was is just me or does anyone else think that the should have cut tony b. and mary j b. or gotten broadway stars to sing those song!!!!!!!!
was is just me or does anyone else think that the should have cut tony b. and mary j b. or gotten broadway stars to sing those song!!!!!!!!
musicaltheatreman
Broadway Star Joined: 5/22/03
#0was is just me or does anyone else think that the should have cut tony b. and mary j b. or gotten broadway stars to sing those song!!!!!!!!
Posted: 6/7/04 at 12:47amthose performences were a waist of time and were awful!!!!they should have gotten heather headly to sing what i did for love and BP to sing the other song or just cut both numbers and gave extra time to the nominated shows or let big river perform!!!!!!! what do you guys thinks????
#1re: was is just me or does anyone else think that the should have cut tony b. and mary j b. or gotten broadway stars to sing those song!!!!!!!!
Posted: 6/7/04 at 12:49am
or, perhaps, have included the design awards in place of those songs?
or clips from the nominated plays?
VIETgrlTerifa
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/18/04
#2re: was is just me or does anyone else think that the should have cut tony b. and mary j b. or gotten broadway stars to sing those song!!!!!!!!
Posted: 6/7/04 at 12:49amThey definitely should have cut those two performances. Together, they took about 8 mintues...they could have given some more time to the nominated shows perfoming.
secondactor
Chorus Member Joined: 3/4/04
#3re: was is just me or does anyone else think that the should have cut tony b. and mary j b. or gotten broadway stars to sing those song!!!!!!!!
Posted: 6/7/04 at 12:50am
I agree.
Whomever organizes the Tonys went for crass commercialism in hopes of ratings, getting people up there who really have nothing to do with the theatre community.
Part of me hopes that the ratings will be awful, so that the Tony's will perhaps only be broadcast on KCET- which will allow the real actors on Broadway to be a part of it, instead of all these famous ringers.
But the circus must go on...
#4re: was is just me or does anyone else think that the should have cut tony b. and mary j b. or gotten broadway stars to sing those song!!!!!!!!
Posted: 6/7/04 at 12:52am
Well, the flip side is that the Tonys are a big chance to reach new audiences--which exposure on CBS with stars can do.
However, I personally would rather a PBS version--I loved the documentaries and interviews.
etoile
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/2/03
#5was is just me or does anyone else think that the should have cut tony
Posted: 6/7/04 at 1:45amAnd Voiceanth enjoys Mary J. Blige over Karen Ziemba...why?
MasterLcZ
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/12/03
#6was is just me or does anyone else think that the should have cut tony
Posted: 6/7/04 at 1:50amI like Tony, but please....and "The Lullabye of Broadway" was from a film, not a Broadway show.
newyorkuniq
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/1/03
#7was is just me or does anyone else think that the should have cut tony
Posted: 6/7/04 at 1:51amI was jut wondering what Mary J Blige was doing there in the first place??? I'm assuming it's because of some East Coast West Coast rapper deal between P Diddy and the Tony Voters :P
#8was is just me or does anyone else think that the should have cut tony
Posted: 6/7/04 at 2:07amA girl in my school did "What I Did For Love" as a solo in our Winter chorus concert, and frankly, she kicked MJB's @$$.
Walking by the same person you've already walked by in the dairy, produce, and frozen-food sections.
*I AM A MEMBER OF THE BWW.COM RADIOACTIVE SQUIRREL CLUB*
Plum
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/4/04
#9was is just me or does anyone else think that the should have cut tony
Posted: 6/7/04 at 2:40amI didn't think Bennett or Blige were awful, but nothing they did was compelling enough to justify cutting Big River to me.
#10was is just me or does anyone else think that the should have cut tony
Posted: 6/7/04 at 2:46am
Well, I mean, seriously, what were they doing there? I don't even know if I could call it a ratings ploy. It was just strange. And I really don't need to hear Blige butcher "What I Did For Love."
There are many things that time could have been used for.
Broadway Matt
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/17/03
#11was is just me or does anyone else think that the should have cut tony
Posted: 6/7/04 at 4:14am
I enjoyed Bennett's performance solely because it felt like an appropriate thing to have at the Tony's. It was nice to see him healthy and still able to hit those high notes.
Mary J Blige was awful IMHO. I just kept wondering who thought it was a good idea to have her sing an unrecognizable rendition of a beloved showtune IN FRONT of an audience jam-packed with performers who could have sung it better than her. maybe they wanted to appeal to Broadway's newfound P Diddy audience, but I really doubt that her presence at the show is going to inspire any of these new fans to go out and buy Broadway merchandise or copy Chorus Line for their friends. the time could have been used for so many other things. like for God's sake, give Michael McElroy something to do!
