Circle of Life to open Tonys- Page 2

[blaxx]

Posted: 5/29/08 at 7:55pm

Not much else can happen. The awards barely have any ratings, no one wants to pay to make it a four hour long telecast to try to fit in every show there is.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 5/29/08 at 7:55pm

*rolls eyes*

What a waste of Whoopi's genius talent.

[chris d]

Posted: 5/29/08 at 7:59pm

You guys give jaded show queens a bad name.


quoted for truth.

[blaxx]

Posted: 5/29/08 at 8:00pm

Whoopi?

The waste here is that we have an lauded production of one of the best musicals ever written, an excellent (and first) revival of an R&H classic, a visually impressive Sondheim, a witty musical that managed to succesfuly do a stage version of a flawed film, and two brand new musicals that gathered praise for their content and originality - and for the grand opening of the one night that celebrates all this we get:

THE

CIRCLE

OF

*^%$#@

[Trekkie2]

Posted: 5/29/08 at 8:00pm

It could b worse. I'm still worried that after Seasons Of Love, Idina will throw on some green make-up, hoist herself to a crane and belt "Defying Gravity."

[Anakela]

Posted: 5/29/08 at 8:49pm

It could b worse. I'm still worried that after Seasons Of Love, Idina will throw on some green make-up, hoist herself to a crane and belt "Defying Gravity."

Lulz. Or they could always bring back performances from the casts of Jersey Boys and The Color Purple for the third year in a row.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 5/29/08 at 11:23pm

It could be a lot worse. They could have Mario Lopez & Britney Spears do a medley from A Chorus Line & Grease.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 5/29/08 at 11:57pm

Hey Remember Sondheim, He's getting an award so we can hope for first class Actors/Singers to represent.
F8ck the TV viewers.
It's us Theatre Geeks nite.

[scaryclowns223]

Posted: 5/30/08 at 12:02am

Can you imagine a Sondheim medley in his honor?

Oh, that makes me smile inside.

Daniel Evans and Jenna Russell
Raul Esparza
Michael Cerveris
Patti Lupone

All performing snippets of Sondheim from their recent revivals in Stevie's honor.
Oh dear, that would be swell.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 5/30/08 at 12:06am

The problem is that apparently we theatre geeks alone are not enough to keep the Tonys on the air. We need those TV viewers.

[rgaywrites]

Posted: 5/30/08 at 1:19am

Very little about the Tony broadcast and its mediocrity could surprise me but this is the most baffling thing I've ever heard. Let me just get in my way back machine and set phasers on stun. With all exciting the shows on Broadway right now, wow. Just wow.

[choitoy]

Posted: 5/30/08 at 1:52am

"The Circle of Life" was a thrilling performance...The FIRST time I saw it on the Tony Awards. Now it's kinda meh... Wasn't there any other number that the TV audience (which includes me) could sit through?

Anyway, with this confirmed for the opening, there goes my idea of how to open the show with Whoopi:
I noticed when Whoopi was announced as the host, that her name (Whoopi Goldberg) has nearly same number of syllables as "Bloody Mary" (I guess you could stretch it).

So why not open the show with a bunch of shirtless SeaBees rushing on stage singing "Whoopi Goldberg is the girl I love"?

Hey, it seemed to work in my head...

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 5/30/08 at 4:16am

In a way I am pleased they are opening up the telecast to include numbers from established long running shows.

The opening number has to be something familiar, popular, and dynamic.

So...if not not "Circle of Life" what song would you select bearing in mind the abovie criteria.

Updated On: 5/30/08 at 04:16 AM

[goldenstate5]

Posted: 5/30/08 at 4:40am

Well, with the original musicals AND the revivals being slightly obscure (in other words, this ain't 2004) this'll do.

Keep in mind, they want RATINGS. Anything to lure the viewer in...

