Michael in the bathroom Tony’s parody
#75MITB Tony's Reactions
Posted: 6/10/19 at 2:32pm
Very few people actually care, in the scheme of the world - BMC fans and people here - that's about it. It's not the Tony Awards fault that the show is floundering. It happens, not all shows succeed.
#76MITB Tony's Reactions
Posted: 6/10/19 at 2:33pmUgh this dog of a show is desperate. They're just trying to milk this for all its worth. No such thing as bad press!
#77MITB Tony's Reactions
Posted: 6/10/19 at 2:41pm
I will say that in complaining about it being a shaft (an argument I can't agree with), they did get a lot of people talking about their show. So if complaining was just a way to generate more noise, then well done, I suppose. We'll see if it translates to ticket sales. I have my doubts.
#78MITB Tony's Reactions
Posted: 6/10/19 at 2:51pm
Joe Iconis is a lot cooler than I would've been.
"Hey little girls, look at all the men in shiny shirts and no wives!" - Jackie Hoffman, Xanadu, 19 Feb 2008
#79MITB Tony's Reactions
Posted: 6/10/19 at 3:07pm
Actual footage of Be More Chill fans on Twitter last night.
#80MITB Tony's Reactions
Posted: 6/10/19 at 3:30pm
Be More Chill got free promotion, while other struggling shows had to pay tens of thousands of dollars for their casts to appear in performances that won't get half as many views as 3 celebrities parodying BMC will, especially after this "controversy".
If anyone deserves to be upset about this, it's a show like Prom or The Cher Show. They were actually nominated for Best Musical, are losing money every week, and still paid for a performance, but aren't getting Twitter shoutouts from Lin, James Corden and Josh Groban today.
Wanting life but never knowing how
#81MITB Tony's Reactions
Posted: 6/10/19 at 4:14pm
Be More Chill did NOT get free promotion, as no one in the general public watching that segment had any way of knowing that wasn’t an original song, or what show it is from.
This is like saying the pizza Ellen ordered at the Oscars the other year for the ceremony received free promotion - no one knows where the hell that pizza came from.
goldenstate5
Featured Actor Joined: 5/8/06
#82MITB Tony's Reactions
Posted: 6/10/19 at 4:31pm
Was it credited during the closing credits last night? I'm not sure if the other performances are but if it wasn't okay that's scummy.
That said, it's threads like these that make me want to come to BMC's defense because boy some of y'all are just like, really really aggressive in hating this show. Sheesh.
#83MITB Tony's Reactions
Posted: 6/10/19 at 4:47pm
Joe Iconis was credited. (Well, according to another poster.)
#84MITB Tony's Reactions
Posted: 6/10/19 at 5:16pm
Yeah, no one knows where the pizza at the Oscars came from
I haven't seen a single article about the Tonys that didn't highlight the parody and name Be More Chill. It IS getting free promotion.
Wanting life but never knowing how
#85MITB Tony's Reactions
Posted: 6/10/19 at 5:28pm
To be fair, though... whatever's being said online is being missed by an entire theatergoing demo. I like to use my 70-something parents as a gauge, since they regularly see shows and are consistent ticket-buyers, but don't spend any time reading about theatre online... and are definitely not on Twitter. And they had no clue whatsoever that the bathroom song they enjoyed at the Tonys last night was a parody of Be More Chill until I told them. (And even then I'm not sure they got it.)
I realize this is anecdata, but I do think they represent a large segment of the ticket-buying audience who loves shows but doesn't know or care about internet buzz.
#86MITB Tony's Reactions
Posted: 6/10/19 at 6:20pm
orangeskittles said: "Yeah, no one knows where the pizza at the Oscars came from
I haven't seen a single article about the Tonys that didn't highlight the parody and name Be More Chill. It IS getting free promotion."
But you were also looking for articles about the Tonys. Based on the ratings last night, I doubt anyone was looking up to see reviews of the show last night, or care enough to even make the connection the next morning. That's why a mention should've been done in the moment, with the audience that actually cares.
"Hey little girls, look at all the men in shiny shirts and no wives!" - Jackie Hoffman, Xanadu, 19 Feb 2008
#87MITB Tony's Reactions
Posted: 6/10/19 at 8:14pm
Okay so... as classy as his response to this whole parody situation is... that good fate is lost when I find out that he was Instagram storying during Anais' acceptance speech for Best Score. A big "WE LOST!!!" in text while he and his wife make faces. You can delete it from your story all you want Joe my boy, but guess what... Saveig.com has got you covered.
https://saveig.com/mrjoeiconis/
I don't care who you are, I don't care if you lost. You do NOT disrespectful to your peer like that making faces on your damn phone during their speech.
#88MITB Tony's Reactions
Posted: 6/10/19 at 8:54pmThe pizza came from the same kitchen as the chili and cornbread.
#89MITB Tony's Reactions
Posted: 6/10/19 at 9:09pm
Scarlet Leigh said: "Okay so... as classy as his response to this whole parody situation is... that good fate is lost when I find out that he was Instagram storying during Anais' acceptance speech for Best Score. A big "WE LOST!!!" in text while he and his wife make faces. You can delete it from your story all you want Joe my boy, but guess what... Saveig.com has got you covered.
https://saveig.com/mrjoeiconis/
I don't care who you are, I don't care if you lost. You do NOT disrespectful to your peer like that making faces on your damn phone during their speech."
