Official 2013 - 2014 Tony Awards Thread- Page 21

[forgetmenotnyc]

Posted: 6/9/14 at 2:11pm

I liked the bouncy opening - not knowing the obscure 50's film musical reference - I was assuming it was an Australian kangaroo thing?

I wonder if the box office for After Midnight needs to now make sure patrons coming to buy tkts are aware that Fantasia, LaBelle & Knight all NOT all together in 1 show?

So no one thought to tell Iglehart that the effect of glitter on your face & head is less than magical when it reads as sweat instead?

So, Les Mis singular most obvious change is a few black leads now?

NPH does make some ugly drag! His attractive nature certainly comes through better as a man.

So, no one sings in Rocky? (or worse, the score is really so bad that it is not worth exhibiting ANY of it?)

Some shows did medleys well (GG) while others did not (Violet needed part of nom. Joshua Henry's song & to steer away from the church #, Bullets needed to highlight more of their full cast, same for If/Then & Cabaret.

Agreeing w/almost everyone here re: Last Ship & Finding Neverland/FN taking precious stage time away from what the emphasis should be which is a celebration of THIS past seasons work. STING has totally overworn his welcome & needed to have offered us CAST this time out. The 11 oclock spot for FN was even MORE egregious. Best play was moved up an hr. & no memoriam suffered the greed. O'Hara, Davies & Audra as Billie Holiday clearly should have performed over LS, FN & WICKED.

Discussion here went into Iglehart & Mueller's "Thank GOD" acceptance speeches: "I have to thank God, because without him nothing is possible." But, isn't saying "I'm nothing without this role" (McDonald on motherhood; someone else went with this sentiment, as well, was it Lena or Sophie?) just as questionable, as well? I mean, shouldn't we all be complete & whole no matter what professional opportunities come our way?

I hope someone got a good snapshot of Sutton w/Rupaul. Their shiny pink satins were certainly eye-boggling.


Updated On: 6/9/14 at 02:11 PM

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 6/9/14 at 2:23pm

I hated how the Best Actress in a Musical was done. He was so awkward in the crowd, and the ladies didn't know what the hell he was doing. That wasted a lot of time, and cut in to other things.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/9/14 at 2:53pm

STING has totally overworn his welcome & needed to have offered us CAST this time out.<

The cast is starting previews tomorrow night in Chicago.

I do find it amusing that people still feel that somehow Bridges and Kelli were somehow booted out of performing on the Tonys when that simply was't the case. I really didn't mind having a couple of upcoming shows perform in anticipation of the new season. Sting was dull and intelligible, but I liked the melody. And I loved the song from Finding Neverland. To me, it's rather fun to get a sneak preview.

The only performances I found truly unnecessary were Cabaret (same performance we had last time around) and Wicked (if they absolutely HAD to do something for the 10th anniversary, couldn't they have picked a more exciting number? Or perform it in a way that millions haven't already seen).

Loved the bit with the rappers. I thought it was a rather charming tribute of classic Broadway from unexpected contemporary performers. It's a bit sad that it was reviled and under-appreciated for that.

As with every Tony performance, the numbers were truncated and removed from their original context and setting, so I didn't place any ridiculous expectations on most of the performances. The only nominated shows I've seen this season are Les Miserables (pre-Broadway tour), Hedwig, Violet, If/Then, Lady Day and Cripple of Innishmaan.

Aladdin was pretty much what I thought it would be and I still feel like I won't miss anything if I see the show on tour rather than on Broadway.

Ditto that for After Midnight (and disappointed to see Fantasia featured in the broadcast). But I loved all the dancing which made me interested in seeing the show.

Rocky actually came off slightly better than I anticipated, but given how low my expectations were, that's not saying much.

Idina knocked it out of the park and I still feel her performance makes the score seem more interesting than it actually is.

Gentleman's Guide made me wish I could have seen the show when I was in town. Very happy it won Best Musical.

Beautiful was fun, but I still didn't have a good idea of what the show is like (another I feel I can catch on tour).

The Violet performance was okay, but I felt it was hindered by cutting down both numbers and the additional choir members was a gross misrepresentation of the performance. I wish they had either performed all of On My Way or Let It Sing (which stopped the show when I saw it).

