.

[sabrelady]

Posted: 6/2/11 at 6:13pm

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


Whut PJ say'd.

[best12bars]

Posted: 6/2/11 at 6:45pm

"Coming up next ... Lady Gaga sings The Worst Pies in London!"

[pinoyidol2006]

Posted: 6/2/11 at 7:34pm

Is that supposed to be a double entendre?

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 6/2/11 at 9:52pm

I'm happy Company gets to perform on the Tony Awards. But this also blows all the complaints about Spider-Man or Priscilla getting to perform out of the water. Take one, take them all.