It was shocking to wake up this morning and read all the homophobic comments made in this thread. If BWW has ever hit rock bottom, this might be it. I never understand the comments about wanting to keep politics out of award shows. Theater IS political and has been for centuries. Art the entire world over, whether it be painting, sculpture, dance, poetry, theater, symphony- all of these mediums have been used as political tools, both to liberate and oppress.
If someone thanking their spouse at an award show gets your dander up, then its time you take a hard look at yourself and ask why.
As for the awards themselves, I’m thrilled that Band’s Visit racked up such a total. Lenk’s performance was the highlight of the night for me too. It shows that producers shouldn’t be afraid to showcase a quiter moment. With the close ups of TV the smaller moments often come across better than a chaotic production when the camera doesn’t know how to properly focus the viewer’s attention. The Next to Normal number and Sydney’s Ring of Keys were equally winning for these reasons. Something like Mean Girls, aside from being a weak song, just felt awkward and haphazard.
I thought Summer also came off as one of the better numbers of the night. It felt fun and probably sold some tickets. They also completely restaged and rearranged the vocal lines to fit the venue and telecast. That’s smart producing.
My Fair Lady’s medley felt a tad rushed, but all the components came off well. This is probably the first production of Carousel where Blow High, Blow Low is the most celebrated number in the show! The choreography was nice to see, but with the bench scene, June is Bustin’ Out All Over, Mister Snow, the Soliloquy and You’ll Never Walk Alone at your disposal...I mean, get Renee out there. She’s who the target ticket buying demographic want to see.
I thought Josh and Sara were merely ok. They seem like really cool people and I liked that they were making fun of themselves, but they didn’t quite have the oomph I’d like to see from Tony hosts.
The best part of the night was what usually is the worst part- the speeches. So many eloquently expressed sentiments. Really heartfelt things were said last night and I was moved.
Marie: Don't be in such a hurry about that pretty little chippy in Frisco.
Tony: Eh, she's a no chip!
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