2018 Tony Awards

For discussions of subjects relating to literature and theater.
Greg
Tenured
Posts: 3285
Joined: Thu Jan 02, 2003 1:12 pm
Location: Greg
Contact:

Re: 2018 Tony Awards

Post by Greg »

Mister Tee wrote:Is Perestroika, the second part of Angels in America (which had swept the field a year earlier), theoretically a sequel and thus falls under your rubric?
Yes, I would consider Perestroika to be an adaptation.
Mister Tee
Tenured Laureate
Posts: 8637
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 2:57 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

Re: 2018 Tony Awards

Post by Mister Tee »

Greg wrote:Every award went to an adaptation, either a revival or a non-revival based on a movie or TV show. Does anyone know if this is the first time it has happened?
Well, it would basically require a year where the winning play is based on a novel/movie etc., and there's not many. Also, I'm not quite sure what you mean by adaptation.

But, one almost: 2015, where The Curious Incident... was based on a novel, Fun Home was based on a graphic novel, The Audience was a semi-offshoot of The Queen, and various revivals (The King and I, You Can't Take It With You) or adaptations (An American in Paris) accounted for all awards but one: Christian Borle's win for Something Rotten.

And one "depends how you feel about...": 1994. Is Perestroika, the second part of Angels in America (which had swept the field a year earlier), theoretically a sequel and thus falls under your rubric? Because it, Diana Rigg's Medea, and the revival of An Inspector Calls took the straight-play categories, while Passion (based on the Italian film) won best musical, revivals of She Loves Me, Carousel and Damn Yankees took acting trophies, and Disney's stage-ification of Beauty and the Beast won the costuming prize.
Greg
Tenured
Posts: 3285
Joined: Thu Jan 02, 2003 1:12 pm
Location: Greg
Contact:

Re: 2018 Tony Awards

Post by Greg »

Every award went to an adaptation, either a revival or a non-revival based on a movie or TV show. Does anyone know if this is the first time it has happened?
flipp525
Laureate
Posts: 6163
Joined: Thu Jan 09, 2003 7:44 am

Re: 2018 Tony Awards

Post by flipp525 »

Neil Patrick Harris comes off like a total dick in that exchange.
"The mantle of spinsterhood was definitely in her shoulders. She was twenty five and looked it."

-Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Big Magilla
Site Admin
Posts: 19318
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 3:22 pm
Location: Jersey Shore

Re: 2018 Tony Awards

Post by Big Magilla »

So, it seems I'm not the only one who didn't like that annoying backstage woman and didn't know who she was, either.

Neil Patrick Harris & Rachel Bloom’s Tony Awards Feud Is Cringeworthy
By Joe Reid @joereid
Jun 11, 2018 at 9:50am

Robert De Niro may have had his boxing fists up in defiance at Donald Trump on Sunday night’s Tony Awards, but that wasn’t even the most interesting feud of the night. In an exchange just bitchy enough to be worthy of Theater’s Biggest Night, Tony-winning actor Neil Patrick Harris and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend star Rachel Bloom appeared to have mixed it up over Harris’s professed ignorance as to who Bloom actually is.

Bloom was performing backstage hype duties on CBS’s Tonys telecast, kicking us to commercial and chatting with backstage celebs, that sort of thing, while hosts Josh Groban and Sara Bareilles were busy elsewhere. Decked out in a black-and-white ensemble and a teeny tiny hat, Bloom was living her musical-theater fantasy and showing why the entertainment industry (screen and stage) should be paying attention to her as Crazy Ex-Girlfriend heads into its final season.

Somewhat less impressed was Neil Patrick Harris, a multi-time Tonys host who, this year, was enjoying the show from the comfort of home with his kids. Employing that age-old passive-aggressive tactic that annoying parents have been pulling for years, where they attribute some witty observation to their kid to make them sound preternaturally smart and funny (which in turn flatters the parent; it’s a whole thing, we can’t get into it), Harris tweeted “Who is the woman in the top hat backstage at @TheTonyAwards? Gideon remarked that she says ‘like’ and ‘oh my god’ a lot. I’m confused…”

So many questions as to the intent of this tweet!