"The last train out of any station will not be full of nice guys." - Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
"I wash my face, then drink beer, then I weep. Say a prayer and induce insincere self-abuse, till I'm fast asleep"- In Trousers
Mr Roxy
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/17/03
#12was is just me or does anyone else think that the should have cut tony
Posted: 6/7/04 at 5:59amTotal waste of time - IMO
#13was is just me or does anyone else think that the should have cut tony
Posted: 6/7/04 at 8:21amI'm having to disagree with all of you. Tony Bennett's performance, to me, took FOREVER and was awful. Mary J. Blige's rendition of 'What I Did for Love' was not spectacular, but it was worth watching. I've heard that song many ways before, but not exactly like that. The only thing that really threw me off on her was the squeaking voice on the high parts- other than that, it was noteworthy.
#14was is just me or does anyone else think that the should have cut tony
Posted: 6/7/04 at 9:33amMasterLcZ - Lullaby of Broadway is from the show 42nd Street. It's an adaptation of a 1933 film, but still, it is a show.
#15was is just me or does anyone else think that the should have cut tony
Posted: 6/7/04 at 9:35amNoteworthy??? she didn't even sing the right notes!!!! what the hell is THAT all about? I don't give a damn how much scatting and trilling she does - just sing the notes that were written, at least ONCE during the frigging song!
#16was is just me or does anyone else think that the should have cut tony
Posted: 6/7/04 at 9:41amMJB butchered What I Did For Love. I like Tony Bennett. He's a music legend and a great performer but, I have to agree that they could have filled the time in a much better way.
#17was is just me or does anyone else think that the should have cut tony
Posted: 6/7/04 at 10:01amjrb - I totally agree with you. I would much rather have seen the design awards and I really miss all the interviews with the designers and the clips of the shows with explanations of the various design elements of each show. It was really fascinating and often beautiful to see. I also miss performances from the plays, which haven't gotten the attention they deserve since the early 90s. Some really memorable performances included scenes from Fences, The Grapes of Wrath, Lettice and Lovage, Largely New York, M. Butterfly, Speed-the-Plow, The Heidi Chronicles, Lend Me a Tenor, and others. The performances of the plays really made me interested in seeing them.
guido22
Chorus Member Joined: 2/5/04
#18was is just me or does anyone else think that the should have cut tony
Posted: 6/7/04 at 10:37ami dont think there was any point to having those performers on there. they are both very talented but this is, as advertised, BROADWAY's night to shine, not r&b or whatever mjb calls her music.
#19was is just me or does anyone else think that the should have cut tony
Posted: 6/7/04 at 10:57am
The whole segment was poorly done. "Legends to sing Legends" or what ever they were trying to accomplish failed misererably.
1. They didn't have enough time to do it right and should have nixed it. They got off on the right foot by bringing in Tony Bennett with a Bd'w classic, then dropped the ball.
2. Dear God, they had Carol Channing right there. Why didn't they consider using her to sing a bit of Dolly?!
It was just very lame for a "professional" production. I've seen better work in community theater.
Dollypop
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/03
#20was is just me or does anyone else think that the should have cut tony
Posted: 6/7/04 at 12:59pm
These two numbers made an overly-long evening even longer.
Was I the only one who noticed that Mary J. kept flatting out in her song? Maybe this is a new singing technique, but I don't like it.
newyorkuniq
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/1/03
#21was is just me or does anyone else think that the should have cut tony
Posted: 6/7/04 at 1:42pmand maybe I am wrong but did I see PDiddy give her a standing O??? hahahaa
#22was is just me or does anyone else think that the should have cut tony
Posted: 6/7/04 at 2:10pmI thought it hilarious that they kept referring to "The Musical Theatre Songbook" or whatever they called it. Made it sound like this was some official feature of the show, that it truly was going to be kind of a retrospective of the broadway catalogue -- and it was only TWO songs -- two of the most boring songs at that! Yep, you're right -- crass commercialism trying to bring in another segment of the viewing population -- especially with Mary J. SIDEBAR: I did think she looked incredible -- but then the mood was broken by the tattoos on her arms. How Angelina Jolie...
Unknown User
Joined: 12/31/69
#23was is just me or does anyone else think that the should have cut tony
Posted: 6/7/04 at 2:15pmNewyorkuniq - you did, indeed, see Mr. Combs standing - the only one.
#24was is just me or does anyone else think that the should have cut tony
Posted: 6/7/04 at 3:19pmI agree - I don't know why they were there; they were supposed to draw in viewers, but as the ratings show it didn't quite work. Oh well.
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