Ways to Improve the TONYS- Page 2

[bwaysinger]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 2:40pm

They need to nominate Raul in every single category.

[defyingravity11]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 2:44pm

-show more of the nominated plays
-a host
-no extra performances; give the time to nominated shows

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 2:51pm

I'm going to agree with all those who have said to cut down on the speeches and have full performances. This should be a big, national commercial for Broadway, so sell it!!

[jv92]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 2:56pm

Oh, and I have to add one thing (and people have been saying it too)- Get a new set.

[Dirty_Rotten_Guy]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 2:58pm

I just want to say I thought it went very well without a host.

I think hosts just slow down the show even more, like, with the Oscars, the first 10-20 minutes of the show is just the host trying to say witty lines. And just having one host continually popping up and wasting time is pointless. Having no real host, and just letting the awards be handed out is a time-saver.

But yes, I think for next year they should work on the time limit for acceptance speeches. For some people, they would allow them to talk for as long as they wanted, but for others, they cut them off rather quickly. So just make it an equal time for everyone!

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 2:59pm

nudity and having Spring Awakening win EVERY YEAR!

[goldenboy]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 3:48pm

The biggest problem for me was the long winded pretentious writing that proceeded
giving out the award. Perhaps the presenters should just say "The nominees are" instead of trying to educate us with some over blown pompous nothing about the catergory.

or get a better writer.

I miss the days when Carol Channing explained about the Ly Ri Cissssssssst.
That was fun; not pompous. Perhaps the writers need to look up fun and entertaining in the dictionary.

[Producer2]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 3:52pm

How about the audience having the sense to stand for theater legend Ms. Lansbury!

[splendoris]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 3:53pm

Lansbury hosting

[Brave Sir Robin2]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 3:57pm

No mor speeches abut the American Theatre Wing.

" - Get a host
- no more "nobodys" as presenters. who was that greek woman from Cabaret? Yes, she had a mild connection with K&E, but what, Joel Grey or Ann Reinking wasn't available?
- more theatrical legends as presenters and performers (Stritch, Cook, Rivera, etc..)
- put it back in a theatre. Radio City is too big for the performances/speeches and and it looks too glitzy. Put it back in a Theatre. It always felt more refined."

It would do good in a theatre. If there was a theatre. If only the Nederlanders didn't sell the Hellinger to a church....

That nobody was Melinda(?) Kanakaredes(sp?) from CSI New York.

The only thing about all the new musicals is that some are closed and that would take up alot of rehearsal time.

Better performances, less medleys.

No more unesscessary performances.

Also, a new set might help. Just not TOO cheesy.

And since I'm at it, get a host. We don't want 60 people or Hugh Jackman. How about Eddie Izzard, Anika Noni Rose (after Frog Princess), or Kristin Chenoweth. Someone with enough star power to have peeople watch the Tonys, not a re-run of CSI or Lost.

[Brave Sir Robin2]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 3:58pm

Or Neil Patrick Harris. Or RAUL!!!! Or Rosie O'Donnell.

[leon1489]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 4:24pm

HOST
I think part of the dullness of this year's ceremony was the lack of humor. Every once in a while, a speech would be amusing, but there was very little humor in the show itself. I feel a presenter's place is to introduce a category, not upstage the award itself (Ben Vereen, anyone?); instead, hire a host to get the night going.

Personally, I think Kristin Chenoweth would be perfect. She's got enough crossover recognition in that theatre people obviously know and love her, but that the general American public has heard of her, too. I saw clips of her at the Drama Desk, and she is absolutely hysterical.

PERFORMANCES
Medleys need to be better coordinated. I felt like Spring Awakening suffered from schizophrenia. The individual segments [except for Totally F-ed] were good, but the mixing was too jolty. Medleys should only be used if there is no clear "show stopping" number. I feel Mary Poppins could have DEFINITELY done one song only, and Spring Awakening could have done the same.

I would rather have seen Laura Bell Bundy, or Donna Murphy, or Kristin Chenoweth getting a chance to perform than Fantasia and Jersey Boys. Jersey Boys looked washed out last night, and regardless of my personal dislike of Fantasia, I feel it's inappropriate to just have anyone singing on that stage. Performances should be reserved to showcase the nominees for that given year.

OVERALL
Stop showing commercials for Viva Laughlin. Seriously, MAJOR overkill. Seriously, it's like every year only one company buys advertising for the Tony's. Do we remember last year's interminable "Somewhere"?

Um... reinvigorate the set. I realized that the set has been like the same thing for three years. Seriously, this is an awards show FOR THEATRE. Can't we dress it up differently? There's nothing particularly wrong with the set... it's just tired.

The memorial seemed a bit odd this year. I'm not sure what it was... it just seemed a bit out of place.

Um... those two old people... who got killed by the chandelier. Seriously, they need to do that every year. I realize that these two people are big deals in the American Theatre Wing, but oh dear God.

Get rid of "A Little Broadway In Everyone" moments. Last year I think it was favorite Tony memories. I'm sure in taking away those little moments, they'd be able to add at least one more performance to the telecast. I don't know about everyone else, but to me one of the best part of the Tony Awards IS the performances, because it's sort of theatre's showcase of talent to everyone else. The more we can do to market Broadway, the longer it'll be alive.

[James2]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 4:42pm

1. Shorten the clips in the "Year in Musicals" segment

2. More speeches like Frank Langella's

[Dancin Thru Life]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 6:22pm

What's all this fuss about a HOST?

You aint gonna get more show clips and music with a HOST who tends to natrurally make it all about themselves anyway.

I say, get a big cage and stage a "BEST MUSICAL DEATH MATCH"!

May the best cast win! (Sorry Christine and Mary Louise!) HAHA!

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 7:29pm

A lot of people watch the Tonys to catch up with Broadway. Therefore, you have to introduce the performances somehow.

Anyway, they should show clips from musicals for each major category like they do in the Oscars. If Equity allows it (do they? I dunno.) As I've said, there are a lot of people who won't realize how good Mary Louise Wilson was in GG, etc.

[Billy Broadway]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 7:38pm

As a TV broadcast, the Tony's would be better served to be broadcast live in all respective time zones so the many Broadway theatergoers who live west of the Hudson River don't have to watch something canned or have the suspense drained by announcements on the internet and live TV news reports.

Also I agree with others who commented they like an MC. Hugh Jackman rocked my world and most of the audiences it seemed.

[Phantom2]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 8:51pm

Get a host. Angela Lansbury should have just kept on goin'.

Updated On: 6/11/07 at 08:51 PM

[BustopherPhantom]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 8:55pm

Stop making (or letting, I dunno') Harvey Fierstein make jokes about how he's homosexual - he likes guys, tee hee, how hilarious after we've heard it FIVE GAMILLION-freakin' times.

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 9:07pm

Bring in a producer for the show who understands the essence of entertainment, then work with the various nominated shows to put their very best foot forward. Too many of the numbers performed last night assumed the audience knew what the show was (even with the intros). It didnt communicate any of the sheer magic and joy of working in the theatre; it just sat there. Better camerawork; better production design; better sound design (God, please, better sound design). Put it in a smaller venue -- Radio City was just way too big.

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 9:13pm

i personally didn't care for those little scenes right before the commercials where the cast would say we're performing next... kinda lame if you ask me... and yeah... that a litle broadway in everyone or whatever those were... that was pretty stupid and random... they barely did it and it was just "famous" people saying "broadaway's in everyone"... ugh... and this was on another thread... but don't invite ben vereen and usher back to the awards show if all they are gonna do is talk about each other... argh