[joe5]

Posted: 5/30/08 at 8:45am

Well most likely they will be up against the NBA Finals for ratings. And I will be torn between them both. If it's Boston vs LA.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 5/30/08 at 8:51am

Hey Remember Sondheim, He's getting an award

Are you kidding? Sondheim's award is going to be presented BEFORE THE SHOW, and TV viewers are going to get nothing but a five second snippet of it. That's the level of respect shown to the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.

[EponineAmneris]

Posted: 5/30/08 at 9:00am

Great news

It is so breathtaking and inspirational

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/30/08 at 9:30am

Screw all you guys. I love the opening of The Lion King! It is one of my fondest musical theatre memories. I remember when just the opening number alone would receive a standing ovation. And personally, I like it better than anything Young Frankenstein, A Catered Affair or The Little Mermaid has to offer (except maybe She's in Love, but Circle of Life is still better), so I'm thrilled. I have never tired of the number and look forward to seeing it again.

And to all the bitter queens out there...while that gloarious opening is being broadcast, go listen to 5 minutes of Follies and then come back to the TV. You can use that time to start preparing for being bitter about something else for next year's broadcast. It's always something.

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 5/30/08 at 9:51am

As I said on another board, the Tonys are about the 2007-2008 Broadway season, NOT a rehash of ten-year-old shows (whatever their respective merits) and NOT a show that's never been on Broadway EVER. Looking at it from another perspective, if they start with a ten-year-old show, those out-of-towners whose decisions as to what show they'll be seeing when in NYC, could be put off because they'll feel, "Oh, I saw that eight years ago, I guess there's nothing new that's any good, guess I'll go back to the football game (or whatever sports event is airing at the same time)." Doing an old number right off the top is going to make the ever-decreasing viewer audience become all that much smaller. Show them something new and eye-catching and they may stick to the Tonys.

Updated On: 5/30/08 at 09:51 AM

[Kermit1103]

Posted: 5/30/08 at 10:25am

Or, us "out-of-towners" could say "Wow, because we saw the original Tony performance of Circle of Life,we decided to go to NYC and see the show and because of the experience, now go 2 or 3 times a year just to go to shows and encourage everyone we know to do the same. If that is what it takes to keep the show on the air so we "out-of-towners" who can't get to the Tony's every year can see it, so what. Don't like it? - watch something else for the first 5 minutes of the show.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/30/08 at 11:09am

As I said on another board, the Tonys are about the 2007-2008 Broadway season, NOT a rehash of ten-year-old shows (whatever their respective merits) and NOT a show that's never been on Broadway EVER.

That's one way to look at it. Or you could say it is a celebration of theatre; past, present and future. Considering the majority of the country probably can't hop on a plane and spend $100+ per ticket to a show as well as $300/night for a hotel plus other expenses, why not reach out to them with something they may be able to recognize and experience in their own town or nearby city? This is a smart move. The purists may not like it, but guess what? The national broadcast is not really about the purists and the hardcore musical-theatre queens. It's about reaching out to the bread-and-butter of Broadway, which are the tourists. My only regret is that they no longer perform from the plays any more.

Doing an old number right off the top is going to make the ever-decreasing viewer audience become all that much smaller. Show them something new and eye-catching and they may stick to the Tonys.

OR...stick with what works. Revivals wouldn't exist if we didn't revisit popular favorites. There's something to be said for the familiar.

[jewelchk]

Posted: 5/30/08 at 11:46am

TooDarnHot, Cry-Baby performed that at the MTC Gala, so I think it's fair to expect they will do it at the Tony's too. Having not seen the show and having only read the reviews, it did make the show seem fun and high energy so it's a good choice for them.

The Lion King thing makes sense since Whoopie was a voice in the movie, and honestly, the new musical performances medley they did at the Gala were on the whole not terribly exciting when taken all together. Not to say it wasn't good, but Cry-Baby was the closest to electrifying of the shows that did perform, and based on that alone I can understand wanting to put in some old crowd-pleasing numbers for ratings purposes...

[Brave Sir Robin2]

Posted: 5/30/08 at 7:56pm

They could have opened with "Under The Sea." Hey, it is nominated for Best Score and is new this year.