Was NPH trying to be bitchy in an “I don’t know her” Mariah Carey way? If so, why?

Does NPH somehow not know who Rachel Bloom is? And if so, doesn’t he have friends he can text?

Was NPH making a (bitchy, passive-aggressive) point about grammar do’s and don’ts for his 7-year-old son Gideon’s benefit?

Are he and Bloom actually friends and doing a bit?

Whatever the rationale, Bloom managed to find the time to tweet a blisteringly perfect response: “I’m a big fan of yours. We’ve met numerous times and my husband, Dan Gregor, wrote for ‘How I Met Your Mother’ for 5 years. Notably, he wrote the episode where your character finally meets his father.”

Harris’s meek reply — “Indeed! Well said. Thanks for the reminder. How was backstage?” — seems to indicate this wasn’t some kind of bit, making it one of the most awkward and uncomfortable (but also wonderful) celebrity slap-fights we’ve witnessed in a minute.
flipp525
Laureate
Posts: 6163
Joined: Thu Jan 09, 2003 7:44 am

Re: 2018 Tony Awards

Post by flipp525 »

You guys have covered a lot of my general thoughts about the overall show already, so I'll just pop in to say that I'm so happy for Laurie Metcalf’s relatively unexpected Tony win for Best Featured Actress in a Play for Three Tall Women last night. I was very much thinking they were going to give it to Denise Gough as a kind of welcome-to-the-club Tony also recognizing her much buzzed about work in People, Places and Things. (I also have to admit that I didn't really get her Harper on stage - I thought Sarah Brown was the better supporting performance from that play). And Metcalf, of course, did just win last year which I guess I took as another obstacle for her to overcome. Glenda Jackson was the surest win in the lead category in recent years going into the night (and it was very well-deserved - she's incredible it in) but I’m so happy that Metcalf’s indelible performance was also recognized. It really was sensational. Brava.
"The mantle of spinsterhood was definitely in her shoulders. She was twenty five and looked it."

-Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Mister Tee
Tenured Laureate
Posts: 8637
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 2:57 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

Re: 2018 Tony Awards

Post by Mister Tee »

The Original BJ wrote: Hindsight is of course 20/20, but I can't say I'm all that shocked Tina Fey lost. Precedent, in fact, would have suggested she was something of a long-shot for her category -- it's virtually unheard of for the artier show to take Best Musical but lose Best Book to something more commercial/populist, which was what everyone seemed to be predicting. (Just about the only exception I could find would be Nine/Dreamgirls.)
Well, there were years where Best Musical wasn't a shoo-in for the populist show -- 1984, 2005, 2009. La Cage beating Sunday in the Park, Putnam County Spelling Bee beating Light in the Piazza, and Billy Elliott beating Next to Normal in those years seemed to go against the larger trend of art-over-commerce for Book (typified by Secret Garden over Will Rogers Follies in '91). But your overall point is correct. As I said in my prediction post, the expectation for Tina Fey was largely analogous to that for Cyndi Lauper/Kinky Boots: guessing voters would want to welcome a celebrity from another field bringing her talent to Broadway.

I'm completely with you on the Carousel number: I know multiple people who disliked Carousel but acknowledged the choreography was sensational. Blow High Blow Low is hardly a distinguished part of the score, but it does offer some dancing chops. (I have to admit, I thought it was very cool when the dancers got into a formation suggesting a sailboat.)
Big Magilla
Site Admin
Posts: 19318
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 3:22 pm
Location: Jersey Shore

Re: 2018 Tony Awards

Post by Big Magilla »

