Posted: 6/12/17 at 11:14am
None of GhD's songs sell the show well. If they could have managed to find a way to quickly do the beginnings of each day, I think that might have sold tickets and showcased Andy. Logistically and financially it wouldn't work, sadly.
Posted: 6/12/17 at 11:16am
The hate for Groundhog Days performance confuses me. I thought it was beautiful and one of the only performances that seemed to contain authentic emotion. Love the song and loved the ending of it.
The worst by far was Hello Dolly. I also loved Come From Away and everybody I was watching the Tony Awards with picked that as the fave. War Paint was awful and the direction so pedestrian, plus I'm sick of the Patti love, she plays the same roll in everything and I still can't understand anything she says.
Bandstand was fun, Dear Evan Hansen did well. Saigon was odd and rushed but Eva sold it. Comet was thrilling and Falsettos interesting.
Posted: 6/12/17 at 11:23am
1. The Great Comet
2. War Paint
3. Bandstand
4. Miss Saigon
5. Groundhog Day
6. Come From Away
7. Hello Dolly
8. Falsettos
9. Dear Evan Hansen
Posted: 6/12/17 at 11:24am
Great Comet was by far my favorite and hello Dolly was the dullest
Posted: 6/12/17 at 11:37am
The numbers that changed my mind for the better:
1. BANDSTAND. Makes me want to see a show I had no interest in before. Not just great choreography, but great song with the smartest lyrics of the night.
2. DEAR EVAN HANSEN. Despite Ben's performance, the staging seems beautifully clear. If I had the cash to see it, this would be a must see.
The numbers that changed my mind for the worse:
3. THE GREAT COMET. Fake Fiddler music with calculated chaos and amateur cabaret costumes. I've got tickets to 6 shows next weekend and this one gives me the most trepidation.
4. WAR PAINT. Was eager to see these ladies do their stuff before last night, but that number was a dreary operatic slog.
5. COME FROM AWAY. Confirmed my worst fears after hearing the cd: looks like a community theater operation. Did this really win the Tony for best direction?
Had no effect on me:
6. GROUNDHOG DAY. Lovely number. Still looking forward to the show despite naysayers on this thread.
7. MISS SAIGON. Had no interest before or after the Tonys.
8. FALSETTOS. Nice to see the cast do their stuff, but wow was that a schticky number. I'll still go watch the movie screening in July.
9. HELLO DOLLY. Of course that number was abysmal. Poor, poor sacrificial lamb David Hyde Pierce. Still can't wait to see the show.
Posted: 6/12/17 at 12:33pm
1. Dear Evan Hansen
2. Great Comet
3. Bandstand
4. Miss Saigon
5. Come From Away
6. Falsettos
7. Groundhog Day
8. Hello Dolly
9. War Paint
Posted: 6/12/17 at 12:45pm
1. (tie) Dear Evan Hansen
1. (tie) Great Comet (I would've put this in the top spot, but I just can't get behind Lucas Steele's singing voice.)
3. Come From Away
4. Bandstand
5. Groundhog Day
6. Miss Saigon (I thought she sounded incredible, but man was that bleak)
7. War Paint
8. Falsettos (I love every cast member, but holy cow that did not make me want to see it at all. Does the score have any melody??)
257. Hello Dolly (DHP sold the hell out of it, but what a damn shame)
Posted: 6/12/17 at 1:02pm
1. Dear Evan Hansen -- wasn't the song I would have chosen, but still terrific
2. Come From Away, even though I am getting a little sick of the number -- it seems to be everywhere -- it was still extremely well done
3. The Great Comet -- enjoyed it better than I enjoyed the show. Only kidding, but I do think that it came across more as a show that would entertain a wide audience, which I do not believe is actually the case, especially once Groban is gone.
4. Bandstand -- Didn't think it was great, but did enjoy it.
5. Hello Dolly -- On its own merit, it is a cute song, and Hyde Pierce does a great job with it. Se just wanted something bigger.
6. Miss Saigon -- I think they made a mistake in trying to cover too much. Could have been good.
7. Groundhog Day -- Had little interest in seeing it; now I have none. It did NOTHING for me. If it is supposed to be a highlight, its in trouble.
8. War Paint -- I have not seen the show. I assume this is the only number in which they both appear? I thought the song was terrible.
9. Falsettos -- out of context, it was terrible.
Posted: 6/12/17 at 1:36pm
1. DEAR EVAN HANSEN
2. COME FROM AWAY
3. THE GREAT COMET
4. GROUNDHOG DAY
5. BANDSTAND
6. MISS SAIGON
7. FALSETTOS
8. HELLO DOLLY
9. WAR PAINT
Updated On: 6/12/17 at 01:36 PM
Posted: 6/12/17 at 1:41pm
In terms of selling their respective shows:
1. Great Comet (hands down)
2. Dear Evan Hansen
3. Miss Saigon
4. Come from Away
5. Bandstand
6. War Paint
7. Falsettos
8. Hello, Dolly!
9. Groundhog Day
Posted: 6/12/17 at 2:25pm
1. The Great Comet ( I don't even like this show, but it was far and away the best performance of the night. Most energy. Best use of the space. Most apt selection of material from the show)
2. Dear Evan Hansen (Even in less than his best voice, Platt still was compelling, moving, and winning.
3. War Paint (It's not a great show, or even an especially great song, but in a night of mostly dud performances, Patti and Christine showed true commitment to craft and excellence in performance.
