There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep it to one thread,- Page 4
There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep it to one thread,
cserannie
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/1/05
#75re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 4:33pmYes and not just Bernadette but Joanna too.
Elizabeth_DeBris
Broadway Star Joined: 1/29/05
#76re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 4:43pmNot for anything, but hasn't Mr. Sondheim repeatedly said that he wasn't thrilled with his lyrics for West Side Story? And would it have been such a travesty to perform a song he actually wrote the MUSIC for? Argh. That really pissed me off, last night.
#77re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 4:48pmThe show seemed to start off ok but quickly slid downhill. I guess it wasn't worse than a lot of other broadcasts of the Tonys but I guess I was just hoping it would be better this year. The camera work during some numbers was really bad. I listened closely to Aretha and she seemed to be hitting her notes. It just seemed that they had Hugh'd mic cranked up to blast everyone outta the theatre level! DRS was a disappointment. He must have been tired as I was on the floor laughing during that song when I saw the show. Piazza blew me away. Even with the hand held mic in the beginning, she worked it! I had to decide between Piazza and DRS and chose DRS. Not too upset about that. Will just have to go see Piazza now if possible. I will buy the CD. Also like "Miss Applegate's" entrance and the look on the audience's faces. Of course we now know that it was a stunt double that took the fall. (Just read that on B'way.com) On a scale of 1 to 10 I give it about a 6.
#78re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 4:56pm
Who DIDN'T know it was a stunt double?? Did you really think that the production would have allowed Applegate to perform that stunt?
It doesn't matter that a stunt double took the fall, just watching her climb up to the stage in that dress made it the funniest moment in the show!
That, and the Spelling Bee sequence.
#79re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 5:01pmI seem to be the only person who was less than impressed with BEE last night.
#80re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 5:13pm
I was also less than impressed with Bee. That said, I was impressed with Piazza, and am very happy I have tickets to see it during my summer theatre bing. DRS was adequate, but I am not exactly dying to see the show, especially because it was brought to my attention Norbert will be out when I see it. Granted, I don't watch to judge the show on the Tony's broadcast either.
The Hugh/Aretha duet was all kinds of wrong. Sondheim did not deserve that. As others have said the song choice was all kinds of wrong. If it was the only one Aretha knew, they should have gotten someone else to perform. I doubt anyone who was watching, was simply watching to see Aretha.
Tony's are a time to salute the best of Broadway and should showcase only Broadway. The Tony's will never be the Grammy's, nor do I want them to be. If I wanted to see Hollywood celebrities, I would watch E!
#81re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 5:14pm
Well, not having seen Spelling Bee, and only reading about it, the little they showed of it actually made me want to see it. It looked like a fun show with a star performance by Dan Fogler. And he didn't even sing in the piece they showed!
What I saw of Spamalot made me NOT want to see that show. It looked annoying and the music and lyrics were grating, to me. And i am a big fan of Mike Nicols.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels looked like a great show; the scene was a showcase for Norbert, and I now understand why he was nomintated.
Light in the Piazza looked more like a play than a musical; perhaps it was the number they chose to show, but it did not interest me.
The Sweet Charity number....well, I know as soon as I say that I enjoyed it, I will be attacked by the Charity Haters Club, so I won't say anything.
Theatreboy33
Broadway Star Joined: 5/19/03
#82re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 5:18pmI know this surely isnt the story of the night, but I really felt the entire actual telecast ran about as smooth as that horrible Spamalot final acceptance speech. Some show numbers were introduced, some just plain weren't. Edward Albee's salute was chopped up and horrible, with background music playing over his entire speech. Jerry Orbach's memorium was cut off by Jesse Martin's number. Jesse Martin just plain sang way past the cutoff AND went suddenly sharp. Sara Ramirez seemed to have mic problems during the Spamalot number. Some numbers featured little to no closeups when they were needed. My god, just SO many problems and awkward transitions.
#83re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 5:35pm
I don't understand why Edward Albee's Lifetime achievement award wasn't televised. That was one award I was looking forward to seeing! I would haved like to have heard not only his acceptance speech, but the introduction to the award as well.
If they had cut that painful version of Somewhere, I'm sure we would have had time for it...
#84re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 5:40pmBee was wonderful. The cast is really nice offstage too. As far as Chritina's fall, I just didn't think about a stunt double having seen the show. But last night was a bigger fall. maybe the cold medicine I am on made me a bit less sharp! I taped the show for a friend so I will look again tonight!!
