There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep it to one thread,- Page 3
There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep it to one thread,
#50re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 11:47am
The only decent moments that everyone seems to agree upon is Norbert winning (as far as Musicals go).
It seems this year the theme was "More reality, less planning"
robbiej
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
#51re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 11:52am
Holy sh*t it was bad!!
Sitting in my hotel room last night, coming down from my Whitney Houston weekend, I thought perhaps I was going through withdrawl and just imagining how bad it was.
The sound was absolutely dreadful. Radio City Music Hall does no favors by being so huge that each show looked like a slightly different flea circus. Hardly any of the numbers (save the deliciously written and performed SPELLING BEE) came off particularly well. I was watching with a VERY casual theatre attendee and he kept saying the whole thing just looks amateurish. I had to agree.
That dance medley was badly put together and a dud. RAZZLE DAZZLE was not only badly performed (and I adore Martin...shoulda won the Tony for RENT), it was entirely inappropriate. What a bizarre song choice to honor the dead! I usually am a fan of the Hall of the Passed On shown on the Oscars, but this was so rushed, you could barely tell who was who.
What was most insidious was the fact that, at every opportunity, they mentioned film and television actors as these conquering heroes coming back to be lauded for deigning to show up on a stage. I mean...don't get me wrong...if someone were to offer me a sitcom, I'd be outta here...but that was just ridiculous.
I love me some Aretha (or as I like to call her, Re-Re), but she was in terrible voice. The best moment of the evening was Bill Irwin. The worst? The surgically altered producer of SPAMALOT who was perhaps the least gracious winner in recent memory.
#52re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 11:57am
*Bravo Grizzabella! BRAVO!
nmartin
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/3/05
#53re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 11:58amRobbiej, You said it!
Marquise
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/1/04
#54re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 12:02pm
There was noting wrong with Al's post, Everything he stated was fact. I love Aretha Franklin. She's one of my favorite vocalists of ALL TIME but I have no problem saying she was dreadful last night. Ditto for Jesse L. Martin, who I otherwise think is an amazing singer. That's the problem with some of you people. You're so damned blinded in your fandom you can't look at things objectively.
Updated On: 6/6/05 at 12:02 PM
#55re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 12:03pmI agree with everything but the speech part.
jezzebelle
Featured Actor Joined: 4/19/04
#56re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 12:16pm
erinbecca: Yes, I was aware Jerry Orbach was the orginial Billy Flynn in Chicago. I just thought (as robbiej also stated in his post), that it was just a bizzare song choice to honor a dead man with, aside from the fact Mr. Orbach orginated the character. The lyrics just seemed in rather poor taste, given the circumstance.
#57re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 12:18pmI think they should have done All I Care About is Love....which is just so Jerry Orbach....or Lullaby of Broadway (which wouldn't have worked as well).
Marquise
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/1/04
#58re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 12:19pm
"Sitting in my hotel room last night, coming down from my Whitney Houston weekend
WHOA!
Updated On: 6/6/05 at 12:19 PM
jezzebelle
Featured Actor Joined: 4/19/04
#59re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 12:21pmThank you, Thenardier ! I agree, both of those songs would have been better and more appropiate choices.
#60re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 12:39pmWow. I thought the point of the Tonys were to celebrate the season. I had a great time watching them, even though it wasn't the best Tony broadcast I've ever seen. Knowing the ratings they get and how most of the population could care less, be grateful we get them aired at all. There is SO much negativity on this board today.
#61re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 12:41pmI love Aretha, but I thought the pairing up with Hugh Jackman was horrible. He could have sang it by himself or she could go by herself and either of those performances would have been fine. But Jackman was rushing her through the lyrics and you can't rush Aretha or try to guide her in where she should sing next. I like Aretha and I love soul and she did a pretty decent version of the Sondheim song in the late 90s. But the Jackman pairing was awful.
#62re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 12:43pm
Well, if you are going to do something, do it right.
Piazza looked like it didn't know what the hell was going on.
DRS looked like it would be yanked off from the stage by cane.
Spamalot looked like cheap humor (well, that's what it is) being forced into Radio City Musical Hall even though it didn't belong.
La Cage was OK - but seemed boring on that big stage.
Charity didn't know left from right.
Spelling Bee was merely there for entertainment and didn't seem to have a purpose.
#63re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 1:32pmBilly Crystal as next year's host! ...know that he's got a tony for himself!
