Tony Award Clips question

[Unknown User]

Posted: 3/30/07 at 2:20am

Broadway's Lost Treasures got me thinking--first of all there's not a list of all the Tony musical performances anywhere is there (I know that's undoubtedly too good to be true)

Second--how come they didn't do clips from the nominated musicals for 1970-1975 or so it seems (ie as a Sondheim fan no COmpany the year it was up, no Follies, though they did a modified smaller Lucya nd Jessie a few years later, no Night Music...) Where other years they seemed to have long clips (in 1969 did Promises Promises get to perform both Turkey Lurkey and She Likes Basketball?)

E

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 3/30/07 at 2:34am

Go to:

http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/archive/ceremonies/index.html

and click on "Flashback to:" for who hosted, presented and performed each year.

You'll notice that for several ceremonies in the early 70s, not all the nominated shows performed. This was before it became sort of set in stone that all nominated shows got to perform and the producers took the opportunity on national airtime to do lots of tributes and salutes to significant composers and artists from Tony history. Remember that the ceremonies prior to 1967 were not nationally televised (and were often very low key affairs, sometimes shown on local NY tv, and had little musical entertainment). While certain shows from those given seasons from the 70s didn't get a chance to perform, what's great is that the producers used the opportunity to bring back most of the major Tony winners from the years before the show was telecast and give them an opportunity to preserve their signature numbers forever. The tapes of those ceremonies are in some cases one of the few surviving visual records we have of performers like Alfred Drake, Richard Kiley, Patricia Morrison, Zero Mostel, Jill Hayworth, Yul Brynner, Ray Walston, John Raitt, Robert Morse, Stanley Holloway et al doing numbers from the shows that made them famous.

Updated On: 3/30/07 at 02:34 AM

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 3/30/07 at 2:57am

I have a tape of the first national telecast (1967) which runs 90 min. and features one sponsor - an airline - in one 60" spot per break. They do long nuumbers from CABARET. APPLE TREE, WALKING HAPPY and I DO DO I DO. ALl that plus all the awarads...not one speech lasts more than about 20 seconds.

1971 was their 25th anniversary when they did numbers from Tony winning shows of the past 25 years. (A lot of these bits are in LOST TREASURES.) So, no time for numbers from nominees that year.

1972 they did numbers from AIN'T SUPPOSED TO DIE A NATURAL DEATH, GREASE and JC SUPERSTAR plus the two big dance numbers from the previous season's NO NO NANETET. Nothing from FOLLIES!!

1973 they did numbers from Internationsl staginsg of musicals...KING & I in Japanese, SHOW BOAT in London (Cleo Laine), an italian musical called CIAO RUDY among others. Nothing from NIGHT MUSIC or any nominees.

I think they finally got back to doing songs from each nominee in 1976 (A CHORUS LINE, CHICAGO and PACIFIC OVERTURES all had numbesr on the air.)

[Unknown User]

Posted: 3/30/07 at 3:26am

While it's true it's great to see stars like Drake reprise their roles for me personally the big appeal of the Tonys is to see a scene as closely done as it was in the show--ie with as much sets and costumes as possible so I find many of those performances disappointing especially if it meant we missed out on seeing something from Company or Follies (then again some years they didn't really do this--the clip from Zorba always looked to me like it wasn't staged as it would be on stage but I could be wrong)

Too bad they didn't start a year earlier so we'd get Sweet Charity but then again we have at least two really well done performances from that on Ed Sullivan.

mark what was the long Cabaret clip? more than Wilkomen which we've seen?

Also what did Jesus Christ Superstar perform? I've never seen anythign from the O'Horgan (sp?) production and it sounds crazy...

(and I'm embarassed ot say I've never even heard of Ain't Supposed to Die...)

And I guess I shouldn't complain--the Brit Olivier awards have a MUCH more spotty past of showing performances, let alone being televised Updated On: 3/30/07 at 03:26 AM

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 3/30/07 at 3:38am

AIN'T SUPPOSED TO DIE A NATURAL DEATH was a fascinating show from Melvin van Peebles made up of a series of scenes and vignettes of early 70s inner city life, all underscored by a jazzy, funky r&b score. Classical Theatre of Harlem revived it a couple of seasons ago in an outstaning production. Truly a show that has to be experienced live (and not on record) to be appreciated.

[WestVillage]

Posted: 3/30/07 at 12:04pm

I attended the 25th Anniversary of the Tony Awards, and all I can say is wow ... what a line-up! I was a freshman in high school, who had loved Broadway for all of 2 years at that point, but seeing these legends performing the songs they made famous what the most thrilling experience.

I also attended the year Applause was up against Coco. I remember them doing the Applause number live, but Always Mademoisielle from Coco was shown on TV screens throughout the theatre. I had already seen Coco, but it was a major disappointment that the number was not done live, and that Ms. Hepburn wasn' even in attendance, even though she was nominated. Very happy, however, that this number is preserved on Broadway's Lost Treasures (can you pick out Ann Reinking and Charlene Ryan among the mannequins?).

[jv92]

Posted: 3/30/07 at 2:57pm

The horrific Coco number seemed taped, since it includes a laugh track. Most of the lines weren't even funny though. That's what a laugh track's for I guess.

And frontrowcentre-
In 1973, the opening of Pippin was performed per the Tony Awards website. I've never seen the actual tape of the show, so perhaps it wasn't.
Updated On: 3/30/07 at 02:57 PM

[Unknown User]

Posted: 3/30/07 at 9:12pm

Strange I've never heard mention of Pippin at the Tonys.

I love that Coco number though I admit the lines fall flat. I suppose they wanted to show off Cecil Beaton's HUGE set which cost the show a record amount for the time--they couldn't bring it to the Tonys--I was JUST now reading on Time magazine online an article about the show from 1969--anyway it's nie to be able to see Michael Bennett's full infamous Coco Chanel fashion parade.

[SweeneyPhanatic]

Posted: 3/30/07 at 9:22pm

Did "Company" ever perform for the Tony's or some other telecast? I seem to remember a clip from "Getting Married Today" in the "Broadway: the American Musical" special.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 3/30/07 at 9:58pm

See my first post :P I don't even think the Roundabout revival performed but I could be wrong...

The three girlfriends sang Drive a Person Crazy for the tv special That's Singing though sadly not with Michael Bennett's infamously complicated choreography

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 3/30/07 at 10:09pm

I have a copy of the PIPPIN "Magic To Do" performance with Ben Vereen and the ensemble from the 1973 Tonys so it was definitely performed.

Incidentally, the opening to the 1973 Tonys was one of the best ever. It was a tribute to "Broadway Around the World" with Gwen Verdon, Helen Gallagher, Donna McKechnie and Paula Kelly all doing vocal and dance excerpts from various shows, together and individually, to the tune of "It's Today" (renamed "It's Broadway!" with all new lyrics).