Toned

So the Tony Awards were last night, if you noticed.  (Here's a fun experiment--go to your local bar and say "do you mind changing the channel from that sporting event to the Tonys" and see what happens.)  They're the unwanted stepchild of the big four awards shows (Emmys, Grammys, Oscars, Tonys).  Broadway used to seem part of the national entertainment landscape, but to most people now it seems about stuff New Yorkers are interested in.  Sure, some of the big musicals--the ones filled with spectacle--will tour, but mostly this is stuff no one will ever see in any version unless a movie is made.

It's hard for me to rate how good the choices were since I didn't see any of the productions, but the Tony Awards show itself was, as usual, a cut above most other awards shows.  Fairly witty and entertaining, with a certain amount of star power, you wonder why the other shows can't manage this. (Maybe because they figure no one is watching?) One good bit, for example, brought together Broadway headliners Megan Hilty, Andrew Rannells and Laura Benanti, who sang about how it sucks to have the TV show you were cashing in on get canceled. Neil Patrick Harris seems to have become the regular host and he pulls it off each year (though tongue-kissing Sandy the dog was weird).

As to winners, the voters spread things around.  Kinky Boots won for best musical, score (by Cyndi Lauper), actor and three other awards, but favorite Matilda won four awards including best book and featured actor, while Pippin won best musical revival and three other major awards, including one for Andrea Martin. (I should add the Tonys can be seen as a lengthy add for the musicals, since we get to see a lot of numbers from them, but I have to admit not much I saw would make me pay for a full-price ticket.)

For straight plays,  Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike won Christopher Durang a Tony---I'm sure he deserved it, but maybe the voters thought they might not get another chance to give him an award.  Somewhat surprisingly, the play didn't win any acting awards. For that matter, Tracy Letts won best actor for Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?, even though he's known best as a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright for August: Osage County.  Furthermore, he beat out some truly big names--Tom Hanks, Nathan Lane and David Hyde Pierce (maybe they figured these three guys have enough acting awards).  Woolf also won best revival and directing, but three other dramas shared the rest of the acting awards--A Trip To Bountiful, Lucky Guy and The Assembled Parties.  And The Nance, which was snubbed in not getting a best drama nomination, ended up winning three technical awards.

Overall, a worthy show.  My main problem was I didn't really have any rooting interest, which makes it harder to get involved.