#64re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 1:42pm
re: Jesse L. Martin's tribute
PLEASE explain to me why he didn't sing Try To Remember? WHILE they were showing the images of those we've lost this year - and perhaps more than just one silly, quick pic per person, thereby not really even acknowledging or honoring them by not even giving us time to remember them and think back on the great memories of their performances and contributions to the theatre? It seemed like...liek they were speeding through a chore or something.
I don't think the 'tribute' should by ANY means be a production number - when you get dancers involved and it's not like, celebratory (like, they've passed but we're celebrating all they did) kinda unchoreographed type dancing - then you have a serious problem.
#65re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 1:55pm
Al Dente - I seriously applaud you, you are probably one if not the most honest poster on the board. Of course there are a few few things I disagree with, but oh well, that's to be expected. I really thought the TONY's were a little unorganized last night. Don't get me wrong it's one of my favorite nights of the year, BUT It just didn't flow too well; at least to me. You must admit that vocally, the perfomances this year were better than last years show. OVERALL, I still REALLY enjoyed the TONY's anyway!!!
....AND I would just like to say that Kelli O'Hara is absolutely amazing, stunning, and a breath of fresh air amidst a night of several clunky performances. She is truely a Broadway treasure! The Light in the Piazza, I thought, was one of the best performances of the evening, I loved it!
Later!
Phantom05
Peter
Leading Actor Joined: 5/28/03
#66re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 2:19pm
I agree with Al Dente and I've seen many tony telecasts, but this was one of the worst. The only shows I thought came off fairly well were La Cage and Spelling Bee. Folks, this is the one time every year the theatre community gets to strut its stuff and bring new fans to the broadway theatre. There was not one moment of magic, electricity or passion in the entire telecast (except perhaps for the seconds long acknowledgment Albee gave to his life partner). Hell, did anyone notice the LACK of standing ovations, in a town which is notorious for standing for just about anything?
Updated On: 6/6/05 at 02:19 PM
#67re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 3:27pm
"9. Why was Victoria using a hand mic?"-
I wondered the same thing! it was soooo random.And while Piazza sounded gorgeous I couldn't understand a single word they sang!!! I always thing the pulling of paper out of your dress or wherever is so tacky. You are dressed to the nines and then you pull out a cumpled piece of paper to read off of? wtf...
Aretha Franklin pisses me off. and Was it just me or did Spelling Bee get WAAAAAAAAYYY more time then the other shows?
the spelling bee performance marked a comment from one of my friends who was asking earlier in the night if the plays perform scenes like the musicals perform songs. during the performance he said "Why do they get to do all this crap and we don't see anything from the plays?"
just a thought.
#68re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 3:45pm
I just have to let this out:
Bill Irwin won a Tony for that performance? Are you f-ing kidding me?
Thanks. I feel better now.
robbiej
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
#69re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 3:47pm
I assume they tried to combine a Fred Ebb/Jerry Orbach tribute into one. But YES...Try to Remember (oops...that's an off-Broadway tune...THAT would never do) or Lullaby of Broadway would have been far more appropriate.
I mean...the chick that kissed Martin* was in a thong, for God's sake!
* Saw her in Chicago and LOVED her...just not as a song for the dead.
PS Marquise...it wasn't all that bad...it was just Gay Days weekend in Disney World and I was just so ecstatic!
MargoChanning
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/5/04
#70re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 4:04pmAnybody who thought that last night's telecast was the worst ever obviously never saw the Susan Anton/Rex Smith/Tom Wopat/Dick van Dyke years in the 80s. I still wake up in a cold sweat some nights remembering their craptastic salutes to Cy Coleman and Andrew Lloyd Webber
#71re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 4:08pm
Margo using the word "craptastic" in a post makes it all worth it.
I just don't understand why they had Aretha singing (or whatever she was doing, she was clearly a bit lost up there) a tribute to Sondheim when BERNADETTE PETERS WAS RIGHT THERE. HELLLOOOOOOOO......
nmartin
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/3/05
#72re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 4:14pmI've posted so much today that I'm not sure if I've aleady said this, but in reference to the Sondheim 'salute': Where was Patti LuPone with her THEY CAN HEAR ME IN BRIGHTON BEACH version of Being Alive?
robbiej
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
#73re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 4:15pmOh what I wouldn't have given for a Susan Anton/Rex Smith duet of 'The Perfect Year'!!
#74re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 4:22pm
see Margo, THAT's why I want to be your apprentice, lol. I know you didn't get that from a book you just went and pulled off the shelf to look it up!
Don't be humble - teach me to know all things theatrical like you, lol
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