Tony Awards... - A low-key season?

[dws1982]

Alice Ripley said on her facebook that she yelled through her acceptance speech the other night because she had been sitting on the second row and hadn't been able to hear any of the speeches, and so she wanted to compensate for that. The speech itself was still fairly pretentious, but it makes her seem somewhat less insane.

[Big Magilla]

Yes, it was.

[Reza]

Mister Tee this clip was absolutely hilarious!!

[Mister Tee]

I don't often pass on Youtube links, but I found this exceedingly funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RrFRy0px3w&feature=email

[Big Magilla]

Flip, you're right about Aaron Tveit -- very hot, and the best thing about Next To Normal (I have no idea why he wasn't nominated.)

He's currently filming Howl as Peter Orlovsky, Allen Ginsberg's (James Franco) lifetime companion. Mary-Louise Parker, Jeff Daniels, David Strathairn, Jon Hamm, Alessandro Nivola and Treat Williams are also in the cast. It's being produced by Gus Van Sant and directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (The Celluloid Closet, Paragraph 175).

[Big Magilla]

I was thinking that whilst taking the lift to my my solicitors to consult about the notice I'd gotten for having driven on the left side of the road whilst my mobile was in the boot. If only I had rung Sally at the weekend, eh wot? :O

[paperboy]

It's been pronounced with an emphasis on the last syllable for more than fifty years in America and that's the way I'll pronounce it no matter how many times the revisionists tell me I'm wrong.

It's called English for a reason, you know.

[Big Magilla]

You should pronounce it that way, because it is the correct pronunciation, something you very clearly weren't aware of before Sunday night.

You say tomato, I say tomato.

I specifically stated I had heard the argument before, but didn't buy it then and I don't buy it now.

It's been pronounced with an emphasis on the last syllable for more than fifty years in America and that's the way I'll pronounce it no matter how many times the revisionists tell me I'm wrong.

[flipp525]

Ugh, first of all, I didn't say that it was the only interpretation of the play. It is ONE interpretation (interpretation of literature is also able to spin outside of the realm of what an artist consciously intended, by the way). And no, you shouldn't pronounce it Waiting for GOD-dough, because the play is about "waiting for God". You should pronounce it that way, because it is the correct pronunciation, something you very clearly weren't aware of before Sunday night.



Edited By flipp525 on 1244600674

[Big Magilla]

("Merry Christmas, Maggie Thacher is one of the all-time best rude songs.)

It's one of the all-time great show tunes period and the one I wished they'd performed instead of the one they did, which as I've said may work within the context of the show but isn't likely to sell very many tickets to those who look to the Tony show performances for guidance as to what to spend their money on.

Is there anyone out there who has decided to see Billy Elliot because it won ten Tonys or because the three kids won? I kind of doubt it.

Also, while I'm in a contrary mood, I'm surprised no one has said anything about Waiting for Godot other than Flipp, whose drama teacher is sadly among the misinformed when it comes to interpreting Becket.

Becket has said on more than one occasion that he wasn't writing about God, at least consciously, so while that may be some people's interpretation it is certainly not the only one.

It seems like such a small thing, but one of my biggest complaints is the habit certain teachers have of spinning their own theories as though they were facts and getting legions of gullible kids to believe them.

To say that Godot must be pronounced as GOD-dough because he is God is patently absurd. It is correct to say that GOD-dough is the way it is pronounced in England, which Becket has said is in fact the correct pronunciation, but many words change the way they are pronounced when they cross the Atlantic. One example is the word privacy, which is pronounced "pry-va-cy" in America and "priv-va-cy" in England from which is derived "privvy", the slang word for toilet, which is where I guess this conversation is going.

OK, I'll step from from my soapbox now.



Edited By Big Magilla on 1244580091

[Damien]

I'm pretty amazed at the reaction here to the Billy Elliot number. I saw the show in London and then again in New York, and both times I found Angry Dance to be one of the most extraordinary pieces I've evr seen in the theatre. It's just mesmerizing and absolutely knocks out the audience.

At the same time, I can't believe people were impressed by the Next To Normal number, which I thought was irritating, just like the show itself. It's 2 and a half hours of that. Gave me a headache. (How this won Score is a puzzlement to me. There are a couple of good numbers, particularly "I'm Alive" which was sung in the beginning of the Tonys, but most of it is generically mediocre. On the other hand, who knew Elton John had a great score like Billy Elliot in him -- when I returned to the States I immediately bought the cast recording, something I rarely do. ("Merry Christmas, Maggie Thacher" is one of the all-time best rude songs.)

