Thursday, June 12, 2014

The Tony Awards 2014

I actually went through and took screen shots of my Twitter feed from the whole night. So anyone who is curious about what I was thinking in the moment but doesn't want to scroll through my whole Twitter page just let me know.

I have a lot of thoughts about what happened last night. But, unlike other years, I don't feel like my opinion matters at all because I only saw three shows this entire season. Yeah, I know. Don't worry, I've already cried over that fact many times.

Still, I versed myself on all the shows and had my favorites even if I was unsure who was most deserving based on performance.

The fact that John Tiffany didn't win Best Director and Celia Keenan-Bolger didn't win Best Actress for Glass Menagerie was a crime. And, in my opinion, the two biggest upsets of the night. I was shocked. Go back and read my review of that show -- I stand by the statement that it was the best piece of theater I've seen in this country.

The other upset for me was Kelli O'Hara not winning Best Actress in a Musical for Bridges. I didn't see the show and I'm sure Jessie Mueller is fantastic in Beautiful. BUT based off the soundtrack to Bridges, the award should've gone to Kelli. Even if just to recognize the talent that was on the stage. I've heard a lot of things from people who have seen the show, all about how the story was boring even though the music was incredible. Jason Robert Brown won two Tony's for his work on the show in terms of the music, but no performer won.

Now to the performances and the whole evening in general...

I was so impressed by the cast of Les Miserables. It was just one of those perfect Tony performances. A well known song, good shots of the big players in the cast, and the whole cast together. Overall I thought all the performances were pretty strong. And even the ones I didn't care that much about were entertaining -- like Aladdin. I got why they chose that song -- it showcased the actor who ended up winning the Tony for the role and the costumes and sparkles were enough to get people interested in buying tickets. The only performance I was kind of "eh" about was Rocky just because it wasn't really a song... just more showcasing the fight choreography. And let's be real, we all wanted to hear Andy Karl sing.

I guess I can't really blog about the Tony's without mentioning NPH's performance with Hedwig. It was pretty perfect. Unfortunately the show is impossible to get tickets to and the only tickets available are bazillions of dollars and they do a lottery instead of rush so not even worth it since it's probably impossible to win. For most of us, that performance was the only one we will ever get to see of this production. But it was fun and entertaining and it won lots of awards. I'm not bitter about the fact that I'll never get to see it... I swear I'm not. OKAY I AM. Fine. Whatever.

So that opening number, huh? So disappointing. Ugh. Really though it was not okay. Hugh Jackman did a good job of hosting, but he did not do a good job of making sure his opening number would go down in Tony history like so many of Neil's have. I wanted a performance. Not a show of his athletic ability.

Audra's speech was to die for.
Ramin Karimloo's kids were to die for.
NPH kissing David was to die for.
Idina redeeming herself from the Oscar's and crushing that song was to die for.
Matt Bomer and Zachary Quinto presenting in matching glasses was to die for.
Hartford getting a shout out in Darko's speech was to die for.

Overall a really good night. I had a lot of fun watching. The rap seemed bizarre and out of place while it was happening but upon a second viewing it was fun.

Also, the fact that Sound Designers are no longer being recognized is a horrible thing and I hope the committee rethinks that decision before next year.

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