Monday, June 9, 2014

The best awards show... JE

It has been way too long… but something has come up that requires a blog post.  


The Tony’s


I am probably repeating myself, but I strongly believe that the Tonys are the best awards show.  I mean, how can you possibly go wrong with a bunch of people who perform live 8 shows a week?  This year, it was hosted by Wolverine, er, Hugh Jackman, who hopped his way into the auditorium.  He was hopping for several minutes straight.  It was nuts.  And then we went right into the first performance.  I didn’t know much about the new musical nominees, but the first one was After Midnight, and it opened with Patti Labelle, Gladys Knight, & Fantasia, so I was pretty much immediately sold.  And then Dule Hill was there for the 2nd song of the medley, so that was clearly going to be hard to top.  Of course then the cast of the Les Mis revival came on to sing One Day More, which reminded us that while the movie was very well done, nothing can hold a candle to the power of that musical.  Sorry Hugh, but you know it is true.
The performance from Aladdin was pretty good, but I was a little distracted by Aladdin’s abs.  I mean, I don’t want to objectify him, but they’d doing Friend Like Me, so he’s basically just there to be observed. Shirtless.  Well, in his Aladdin vest.  I’m pretty sure this is the same genie that I saw when the show started in Seattle and he is very talented. He just busted into a Menken/Ashman medley mid-song (I wonder if that is something they added to the show… with Part of that World, Under the Sea, & Beauty & the Beast), and then back to the main song and a great tap sequence, and a finale that included some fireworks.  Can’t lie, I am always a fan of fireworks.  And everyone else seems to agree that the genie is the star of the show because he won a Tony.
They showed a clip of Clint Eastwood talking to an empty chair between as they went to a commercial break.  Way to embrace the joke on you Clint, and then come out and kind of ramble a little.  It’s possible he is getting too old for this, but I still totally want to see Jersey Boys.  I can’t help it, I love that Frankie Valli/Four Seasons music.
Jonathan Groff introduces Idina Menzel.  And makes a little nod to John Travolta’s screw up at the Oscars with how he says “wickedly talented”, but of course pronounces her name right.  She is singing from If/Then.  I need to see this musical.  This woman really can sing like no one else.  Or at least very few others.  And most of them are in that room.
The scene from Rocky that they did was really not my thing, but Alan Cumming’s Cabaret is a thing of beauty. Alan Cumming is amazing.  
I am very intrigued by A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, and they didn’t even really highlight the guy who plays all the different roles in the performance, only the intro.
But really, let’s just talk about how amazing Neil Patrick Harris is.  In those heels. climbing all over everything, dancing on his adorable husband.  Sorry to all other Hollywood couples, but NPH & David Burkta are the most adorable couple in the business.  I love Hedwig, and while the song selection, Sugar Daddy, isn’t my favorite song (I really like it, but it’s no Wig in a Box or Origin of Love) from the show, it was 100% the right choice for the night’s performance.  
I tried not to cry during the Wicked performance, but For Good gets me every time.  I’m glad they picked that to celebrate 10 years on Broadway for that amazing show.
All in all a solid year at the Tony’s.  I feel it will be hard to top NPH’s intro from last year, but Hugh held things together nicely and I cannot wait for these new shows and revivals to tour.



Sarah is binge watching Orange is the New Black and…. Teen Wolf!  Because I made her watch the first few episodes and now she is hooked.  Because Stiles is Seth Cohen.  And for other reasons, but mostly Stiles is Seth Cohen.

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