The Original BJ wrote:Magilla, I imagine "Blow High, Blow Low" was selected to show off Carousel's choreography, which had been one of its most buzzed-about elements (and one of its eventual Tony winners). There aren't too many other big production numbers in that score.
"June Is Bustin' Out All Over" and "A Real Nice Clambake" should have fairly decent choreography as well, but, yeah, this was probably the most choreographed scene aside from the ballet which most likely uses Agnes DeMille's tried and true original concepts.
The Original BJ
Emeritus
Posts: 4312
Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2003 8:49 pm

Re: 2018 Tony Awards

Post by The Original BJ »

Once The Band's Visit had picked up Best Book and (seemingly from nowhere) Featured Actor, it became clear that voters simply thought that was the only acceptable option in most categories, and despite large nomination hauls, Mean Girls and SpongeBob Squarepants just weren't viewed as serious enough candidates for prizes. A double-digit Tony haul does seem a bit out of proportion to the overall reception of The Band's Visit, but most folks in the know don't seem to be arguing much with the individual awards in such a lean year.

Hindsight is of course 20/20, but I can't say I'm all that shocked Tina Fey lost. Precedent, in fact, would have suggested she was something of a long-shot for her category -- it's virtually unheard of for the artier show to take Best Musical but lose Best Book to something more commercial/populist, which was what everyone seemed to be predicting. (Just about the only exception I could find would be Nine/Dreamgirls.) It seemed that most thought Fey's celebrity (and, to be fair, cache as a writer) would be too much for voters to ignore, but in the end, sheer antipathy to Mean Girls won out. (And I agree Mister Tee -- there's no way that category would have been presented on air unless Fey had been a front-runner in it.)

I think the fact that I'd seen Once On This Island made me think highly of its chances to win -- not only was it an excellent production, but it felt like the most re-imagined effort in the category, which is what can often tip the scales for revivals. (I'm sure the buzz about whether Carousel and My Fair Lady are the right shows to be re-mounting in the #MeToo era didn't hurt either). I concur with dws that the show clearly sold itself better than anything else, and it managed to do so by weaving together THREE different parts of the show while making them all seem of a piece. (Some of the other productions gave off a vibe of "we did this number... now we're doing this one!")

Magilla, I imagine "Blow High, Blow Low" was selected to show off Carousel's choreography, which had been one of its most buzzed-about elements (and one of its eventual Tony winners). There aren't too many other big production numbers in that score.

That Bruce Springsteen moment was painful, made even worse for how late it came in the evening, when I assume most folks just wanted the show to be over.

My first thought after Bareilles and Groban's opening number was that they were almost the better version of what the Oscar producers probably hoped they would get with Hathaway and Franco a few years back. Thoroughly likable from beginning to end.
Jefforey Smith
Graduate
Posts: 117
Joined: Sat Nov 12, 2011 12:13 pm
Location: Lexington, Kentucky

Re: 2018 Tony Awards

Post by Jefforey Smith »

Yes, I was heavily for ONCE ON THIS ISLAND & went with this gut instinct on my predictions at Gold Derby -- very pleased it won. And, indeed, its win is an upset -- the sources I consulted were predicting the other two. I also went with Tony Shalhoub & while most predictions were going with somebody else it became evident during his show's sweep that he was probably going to win also.
dws1982
Emeritus
Posts: 3790
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 9:28 pm
Location: AL
Contact:

Re: 2018 Tony Awards

Post by dws1982 »

After the performances, I was wondering why Once on This Island wasn't much of a contender in the Revival category--almost all of the predictions I had seen were between the other two. At least based on the number that was performed, I thought it sold itself much better than any other the other nominated shows, including originals. And from what I've seen, I suspect it probably needed this award in order to survive the summer.

Not much else to say. Every play winner was as expected (although the Featured categories always have some surprise potential), and the only surprises on the musical side were Revival and The Band's Visit winning anything that wasn't nailed down. Agree with Tee that Groban and Bareilles were amiable hosts. After ridiculing Groban's singing for years (to the point that a friend gave me a Groban CD as a joke), I think he's developed a pretty fun and likable public persona, and I think that Natasha, Pierre, & The Great Comet of 1812 was very well-suited to his talents.

