"I don't think these "medley" numbers are doing these shows any favors. So far, both FUN HOME and SOMETHING ROTTEN have created the greatest impression, and those were single number performances.
I don't know that ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY and (especially) AMERICAN IN PARIS showed themselves in the most positive light by going the medley route. [The medley for KING & I was at least understandable, due to the familiarity of the piece.]"
Medleys so rarely work on the Tonys, and I agree that shows that chose a single number came off better than the shows that chose to do medleys.
That being said, while I haven't seen An American in Paris and don't know what they should've done, I DO think it was a smart decision to start with the pas de deux and build to a large ensemble number. I think On the Twentieth Century tried to fit too much into their number, but I think everything has come across better than The King and I. (I also thought South Pacific had a weak Tony performance, though.)
When I see the phrase "the ____ estate", I imagine a vast mansion in the country full of monocled men and high-collared women receiving letters about productions across the country and doing spit-takes at whatever they contain.
-Kad