THE OFFICIAL 2017 TONY AWARDS VIEWING THREAD — Page 24

Kind of a boring evening all around. This is the second year in a row in which I wasn't particularly excited by any performances. I used to get excited about everything.

The opening number was cute at first, but mostly kind of painful.

The Best Play presentations were weird and awkward and if I were a Tony nominated writer the last thing I'd want to do would be to go on live television and describe my play. They're lucky all the nominees are good speakers, because a lot of writers aren't (which is partly why they're writers).

Bette Midler is the worst.

The number from WAR PAINT was a bore!

Spacey was decent, but the entire telecast felt flat to me and others with whom I viewed it. It lacked the humor and energy of some of the previous best productions, and opening number was too long and too insider for too little payoff.

I still have vivid memories of 2013 and the incredible opening featuring all the shows and then the hilarious mid-show number about cancelled shows with Rannells, Benanti, and Hilty.

Given the incredible talent on Broadway, that level of quality should not be an aberration for TONY performances. The writing this year was consistently weak.

I was as disappointed as anyone else over Penny in My Pocket. This is the song used to represent the great Hello, Dolly! to millions? What a letdown. My heart sank watching David Hyde Pierce try and sell this song out of context in that huge space. Frankly, I felt it never should have been placed in the revival in the first place. Those responsible for this unfortunate situation deserve all the blame they are receiving.

But I also wonder why the producers of Sunday in the Park With George are not being similarly castigated. Here was a critically-acclaimed revival of a show deemed a masterpiece by many, and it wasn't even made eligible for any awards? Shouldn't the actors and creative team have been given their due, and an opportunity for recognition? And what about audiences watching the Tony broadcast? Shouldn't they have been given the chance to see Jake Gyllenhaal shine? And what about having a scene from the show recorded for posterity?

After Eight said: "But I also wonder why the producers of Sunday in the Park With George are not being similarly castigated. Here was a critically-acclaimed revival of a show deemed a masterpiece by many, and it wasn't even made eligible for any awards? Shouldn't the actors and creative team have been given their due, and an opportunity for recognition? And what about audiences watching the Tony broadcast? Shouldn't they have been given the chance to see Jake Gyllenhaal shine? And what about having a scene from the show recorded for posterity?"



Who are you and what have you done with After Eight?

ucjrdude902 said: "Maybe it was the into, but CFA came across very lackluster on television. Never had and still don't have any interested in seeing it."

I saw them perform "Welcome to the Rock" about a month ago on one of the late-night talk shows and thought, "meh". A week later I saw the actual show and was blown away. For some reason, this song (and perhaps the show in general) does not come across on TV like it does when you're actually there. I thought it was absolutely brilliant.

chernjam said: "These performances from the shows are always challenging (time limits, new stage, etc) so I try to keep that in mind, but so far CFA and Miss Saigon did nothing for me"

I'm not sure why, but "Welcome to the Rock" doesn't seem to effectively convey the experience of Come From Away.

On the other hand, "This is the Hour" is perhaps my favorite piece of music from Miss Saigon, so I'm thrilled that they did it - now I've got video for my archive!

songanddanceman2 said: "I loved The Groundhog Day number, it was so simply done and Andy broke my heart."

Me too. It's a deliciously bittersweet song.

I had a great time viewing this at the Laurie Beechman theatre sans the sobbing and screaming DEH fan who happened to be at our table (luckily behind me). It was really fun being in a big group of people who understood the more next-level jokes like moving the cast to the arm.

I LOVED the opening number and that Roger Ailes didn't make it into the In Memorium.

Not to keep rehashing it, but I don't get using Bette's age as an excuse for some of her antics. She's 71, not 91. Yes, she's doing wonderful work, but I don't think her age is a fair excuse for skipping out on award shows, events, and not performing last night.

For example:

Patti LuPone, 68, and Christine Ebersole, 64, performing 8x a week in larger and much more difficult roles than Dolly. They didn't skip certain events and they sang their faces off last night.

In 2015, Chita Rivera at 82 performed 8x a week in a leading song and dance role, did all the press, and performed on the Tonys.

If Bette truly wanted perform last night, she could've. There were other options besides the title number.

greenifyme2 said: "[Great Comet] did look/sound a little Fiddler on the Roof-ish?@"

LOL, I thought the same thing!

JBC3 said: "ljay889 said: "Not to keep rehashing it, but I don't get using Bette's age as an excuse for some of her antics. She's 71, not 91. Yes, she's doing wonderful work, but I don't think her age is a fair excuse for skipping out on award shows, events, and not performing last night.

For example:

Patti LuPone, 68, and Christine Ebersole, 64, performing 8x a week in larger and much more difficult roles than Dolly. They didn't skip certain events and they sang their faces off last night.

In 2015, Chita Rivera at 82 performed 8x a week in a leading song and dance role, did all the press, and performed on the Tonys.

If Bette truly wanted perform last night, she could've. There were other options besides the title number."



Good points, but we also cannot assume that age and performance schedules are the same for each individual. I have relatives the same age of Bette and they have dropped their level of activity considerably from one year to the next.





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That is fair! It's just that I don't look at Bette and see an elderly and tired woman. Maybe looks are deceiving, and that's what throws me off when people use her age as an explanation.

Updated On: 6/12/17 at 10:28 AM

Very excited for Pasek & Paul, Ben Platt, Alex Lacomoire (second year straight, baby) and the entire Evan Hansen team. Sorry and surprised Michael Grief didnt win (would have made up for not winning for Rent). Haven't seen this seasons shows yet, but DEH stands head and shoulders above the other cast recordings for a cold listen without having seen the show(Anastasia is second best cast recording for this)

Thought Great Comet, DEH, and Bandstand gave fantastic performances, and the others fell flat. Kevin Spacey was ok, especially his wink nod references to coming out and his Bill Clinton impression. They really should just give a five year contract to Jackman, NPK or James Corden. Stephen Colbert hasnt been funny since the Colbert Report, and someone should pull him aside and let him know.

Would have liked to see more love for Come From Away, and a performance number from Anastasia.

I love old time, "golden era" musicals, but have never understood all the love and drooling adoration for Hello, Dolly. (much prefer Jerry Herman's work in Mame and La Cage). Another vote here that thought Bette should have performed. Would have been great to preserve her performance, would have sold more of her cds, would have sold tix when it tours. I imagine she is also too good to meet fans at stage door as well? She can keep her $750 per orch premium seat, I'll go see Donna Murphy and the rest of the cast for $197. Love David hyde pierce, Gavin Creel and the other cast members....

Sounds like everyones already giving all of next years awards to The Bands Visit so hoping for some original competition for 2018 and of course very excited for My Fair Lady, Carousel and other 2018 revivals