#85re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 5:41pm*sigh* Of course: The one year I don't watch the Tonys I miss all the good stuff...
BWIDB Charlie
Broadway Star Joined: 5/6/04
#86re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 5:47pm
My few comments, trying not to repeat anything said:
Sara R. - She seemed quite sick, and to my ears, her vocals in the Spamalot performance sounded pre-recorded.
Same performance - who was the person who decided to use strobe lights on the Tonys?! Hope no one had a seizure!
Opening medley of current running shows - really liked the idea, and we haven't had that sort of thing in a while. But it was obvious that the medley was poorly constructed. DRS' portion was in a key much lower than in the show, and coupled with (I think?) the fact no one could hear the orchestra made Norbert/John try to sing much higher - it was a bit bad.
If the production spent that much money on the display set (That circular/box thing that opened in interesting ways to reveal logos/pictures of plays) why couldn't they film brief scenes of the plays? I understand some have closed, but still...
Hugh's "dance" montage was cute, but it didn't fit. It would have been much better to work him into a large production number.
I thought Piazza worked well, actually. I'm much more interested in seeing it after viewing it. I just hated that Victoria had to use a handheld mic at first. Some major sound problems were going on.
NOTE: Don't sing "Somewhere" towards the end of a long awards ceremony. People will start to fall asleep. If you are using Aretha Franklin, do an uptempo.
Why did Jerry Orbach get a tribute song, but no one else? I loved the idea, and it (somewhat) worked Ebb into it, but leaving out Cy Coleman is a travesity. It would have been much better to do some sort of medley, with people who have ties to the people. Hell, do New York, New York to represent Ebb. It'll lead back into the theme of the ceremony.
I guess I'll quit whining now. I'm ever so thankful that these are still shown on network tv, I just wish they wouldn't rush the pre-production so quickly. Get it right, do it right... it'll be more financially & artisically rewarding. And, who knows, maybe you'll start making Joe Schmo regular person interested in actually seeing these shows. What a thought!
Charlie
magicpiane@kc.rr.com
#87re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 5:58pm
magicpiane, I totally agree with you regarding Cy Coleman being left out in the cold. That man did so much for Broadway during his liefelong career, and all he gets is a crappy black and white photo during that horrible number?
I would have liked to see HIM honored, instead of Sondheim.
robbiej
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
#88re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 6:01pm
I'm thinking they probably thought their bases were covered by having Charity perform.
#89re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 6:06pm
First, let me say, I have not read this whole thread ... so sue me.
All I really want to say is this: why not focus on the postive?
While there were things about last night's show I did not enjoy, overall, I thought it was a wonderful evening. I thought all of the nominated musicals came off looking great (I want to see them all now, whereas I did not before), and I hope it boosts sales for all of them, if only for a moment. There were wonderfully touching moments and moments that made me laugh.
I think it celebrated the Broadway theater in fine style.
#90re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 6:11pm
Showing scenes from Sweet Charity does not suffice to pay tribute to Cy Coleman's entire career.
(Applegate/Charity haters, please insert pointless "I hate Sweet Charity" comments here)
If Sweet Charity hadn't been nominated for best Revival, I wonder if the tony committee would have come up with something to pay tribute?
Any tribute to Coleman should have included a sampling of many of the shows that showcase the man's incredible talent and range. And Chita Rivera.
#91re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 7:02pm
Tony's are a time to salute the best of Broadway and should showcase only Broadway. The Tony's will never be the Grammy's, nor do I want them to be. If I wanted to see Hollywood celebrities, I would watch E!
Thank you! From the moment they started mentioning everyone that was presenting, I couldn't help but wonder if any of these people had even been on a Broadway stage.
I know they're trying to appeal to the entire country for ratings purposes, but I think it's just rude and contributes to the Hollywood elitism that's already hanging over the Broadway community. It's like they went through all the Hollywood actors and used any that had ever performed onstage. They might as well have called it CSI: Broadway if they're so concerned with ratings that they have to pre-record the Lifetime Achievement Award and air only clips of it in order to give Aretha Franklin her song.
This was especially noticable when they had audience shots, they would only show people that had movie/TV careers, and practically ignored those that were up for awards. Diane Sawyer got more screen time during during Mike Nichols's acceptance speech than he did!
Wanting life but never knowing how
#92re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 7:50pm
I wonder...