The Les Miz performance was as bland and predictable as the staging of this revival, so I guess it was effective in its own way. Ramin is the only reason I'd consider sitting through it again (and I'm a HUGE LEs Miz fan).

Bullets looked like so many numbers I've seen time and again. They performed what they were given very well. What they were given was nothing very interesting or new. Except that they were a bunch of white gangsters in the 30s singing "Taint nobody's business if I do" which is sort of...yeesh. Again, I'll catch it on tour out of curiosity.

Hedwig owned the night. I had a feeling that the audience bits featured in the song would land this particular number on the broadcast and I was fine with that.

Updated On: 6/9/14 at 02:53 PM

[Emma White]

Posted: 6/9/14 at 4:48pm

My two cents with regards to the whole thanking God thing: I don't think the thank you to God is specifically for letting them win the award. Like, when Jessie thanked her parents, she wasn't thanking them for the Tony, she was thanking them for everything they did that got her to Broadway. I'm sure she was thanking God for her success in life - and if she wants to believe that God had anything to do with her success or her win, then who are we to say she shouldn't?
She didn't say "I want to thank God and SO SHOULD YOU." She has just as much a right to talk about her faith as anyone has to talk about their atheism.

[Tink2]

Posted: 6/9/14 at 5:23pm

I had to get up very early for work this morning. I was afraid I would fall asleep..and I did! Just caught up. I enjoyed the telecast, but last year's was one of the best I've ever seen.

Favorite performance- Idina. She really nailed it. I also loved Jesse and Carol. Jennifer Hudson was extremely good, too.

Loved,loved, loved the number from GG. This really made me want to see the show. My type of musical.

Looks like I'm the only one who realized what Hugh was re-creating the moment he started hopping? My age is showing. ; )I posted about it right after his performance, but the thread was moving so quickly, I doubt it was seen. I have no idea why he chose to do that other than the tile of that number is "Take Me to Broadway." It wasn't nearly the performance that NPH gave during his opening last year, but it certainly showed a lot of endurance. And, he was still able to sing something at the end. Gotta love Hugh!

[brdway411]

Posted: 6/9/14 at 5:36pm

Was really not impressed this year with the awards. Highlight for me was the Beautiful number. Other than that it was just Meh!

[HorseTears]

Posted: 6/9/14 at 8:38pm

I just caught up on the creative awards. I'm kind of shocked that Isabel Toledo didn't win for After Midnight. I loved the wonderful sense of wit and whimsy she displayed in her original designs. Not only were her costumes praised in most reviews of the show, but she and her designs seemed to be a big part of the shows PR strategy and garnered way more earned media than your average creative/technical element of a Broadway musical usually would. Shame. I hope she gets another chance to shine on Broadway again.

[StageManager2]

Posted: 6/9/14 at 10:40pm

Someone brought up this good point on another forum: "How do the Oscars, in their 3 hours of air time, manage to include all those tiresome awards for the most boring categories, yet the Tonys can't feature on air truly important categories like Best Choreography and Score, not to mention the Designers?"

Granted, the Tonys feature performances that must be taken into account and no doubt eat into the allotted time, but the Oscars also include Best Song performances as well as montages/tributes and they still have time to give the technical categories their due. The only complaint is that, starting four years ago, they booted the honorary Oscars to a separate, non-televised ceremony.

So what gives?

BTW: Someone else on said forum thought Tony was an acronym for "Theater of New York." I actually kinda like it.

Updated On: 6/9/14 at 10:40 PM

[haterobics]

Posted: 6/9/14 at 11:27pm

My friend is the CTO of a new tech company, and also loves Broadway, so he used his company's new technology to string together all of the performance numbers from the awards, with his own take on things. I kind of like the ability to blend narrative across various elements, but anyway, if anyone is interested, here it is:

http://wayfinder.co/pathways/53964faab174ec110070d74b/2014-tony-awards-only-the-musical-performances

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 6/10/14 at 12:10am

@ GavestonPS - Just as i think that people who have a problem with other people's religion are obnoxious.

I am not an atheist and I didn't say I find all religions or religious people obnoxious. Hardly.

