Favorite Tony Awards Performance and Moment

What is your favorite Tony Awards performance - and your favorite moment as well?

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Most Recently-
- Bernadette Peters outstanding rendition of Rose's Turn. When an actress can bring you to tears over a live telecast of an awards show than you know you are watching something special. It is by far the best Tony performance I have ever seen.

To Teacher of Theater

Thanks for bringing up the Michael Jeter number from Grand Hotel - definitely a high point

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Updated On: 11/17/03 at 08:06 PM

Imagine a set of DVD's of all the Tony highlights especially those from the Alexander Cohen era

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Yes, Bernadette and "Rose's Turn" last year had me staring at the TV with my mouth hanging open. The standing ovation she received at the end nearly brought me to tears.

Now I've only been watching the Tony Awards since 1999, so other than clips I've seen from past ceremonies, I can't really pick ones from way back when.
My favorites are:
~Bernadette (2003) singing (correction...acting the hell out of) Rose's Turn.
~Martin Short (1999) giving an old acceptance speech from The Goodbye Girl out of bitterness.
~Bernadette Peters and Gregory Hynes (2002) doing their New York tribute. lol it wasn't very good, but it was ammusing.
~Throughly Modern Millie's performance (2002)

*I'll think of more later

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The moment I saw this listed as a topic, one performance came to mind, and I was glad that some other people agree:
Bernadette Peters not only singing, but NAILING Rose's Turn at the 2003 Tony's blew me away. The only thing I could think of at the time was, "Wow, that was...wow."
In fact, I prefer that live version to the version on the cast recording.

These are good performances too but Bernadette's is definately on the top of my list. The rest are in no real order. I liked Urinetown's cast singing "Run Freedom Run" in 2002. I think Hunter did a great job with with it, I remember clearly being very impressed with him (this was before I saw the show). Plus the cast of Thoroughly Modern Millie wasn't bad either. But everything seems to pale in comparision to Bernadette's performance, I still go back sometimes and watch the tape of it and am still impressed.

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Michael Jeter in Grand Hotel. It wasn't my favorite show, but that little guy was absolutely INSPIRED. And a few minutes later when he accepted his Tony, his tearful speech about addiction and dreams was no act, but very effective. Rest in Peace, Michael.

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jcr279, I have very Tony awards since 1980 on tape, obviously including the year Falsettos was nominated.

They did, what I think was the only "successful medley" presentation I have ever seen on the Tony awards. Most often when a show does a medley it doesn't have the dramatic impact as a single thrilling focused performance.

Falsettos started with the opening number from Act 2 --

"Homosexual Women with Children (except on the Tonys for some reason they changed the opening lyric to : Screwy families, women with children)..........ex ex lovers and a teeny tiny band ........ come right in the welcome mat is on the floor, ........etc.

after "pretty boys are in demand" they went to Jason singing

"My father's a homo, my mothers not thrilled at all......etc"

then they cut to:

"We're sitting and watching Jason play baseball."

and ended with from that number

with Marvin singing to Whizzer:

"Would it be possible to see you or to kiss you or to give you a call?"

and ended with the ensemble singing

"anything's possible, Jason hit the ball, Run!"


I love it:)))))

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my favorite was when the cast of into the woods did a montage of their different songs

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I concur with those who have mentioned Dorothy Loudon's "Fifty Percent," Jennifer Holliday's "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" and Brian Stokes Mitchell's "Impossible Dream." I add to the list the opening of the 1976 Tonys with the OBC of "A Chorus Line" performing " I Hope I Get It." If you have the tape, you have a part of Broadway history.

Hairspray-"You Can't Stop the Beat"
Urinetown-"Run Freedom, Run"

Some favorite Tony highlights:

-Barbara Harris' "Movie Star/Gorgeous" from The Apple Tree (1967)
-Norman Wisdom inadvertently knocking over a cart that narrowly misses hitting a chorus girl during the title song of Walking Happy (1967)
- Pearl Bailey doing "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" and "So Long Dearie" (1968 )
- "24 Hours a Day," the jaw dropping opening number from Golden Rainbow (1968 )
- "Turkey Lurkey Time" from Promises, Promises (1969). Best dance number ever? I think it may be.
- Melba Moore performing "I Got Love" from Purlie (1970).
- Ruby Keeler and company doing "I Want to Be Happy" and Bobby Van and Helen Gallagher doing "You Can Dance with Any Girl"
from No, No Nanette (1972).
- "I Hope I Get It"/"One" from A Chorus Line (1976)
- Vivian Reed doing "Sweet Georgia Brown" from Bubbling Brown Sugar (1976)
- The entire Annie segment (1977)
- The unbelievable concept of the 1978 Tonys, which came to you live from Bonnie Franklin's mind, and I kid you not.
- Dorothy Loudon performing "Fifty Percent" from Ballroom (1979)
- Elizabeth Taylor's mangling of names during her award presentation, including misreading Jimmy Nederlander's name as 'Jimmy Needleheimer'(1981)
- Jennifer Holliday and company doing "It's All Over" and "I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from Dreamgirls (1982)
- Dorothy Loudon bringing down the house with the Gershwin's "Vodka," during the Tonys in which the Uris Theatre was renamed the Gershwin (1983).
- "Kickin' the Clouds Away" from My One and Only (1983)
- Sue me...I like "It's About Magic" from Merlin (1983)
- Jerry Herman's hissable statement about hummable tunes when he wins the Tony for La Cage aux Folles (1984).
- "This Must Be The Place" from Grind (1985). A production number on overdrive.
- "Beat Me Daddy Eight to the Bar" from Big Deal (1986), the last great Fosse number.
- Angela Lansbury and Bea Arthur stopping the show cold recreating "Bosom Buddies" from Mame (1987)
- Judy Kuhn's ferocious performance of the title song to "Rags" with Dick Latessa (1987)
- Robert Lindsay and company performing "Lambeth Walk" from Me and My Girl (1987)
- Mary Martin performing "This House" from I Do! I Do! in tribute to the late Robert Preston (1987). Just sublime.
- "Starmites"/"Hard to be Diva" from Starmites (1989). Another jaw-dropper.
- Michael Jeter and Brent Barrett performing "We'll Take a Glass Together" (1990), followed by Jeter's heartstopping acceptance speech.
- The Anthony Quinn/Joan Collins reveal of Lost In Yonkers as the winner of Best Play about an hour too early, followed by Simon's great remark during his acceptance speech later on: "I was in the bathroom when Anthony Quinn was on. Did anything interesting happen?"
- Not my favorite show of that season, but Will Rogers Follies scored big with their performance of "Will-a-Mania" and "Favorite Son" (1991)
- "Celebrate Broadway," the ghastly opening number performed by Liza Minnelli and company (1993)
- The Nathan Lane/Gregory Hines girl song medley (1995).
- "The Show Must Go On" - Liza Minnelli and Bernadette Peters bravely performing the Tony opening number, a truly terrible, tuneless song, backed by a chorus of Tony alumni who seem embarrassed to be there (1996).
- "My New Philosophy" from You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (1999). Good as the number is, it is topped when Kristin Chenoweth wins the Tony 10 seconds later after performing the song and had made a stunning split second change back into her evening gown.
- Bernadette Peters performing "Rose's Turn" from Gypsy (2003) What more can I say that hasn't been said? A thrilling moment on so many levels.

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Updated On: 11/18/03 at 06:16 PM