Joe & his wife were seated in the last row of the auditorium in a half row occupied by film equipment. Their show was blatantly snubbed of all nominations that it easily could have received, and he knew there was no way he was possibly winning. On top of this, he had just been blindsided by a full length BMC parody. Calm down, buddy. He treated the Tonys with about as much respect as they gave him.
#90MITB Tony's Reactions
Posted: 6/10/19 at 9:31pm
^You do know that not every agrees with your sentiment, right? I dont think it deserved any noms at all.
But he didnt dis the Tonys, he dissed another ARTIST. If he felt the way you suggest, he should have stayed home. (And Im not saying he did.
#91MITB Tony's Reactions
Posted: 6/10/19 at 9:31pm
VotePeron said: "He treated the Tonys with about as much respect as they gave him."
Tonys? Fine. Your peer in the community that you want to be respected in yourself? No.
#92MITB Tony's Reactions
Posted: 6/10/19 at 10:10pm
Lest we forget that this is the same musical who had a cast member boohoo about Andrew Rannells calling people who go to BroadwayCon geeks. He went so far as to doctor a headshot with the word “cancelled” on it.
Seriously, get a grip.
Blue207
Swing Joined: 12/1/16
#93MITB Tony's Reactions
Posted: 6/10/19 at 10:26pm
JudyDenmark said: "To be fair, though... whatever's being said online is being missed by an entire theatergoing demo. I like to use my 70-something parents as a gauge, since they regularly see shows and are consistent ticket-buyers, but don't spend any time reading about theatre online...and are definitely not on Twitter.And they had no clue whatsoeverthat the bathroom song they enjoyed at the Tonyslast night was a parody of Be More Chill until I told them. (And even then I'm not sure they got it.)
I realize this is anecdata, but I do think they represent a large segment of the ticket-buying audience who loves shows but doesn't know or care about internet buzz."
As another data point, I see shows regularly and do follow the theatre community online, but since I have absolutely no interest in Be More Chill, I honestly had no idea this performance was a parody of anything until all the discussion today. My parents were also watching and like your parents, don’t follow theatre online either, and I’m sure didn’t know this was a parody. Really, all they needed to do was show a flash of the BMC marquee at the beginning or end of that segment or something along those lines to suggest this was not just a song made up for the Tony’s and it would have been fine. Without any context, it just seemed like a very random musical number. Who would have guessed that the day after the Tony’s, the show everyone would be talking about would be BMC?
#94MITB Tony's Reactions
Posted: 6/10/19 at 10:30pm
“Who would have guessed that the day after the Tony’s, the show everyone would be taking about would be BMC?”
Well if this shows demographic knows how to do anything, it’s make it all about them.
#95MITB Tony's Reactions
Posted: 6/10/19 at 10:52pm
In the most annoying, depressing, abhorrent way possible! ^
VintageSnarker
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/30/15
#96MITB Tony's Reactions
Posted: 6/11/19 at 1:45am
In hindsight, it would have been easy to show the theater marquee or cut to Joe Iconis in the audience. But then people would complain (rightly) that to the average person who isn't familiar with Be More Chill doing so still wouldn't explain that the song they performed was a parody of a song in the show. The only way to do that is to announce, hey, this parody song is based on a song from the show BMC. However, it was highly unlikely that they would have given that kind of free promo to BMC.
It would have been a nice gesture to tell Iconis that this was going to happen. But was it necessary? No. If NPH or Hugh Jackman returned to host the show and they rewrote the lyrics to Hello, Dolly are they obligated to tell Jerry Herman? If they wanted to rewrite Journey to the Past to be about Golden Age shows the year Anastasia opened were they obligated to tell Ahrens/Flaherty?
Basically, it could have been handled with more consideration for the feelings of the cast/creatives of BMC but they were under no obligation to do so and if they feel slighted, it's on them.
#97MITB Tony's Reactions
Posted: 6/11/19 at 2:51am
givesmevoice said: "Did Patti LuPone get the memo that there would be more than one joke about her last night?"
If so, she didn't let on when I saw her Sunday afternoon...
#98MITB Tony's Reactions
Posted: 6/11/19 at 2:58am
Andres_123 said: "people are upset it didn't get any credit and no mention of be more chill."
Like James starting by saying "I'm going to start singing a parody of a song called Michael in the Bathroom from the musical Be More Chill, which is nominated for one Tony tonight and isn't performing... here is my version:"
Vintage Snarker said: "In hindsight, it would have been easy to show the theater marquee or cut to Joe Iconis in the audience."
The only people who would know who Iconis is also knew what the song was from? In fact, a lot of people who know the song might not even know he wrote it?
#99MITB Tony's Reactions
Posted: 6/11/19 at 6:13am
The people whining do...that would only have enraged them too....they want to be enraged. Joe is very present, on social media, at the show and very personable.
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