If you had told me at the beginning of the season that Memphis would win best musical, I'd have said you were crazy, but by the time the Tonys rolled around, it was the front runner. I think it's a strong production of a mediocre show and the fact that it swept just shows what a weak year it was. It was the safe choice, but I didn't think any of the musicals (even my favorite of the four, American Idiot) were completely deserving. Here are some general thoughts about the night:
Host:
Sean Hayes was charming and funny, just as he is in Promises, Promises. My favorite bit was when he dressed as Spider-Man and sang "Don't Rain on My Parade."
Performances:
Lea Michele stole the show with "Don't Rain On My Parade." They should just give her the role in Funny Girl now. It was kind of random to have Matt Morrison sang "All I Need Is The Girl," but he was terrific too. Too bad those performances won't sell tickets to anything. Was it just me or did the camera love Matt Morrison? There were so many shots of him throughout the night. I also enjoyed Green Day and American Idiot. When Memphis performed, my mom, who has not seen the show, said, "I thought this was supposed to be rock and roll music." The opening number this year was a slight improvement over last year, with those random pairings like Stockard Channing and Aaron Tveit, but I don't like montages. Also, having the winning show perform at the end was such a letdown after Neil Patrick Harris's performance last year. Why didn't Finian's Rainbow perform? Ragtime did, but couldn't they have at least let Christianne Noll sing all of "Back to Before"?
Awards:
The biggest surprise for me was Scarlett Johansson winning best featured actress in a play. I thought Jan Maxwell would get it for sure, especially since she wasn't going to win lead. I liked Scarlett Johannsen just fine, but I was really pulling for Maxwell. I happiest for Eddie Redmayne, who made a stunning Broadway debut in Red (he was up against another of my favorite debuts of the year, Jon Michael Hill in Superior Donuts) and Red. What I don't get is all the La Cage love. I enjoyed it, but I wasn't blown away. What was I missing?
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I had the broadcast on my DVR so I watched it again - and you're right, there was an awful lot of focus on Matt Morrison! I'm sure it wasn't by chance. ;-) I liked Lea Michele a little less the second time - she seemed to be screaming. But I love her from Spring Awakening and I'd see her in Funny Girl without hesitation.
I liked the opening number, when Sean Hayes started to play "Give My Regards to Broadway," then we got a taste of each of the nominated musicals. You really got a sense of the variety of music on Broadway.
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