But I'm opposed to thoughtlessness in general, and thanking God for choosing you to win a contest is not just the height of arrogance, it's an offensive assumption about the presumed lack of worthiness among your competitors.

I mean, really: the God of an infinite Creation--so vast the human brain is only beginning to comprehend it--takes an interest in who wins a tacky statuette with a twirling disc? Come to think of it, the very notion implies such a limited concept of the Creator that we should all be offended!

(Just to be clear: nobody here has suggested Miss Mueller's award be recalled or that her show should be boycotted. I just think she could have omitted one idiotic remark that suggests her understanding of theology is far more limited than her talent.)

(BTW and IIRC, Audra McDonald thanked God during one of her previous acceptance speeches, but there's so much talent there, I think we'll all agree there must have been divine intervention!) Updated On: 6/10/14 at 12:10 AM

[HenryTDobson]

Posted: 6/10/14 at 12:16am

I'm sorry, but the woman can thank whomever she sees fit. Whether it be God, her mother, or the homeless man on 42nd street, it's her moment; let's not sit around and pretend that it matters.

[darreyl102]

Posted: 6/10/14 at 12:25am

@ GavestonPS -"And if folks are entitled to express their faith, surely I'm allowed to find them obnoxious."
How is it obnoxious to thank God? as people have said in this thread, it is more a thank you for everything in their life, for the chance to be in the role- not just the award itself- They are thanking God for the opportunity NOT necessarily just the award that came along with it.

[NYadgal]

Posted: 6/10/14 at 9:56am

But I'm opposed to thoughtlessness in general, and thanking God for choosing you to win a contest is not just the height of arrogance, it's an offensive assumption about the presumed lack of worthiness among your competitors.

But, Gaveston, that's not at all what she was saying.

Oh my gosh... I have to thank God, because without him nothing is possible and that is true and that will always be true.

She was giving thanks to God. For all things in her life. Just as she gave thanks to her parents, her grandmother, and everyone else she mentioned. The forces in her life who she feels have shaped her and given her what she needs for her success.

It had NOTHING to do with specific thanks for winning a "contest".

[Brick]

Posted: 6/10/14 at 10:40am

CBS pressures the Tony's to put more and more performances on while the Oscars is bloated with little room for performance - hell, some years they don't even perform all the song nominees - because of one thing, movie stars.

People are tuning in to the Oscars to see movie stars. And, to far a lesser degree, to see how the movies they may have seen fare. Broadway is something most viewers know little about, and even fewer have seen or heard of many of the nominees. So, to appeal to the former, CBS wants non-stop musical numbers.

[haterobics]

Posted: 6/10/14 at 12:55pm

Talk about a missed opportunity. All they had to do was have Jackman bet NPH that he would do a better opening number, and then concede defeat and let NPH shave his head over the closing credits. If you're going to shave your head the next day, why not have fun with it?

[Broadway Baby8]

Posted: 6/10/14 at 2:51pm

Was fortunate enough to attend the ceremony Sunday night. For me, the best performances of the evening were Jessie/Carole, After Midnight, Idina and Bullets. Hugh was terrific and charming.

[logan2]

Posted: 6/11/14 at 3:29am

I found it interesting that the Best Score winner Bridges of Madison County wasn't nominated for Best Musical. I think the last time that happened was back in 2000 when Aida won for it's score without a nomination in that category. And then the next anomalous year was 1989 when there was no score award given when Jerome Robbins' Broadway won Best Musical against Black and Blue and Starmites, with the latter being the only nominee that had an original score. Even stranger - in 1969 and 1970 there was no Best Score category at all, even though 1776 and Applause were the Best Musical winners.

Anyone know why those two years omitted that category even though there were strong contenders like Promises, Promises, Hair, Zorba, Purlie, Cry For Us All, CoCo, and Georgy?

I love Tony history.



Updated On: 6/11/14 at 03:29 AM

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/11/14 at 11:46am

If I'm not mistaken, both Book and Score were eliminated as categories because the Best Musical Tony went to the producer, book author, composer and lyricist.

[logan2]

Posted: 6/12/14 at 3:15am

Ah, that explains it - thanks Mister Matt.