From here on out it gets really dicey (even for shows I loved)
4. Miss Saigon (An awkwardly cleaved out section of the show that didn't really show off the spectacle of the show OR Noblezada in their best light, but which still had lovely moments)
5. Groundhog Day (A show I loved that came across poorly. Lovely singing of one of the show's least exciting songs--bit of a snooze)
6. Bandstand (The choreography didn't seem that exciting, and the song even less so. Competent at best. Bonus points for Dr. Jill Biden's intro)
7. Falsettos (Yup, it's a number that gets everyone on stage. Nope, it makes NO sense out of context. I SAW the show and couldn't even remember enough to make any sense of it. Subtracted points for bringing back the ugliest set of the past decade)
8. Hello, Dolly (Sometimes trunk songs should stay in the trunk. An insult to viewers that Midler and Rudin wouldn't re-choreograph literally anything else for Radio City)
9. Come from Away (I found this show to be a nightmare beginning to end, and I hated every second of their treacly performance)
6. Falsettos
7. Come From Away
9. Hello, Dolly! (yeesh)
Posted: 6/12/17 at 3:27pm
The Good:
1. The Great Comet (by far imo)
2. Bandstand
The Meh:
3. War Paint
4. Miss Saigon
5. Come From Away
6. Dear Evan Hansen
The "Why, Oh Why, Would You Choose This Song?" :
7. Falsettos
8. Groundhog Day
And, of course, #Passerelle-Gate:
9. Hello, Dolly!
Updated On: 6/12/17 at 03:27 PM
Posted: 6/12/17 at 3:39pm
1. Great Comet. I think it definitely did the best job of representing itself and the unique energy of the show, and it blended both sides of the score: the poignant ballads and the high-energy, raucous ensemble. I would imagine it was also the most effective as selling the show to prospective audiences as well - it showed it off as a kind of experience that has infectious energy that you want to join in with. Also loved the dual Pierres!
2. Bandstand. Granted, this show is definitely my "type," but I thought it was energetic and fun and showed off a score that hasn't gotten much attention. Well-chosen song selection that didn't need much context to enjoy, and a killer intro from Dr. Biden.
3. Dear Evan Hansen. Despite the backlash and the flaws in the show, it still can be quite moving, and this particular song is one I've always found compelling, and Ben Platt soared even at less than 100%.
4. Groundhog Day. As others have pointed out, that's a score that's nearly impossible to find a strong TV selection from, but I actually thought this was a charming choice, if not an exciting one. Andy Karl's charm is what held it together (Plus, snow. How can you hate snow?)
5. War Paint. I wasn't overly impressed with the song itself, but at least Patti and Christine gave it their all.
6. Falsettos. One of those songs (and shows) that desperately needs context for the humor and the character to come across. Everyone seemed to be having a blast, but it just didn't quite work.
7. Come From Away. When Best Director was announced, I immediately thought back to this number and was even more puzzled. Nothing wrong with it, per se, and my guess is it plays better in the show, but it fell a bit flat for me on the broadcast.
8. Miss Saigon. Aside from a few intense moments from Eva, I thought this was the second-worst song selection of the night. Seemed completely random, stuck the ensemble in the shadows for the entire number, and was all around just depressing and bleak.
9. Hello Dolly. I feel so bad for DHP - he got stuck being the face of a disaster. Charm songs are a staple of musical theatre, but they don't belong as the sole representation of a show on the Tonys. Kudos to him for doing his best, but that was a fiasco of a representation.
Updated On: 6/12/17 at 03:39 PM
Posted: 6/12/17 at 5:09pm
It's funny how polarising War Paint's performance seems to be, with many here rating it near their favourite or least favourite (and some in between). (Cf. great comet or Hello Dolly where there appears to be much more consensus).
Updated On: 6/12/17 at 05:09 PM
Posted: 6/12/17 at 5:27pm
1. The Great Comet: Classic Tony performance and should go down as one of the best and most energetic. It really transformed radio city and made me remember the amazing time that I had, had at the Imperial. It also showcased Chavkin's brilliant and unfortunately snubbed direction.
2. Dear Evan Hansen: Ben Platt wasn't at his best, but he has been struggling through some vocal problems this week. I thought that their performance was still lovely and probably sparked a lot of interest.
3. Come From Away: I personally kind of strongly dislike this show. I find it treacly and hokey, but their performance was still strong even if the material and staging was weak.
4. Falsettos: I enjoyed it because I had seen the show, but it's a very odd choice. It shows the whole cast, but it's not really a song that works out of context. It was still a great performance.
5. Bandstand: Good, but incredibly forgettable. Also, why have I not noticed how super white that whole cast is? They really could have included some POC in that ensemble.
6. Miss Saigon: I thought that it was good. Eva sounded great, but they really dropped us into an odd place in the show.
7. Groundhog Day: the show is fun and Seeing You is probably the best song in the show, but it felt kind of odd and low energy. It just didn't read that well on TV.
8. Hello, Dolly!: Just super disappointing. They could have done So Long Dearie, Sunday Clothes, and even Parade without having to really restage anything.
Posted: 6/13/17 at 12:10pm
1. Bandstand (great intro, Cott & Osnes were stellar, now a ton of people wanna see it)
2. Dear Evan Hansen (Platt wasn't his at his best, mostly at the beginning, but it's a great song and a meaningful performance)
3. Come From Away (introduces the show perfectly and shows off the whole ensemble)
4. The Great Comet (I wasn't a fan of the show but this performance was fun, albeit chaotic)
5. Groundhog Day (I've seen the show and the ending is really sweet, but without the journey this was a weird choice)
6. Falsettos (doesn't show off the show too well but everybody was featured)
7. Miss Saigon (Eva was great, just not a compelling number)
8. War Paint (a giant bunch of blah)
9. Hello Dolly (David Hyde Pierce looks like a pedophile, this bored me to tears)