The Springsteen show looked pompous and humorless--no way I'd pay $200 to see that. Part of me would love to take a quick trip to NY to see a few of these shows though.
Big Magilla
Site Admin
Posts: 19318
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 3:22 pm
Location: Jersey Shore

Re: 2018 Tony Awards

Post by Big Magilla »

In case you were wondering what Robert De Niro said that got him bleeped, it was “I’m going to say this—FUCK TRUMP. It’s no longer ‘Down with Trump,’ it’s FUCK TRUMP.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/robert-de ... ng-ovation
Big Magilla
Site Admin
Posts: 19318
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 3:22 pm
Location: Jersey Shore

Re: 2018 Tony Awards

Post by Big Magilla »

The only thing I really didn't like was that annoying backstage announcer - I think they used her last year, too.

Having listened to all of the cast recordings of the nominated musicals except for Carousel (just released on digital - album streets next month), I can't argue with any of the musical awards.

The new shows:

The Band's Visit - the idea of it is better than the execution. Had this been Tony eligible last year, as it had been for other awards when presented off-Broadway, it very likely would have gone home empty-handed. Given this year's competition, it was the only plausible winner in most categories.

Frozen - well done utilizing the best remembered songs from the film with the duller ones replaced by better, newly written ones. No performers stand out.

Mean Girls - the first act is better than the second. Tony nominees Grey Henson (who dominates the first act) and Ashley Park (who sings just one song, albeit twice) have the best voices.

SpongeBob SquarePants - exuberant nonsense, but nonsense nonetheless. Ethan Slater has real presence, should have been spotlighted over the grating Gavin Lee at the Tonys.

The revivals:

Carousel - can't imagine it not being good, but why the Tonys spotlighted the least memorable song from that glorious score is a head-scratcher.

My Fair Lady - Jordan Donica, who plays Freddy, has the best voice with Norbert Leo Butz a close second. Lauren Ambrose has a glorious soprano, but her cockney accent comes and goes in the early scenes. "Wouldn't It Be Loverly" sounds like "Wouldn't It Be Lovely" which is all wrong. Harry Hadden-Paton provides some very odd line readings as Henry Higgins.

Once on This Island - I haven't listened to the original in years, so I can't make a fair comparison but this version was pure joy to listen to from start to finish. It may have been a surprise winner, but it was not an unwelcome one.
Okri
Tenured
Posts: 3345
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 3:28 pm
Location: Edmonton, AB

Re: 2018 Tony Awards

Post by Okri »

Yeah, when Ari'el Statchel won, I thought the show might do a clean sweep - I might have ranked him last. It really is a beautiful score and I'm glad it did well (and it probably needed to, box office wise), but gotta feel bad for Pask - only guy from the show to go home empty handed.
Mister Tee
Tenured Laureate
Posts: 8637
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 2:57 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

Re: 2018 Tony Awards

Post by Mister Tee »

Well, unexpected juggernaut. Most people I've heard have had quite restrained opinions about The Band's Visit, but clearly nothing was getting in its way tonight. Timing is everything. What seemed a show that might win 4-6 awards on a good night instead ends up impressively high on the all-time list -- I believe The Producers and Hamilton might be the only musicals to win more Tonys. (The show's book writer, by the way, needed to thank Tina Fey: she -- indirectly -- got him his chance to give a speech on-air.)

Most of the categories I thought were locks (except book of a musical) did turn out that way -- including pretty much the entire Play group -- while the categories I thought were open did offer some upsets, though almost always in favor of another Band's Visit entrant.

I'm a long-time fan of Bruce Springsteen, but I got a kick out of the Vulture tweet claiming his number and Angels in America were about the same length.

Maybe I was just in the right frame of mind for them, but I found Groban/Bareilles genial, easy-listening type hosts who made the evening go smoothly. I'd call this the best-hosted show of recent vintage.
Post Reply

Return to “The Cam Dagg Memorial Theatre and Literature Forum”