It seemed like everything was so thrown together and just...I dunno, like someone dropped the ball - so much was sloppy and just...I dunno, creatively bad, and bad material for Hugh, etc.
Do you think with all the complaining and how obvious all the 'glitches' were, that there'll be some story soon about what happened that it all got all effed up?
#93re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 8:14pm
I hope there is a story forthcoming about who dropped the tony ceremony ball. The musical selections (and I am not talking about the nominated musicals) were very off (Somewhere, ect). The orchestrations for EVERY musical number were terrible and you could see the casts attempting to keep up with the orchestra!
The entire show came off as under rehearsed. The camera shots were terrible. The "far shot" of the Razzle Dazzle number did nothing to help it (did they have a camera in the nosebleed balcony section just for that shot?).
Writing for these awards shows is always tricky though, so I can't complain about the painfully unfunny dialogue between presenters. That's ALWAYS a problem with award shows. I can request that Harry Smith never talk about Doris Robert's bedroom again, though!!
thirdrowcenter
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/16/03
#94re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/6/05 at 8:19pmI don't know if it was previously mentioned, but I was so annoyed seeing the desperate housewife presenting and also sitting in a highly visible seat in the audience. I'm sick of seeing the lot of them.
#95re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/7/05 at 11:21amAnd not to mention in a highly visable dress! I love the show and I love Marcia Cross. But she was out of place on Sunday.
#96re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/7/05 at 1:34pm
>>Yes and not just Bernadette but Joanna too.
this is very distressing.
NEW IDEA!
wouldn't it have been FABULOUS to have done something like the broadway: the leading ladies special?
The Sondheim Tribute: do a song that a) he actually likes b) he actually wrote the music to with c) people that are on the ball, performance-wise. Bernadeete and Joanna are great choices esp since they were both in attendence already. saluting sondheim in one song would be tough since he has such a huge range of matarial, but if they're going for the "cute" factor, a duet of "you could drive a person crazy" would have worked just fine. if they were going for "sentimental" a less over-used song than "somewhere" would have been appreciated. how about "being alive" or "you're gonna love tomorrow" (many from follies would do) or... well, just about any steve song at all.
The Orbach tribute: someone said earlier "try to remember," and i think that would have worked perfectly. it would have been very inappropriate to mix the sondheim tribute with the in memoriam part and have sung "everyday a little death."
The Cy Coleman Tribute: wouldn't it have been fun to have a swell duet of "what you don't know about women"? that's always a crowd pleaser and can be increibly entertaining when done correctly. i esp love emily and alice's version, but an appearence by two people that haven't been on bway in a few years might be a bit akward.
that's all my advice for today.
and why do the crusty old people get the plan the broadcast when 9/10 people on this board have infinatly better ideas? (i'm not even including myself in that, just to be clear).
#97re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/7/05 at 4:00pm
Feinstein,
Great idea for the Cy Coleman "tribute that should have been". They also could have done the "You're Nothing Without Me" with James and Greg! Hell, something from Barnum, or On the Twentieth Century or Will Rogers and I would have been happy!
To slight him was wrong.
#98re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/7/05 at 5:49pm
Here, here, Al!! I started to watch this travesty live then realized I was TiVoing it (and figured why waste my time being bored when I can fast forward through it on Monday).
Thrilled to see Bernadette at the opening, then was extremely disappointed in how they chose to use her.
Was less than thrilled with Hugh Jackman as host this year (and I do love me some Hugh) but like other posters here...not sure who should be picked to breathe some life back into the Tonys
Agree with most who found the numbers from the musicals to be a bit lackluster/disappointing. After seeing the performances I want less to see Piazza (was that just a poor choice of songs or are they all that hum-drum??) than I did after reading all the glowing posts here a few months ago. As a matter of fact, if I based my show choices on their Tony performances the only show I would truly want to see is Spelling Bee.
If this show was supposed to make America want to come to Broadway, I'm afraid it failed miserably.
Bwaybaby109
Broadway Star Joined: 6/28/03
#99re: There was SO much wrong with the Tony's last night, it's hard to keep i
Posted: 6/10/05 at 2:15pmI don't know the Spamalot songs that well but was that really the BEST song they could have chosen to perform from that show? I just thought it wasn't a good song to represent what the show was all about. I hope to get the recording very soon. I thought Norbert's performance was excellent and I enjoyed Piazza and Spelling Bee as well. I hope to get those recordings soon.
Videos