Although the New York version is not as hard-edged and is more sentimental and slightly less political than the West End production, it remains a great, and very beautiful, musical.

Sonic. loved your line about Alice Ripley not acting. And Flip, you're right about Aaron Tveit -- very hot, and the best thing about Next To Normal (I have no idea why he wasn't nominated.) Alice Ripley is fine, but the rest of the cast is lousy.

I didn't think it was possible to ruin "Sit Down, You're Rocking The Boat," but that fiasco with that nelly black Nicely-Nicely shows why the show received putrid reviews.

Note to self: When getting tickets to Hair, don't sit in the front orchestra.

The producer of Hair who made the gay marriage comment is Oskar Eustis. His step-daughter is my niece's best friend. Their high school graduation is tonight and if I happen to be introduced to him at the reception after, I'll thank him for his remarks.

You couldn't pay me to sit through Rock of Ages. I avoided that crappy music in the 80s, just as I avoided ABBA (to the degree that that was possible) in the 70s, and I'd no sooner see Rock than I would Mama Mia.

How can Shrek still be running? Who are the poor suckers enduring it?

Sorry that Mary Stuart went home emty-handed. It really is thrilling theatre.

The In Memoriam sequence was an embarassment -- didn't they learn from this year's Oscars that the audience wants to see the faces of those being remembered, not whoever is singing about them.

Neil Patrcik Harris was an utterly charming host.



Edited By Damien on 1244585847

[Greg]

Here's a thought. With the explosion of both revivals and "The Musical" in titles, it's only a matter of time before The Sound Of Music: The Musical.



Edited By Greg on 1244572504

[anonymous1980]

For me, the Hair number was the best part of the show. Does anyone know if the performers interact with the audience in the Broadway production the way the did with the number on the Tony Awards show?

An on-line friend of mine who saw and loved the show (and saw it TWICE in less than two weeks) says yes.

But things like Shrek The Musical, are just signs of blatant commercialism, producers and executives trying to milk a cow for as much cash as possible. In about five years, I'm sure we'll get Twilight The Musical.

But Broadway needs to make money too.

Some random thoughts based on the clips I've seen on-line:

- Elton John and Carrie Fisher got FAAAAAAAT.

- Trent Kowalik looks like Michael Cera.

- I want the Next to Normal cast album.



Edited By anonymous on 1244518597

[Penelope]

First, an off-hand comment: not only didn't the Jersey Boys section feature songs from the group's hey-day, but it's worth noting that Frankie Valli wasn't even the lead singer on "December 1963 (Oh What a Night)."

Based purely on the musical numbers featured, the only shows I'd have any desire to see would be Next to Normal (look and sounded incredibly compelling), Hair (that was pure energy on that stage) and Rock of Ages (just for the camp appeal).

The Shrek number was simply unlistenable and the Billy Elliot number looked like some kid have an epileptic fit.

[Okri]

Oh, where to begin....

It's worth mentioning that Billy Elliot's win is even more notable because it DID win book. Every single musical that BJ singled out that lost score/won musical also lost book. The last time a musical won best book and musical without winning best score was in 1972, when Two Gentlemen of Verona triumphing over Follies. So it's not like it was ignored in an important craft category. I skipped the show but watched the youtube version (which is surprisingly comprehensive). Some other thoughts.

1. I loved how Trent Kowalik (the Billy singled out in that dance number) was practically leaping from his seat before they actually won. Standing ovation for them seemed rote. Or maybe it was just Daldry looked very bored (seriously, is he stoned?). Gavin Creel looked happier for the boys then Daldry did.

2. I couldn't believe how many sound problems there were.

3. I enjoyed the Next to Normal number quite a bit.

4. I really hope that 33 Variations or Dividing the Estate are great because having read the LaBute and the Reza pieces, I was sorta disappointed. God of Carnage is VERY shallow, not that funny (though I can imagine it improving on stage in that regard) and as an admirer of Reza (love Art). The Labute piece was marginally better. I think God of Carnage is the worst winner since... Doubt, I guess, but you'd have to go back to the mid 80's to find winners that bugged me this much.

5. Loved when J. Robert Spencer showed the picture of his kids (?) to the camera.