I think Donna Murphy was clearly the best female performance last night. She reminded me what I liked so much about her performance when I saw it live earlier this year.
Hugh Jackman did a good job again, and it was nice to see his number, showing off his high energy skills and his ability to charm and interact with an audience, which is no small talent.
I thought Tony Bennett was good, although they should have done more long shots, as part of his greatness is his ability to fill a stage and ride the backseat of an orchestra, and "the close-up" is not a friend of ANY man that age.
Mary J. Blige did what many pop stars tend to do with musical theatre songs... she took the heart out of it and added vocal riffs to compensate for not knowing what the song was about. Clearly her phone was not ringing off the hook this morning (unless they're looking for a new Mimi, Aida, Belle, Roxie, Audrey, Elphaba or Glinda) Quick! Someone cut the phones at the Weisslers!
I was happy that Avenue Q won, which was clearly the best musical of the year, for those who actually saw the shows. I thought they did a good job with their number, even if the camera people didn't know to get the puppeteers as well as the puppets.
I'm not saying Wicked didn't have it's moments, (actually, that's what my boyfriend is saying as he's reading over my shoulder.) I must admit I wasn't blown away with Wicked, but I went in with really high expectations. Since seeing it, I've grown to appreciate it for what it is. But there is more to a Broadway musical than women belting high e's, even if Ben Brantley thinks I'm nuts for saying it. Avenue Q certainly had better lyrics even if the music wasn't as grand. Eugene Lee deserved his win for set design, as it seemed apparent that he was the only member of the creative team involved to actually read the book upon which the show was based. Dense novel or not, Holzman wrote a book with a lot of holes and gimmicks (the references to the movie Wizard of Oz rather than the McGuire novel.) The costumes were appropriately over the top and totally tony voter friendly.
Starobin won because he's been doing this for years. He's great at it, and it didn't hurt that, because it was deemed a revival, it was the only award that the music was eligible to receive. Still, it was great orchestration. Mantello deserved his win also. He made a show work that, very recently, critics had dismissed. Cerveris is a great actor, and I was happy to see him win, even if I was pulling for Raul Esparza. Fisher and Eisenhauer are brilliant and I've never been dissapointed in their work.
Rashad was great. McDonald wins a fourth? Most fourth awards actors recieve are for lifetime achievement, and here she's only 33. Wow! Brava!
Now, as for best actress of a musical. I was secretly hoping that Menzel and Chenowith would split the Wicked vote and somehow D'Abruzzo would trump them all... a long shot, I know, but what do we have if we can't dream?
Poor Tonya Pinkins. I know she was sick, and I know that the song was taken out of context. Had I not seen the show, I'm not sure that her performance would have been enough to get me to the Eugene O'Neill.
A lot of the performers seemed intimidated up there. It's understandable, they were playing to a house at least three times the size they are used to. It has to be intimidating. Not to mention the "6,000" people watching at home. All joking aside, even if only 6,000 people were watching via television combined with the live audience of 6,000 that's 10 times the normal size of the audience at most broadway houses. (and 15 times the size of the Golden Theatre, where Avenue Q plays.)
Anyway, those are my thoughts. Hate me if you like.
I wish the stage were as narrow as the wire of a tightrope dancer, so that no incompetent would dare step upon it. -Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
