The Tony Awards - Why I Didn't Care This Year

I'm sure that I don't have to tell you that the Tony Awards were presented on Sunday night. I had a concert that night (see post below), so I had to watch the proceedings on TiVo delay. But truth be told, it really didn't matter to me because this season was so lackluster with respect to new musicals. Sure, there were shows that tried to do new things, particularly Fela, American Idiot, and Come Fly Away. But none of them really succeeded, in my humble estimation. (Click on the links above for my reviews of each production.)

So it really wasn't a surprise when Memphis won Best Musical. I would have preferred that Fela win, simply because it was more ambitious. I thought the first act of Memphis was super slick, but the second act descended into predictability and essentially veered off into Hairspray country. (Click on the link above for my full review.) Why did Memphis win? Simple: the critics were dumped from the voting ranks of the Tonys and the remaining voters went for the relatively safe choice. Memphis won not because it's very good (it isn't) but rather because it's more likely to be successful on the road.

So, Memphis has now joined the ranks of Raisin, Redhead, Hallelujah Baby, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Big River, Sunset Boulevard, Fosse, Applause, and Jerome Robbins' Broadway: Big winners in a down year. Will Memphis virtually disappear from circulation as most of the above-listed shows have? Time will tell. 

The Tony Awards broadcast was rather unremarkable, although lots of people seemed to think that Sean Hayes knocked one out of the park as host. I thought he was fine, but he paled in comparison to the charm, ease, and spark that Neil Patrick Harris brought to last year's telecast.

One notable trend this year was Broadway congratulating itself on being able to attract A-list Hollywood stars. Did Scarlett Johansson, Denzel Washington, and Catherine Zeta-Jones genuinely deserve their Tony Awards? I saw neither A View From the Bridge nor Fences, so I'm in no position to judge there. (I concentrated almost exclusively on musicals this season.) But I did see A Little Night Music, and can honestly say no, I don't think she deserved it. (Click on the link for my review.) I would have been happy to see the award go to Kate Baldwin (Finian's Rainbow), Montego Glover (Memphis), or Christiane Noll (Ragtime). I think this is another case of the skewing effect of having producers, presenters, and other business types vote for the awards. Rewarding stars for coming to Broadway means more stars come to Broadway. And in the current environment in which plays and musicals are increasingly reliant on marquee names above the title, that's a very important business proposition.

Of course, it has absolutely nothing to do with merit. Or art.

Comments

[Steve On Broadway (SOB)]

Chris, I genuinely admired the performances that both Scarlett Johansson and Denzel Washington offered for their respective plays, but neither was my first choice.

I much preferred Jan Maxwell for Best Featured Actress in a Play - she a hoot in Lend Me A Tenor. And in a year when Alfred Molina earned the Drama League's sole acting honor for his magnificent work in Red, I hoped he'd win.

But I can't say I was unhappy about Johansson or Washington winning the way I was about Catherine Zeta-Jones, whom I thought was the very least of the five nominees.

[ccaggiano]

Thanks, Steve. Your perspective is always welcome. Yeah, I agree that CZJ was probably the *least* deserving of the nominees. I'm particularly reminded of this when I listen to the new ALNM cast recording. Whereas in the theater she seemed to be pushing just a bit too much, on the recording she's nearly unbearable, particularly on "Glamorous Life."

I genuinely find myself contemplating the future of the Tony Awards. Will their credibility to continue to erode? Or is there some way or restoring confidence? And does anyone really want to?

[Scot Colford]

"Pushing a bit too much?" She pushed so hard her upper lip sweat like she was running a marathon on the broadcast! (In the song *and* in her speech.) And in the show I thought she was about to put her index finger to her cheek, twist it, and exclaim, "WOO! WOO! WOO! (Nyuck-nyuck-nyuck.)"

Very good recap of the awards. I thought Hayes was excellent, but Harris was a pretty hard act to follow, of course.

How about those Glee folks, though? Mr. Glee running out of breath in that song was so inexcusable. I'm not in the greatest shape, but jeez. I could do that. It's not like he was doing backflips or anything. And Miss Glee sure fouled up her Funny Girl audition. Pick up the pace, girl! It's not a dirge!

[ccaggiano]

Scot: I'm totally with you. But you know something? The clip with Matt and Lea had about 200k hits on YouTube when I checked yesterday. That was more than twice the hits of any other clip from this year's broadcast. The nbers were superfluous but popular. And if I were running the Tonys I'd probably see that as a victory. But I'm not, so I see it as pandering.

[Steve On Broadway (SOB)]

To your questions, I would say that someone needs to buy off Michael Riedel, otherwise he'll be a one-man erosion band.

[ccaggiano]

Actually, snarky though he may be, Riedel is crucial to any effort at restoring confidence. Riedel makes mistakes, and he seems hell-bent on finding the dirt. But who else do we have in the mainstream media who's really keeping Broadway honest? There's Bloomberg and Variety, of course. And to a certain extent the NY Times. But most the other media outlets seem like an extension of the producers' marketing departments.