2017 Tony Awards Recap!
The Tony Awards were last night! I have SO MANY thoughts about last night's telecast. I don't even know where to start. In this post, I am going to talk about the winners, performances, the red carpet, and simply the ceremony as a whole. Let us begin with the red carpet.
THE RED CARPET:
Everyone at the Tony awards truly looked STUNNING last night. Last year, I didn't care for everybody's choice of outfit, but this year, I would say that everybody looked fantastic. Standouts on the red carpet included Eva Noblezada (nominated for "Miss Saigon'), Jenn Colella (nominated for "Come From Away"), among many, many others. For the first time, some of the tuxedos actually stood out to me, which is odd for me because normally they all look the same to me. Gavin Creel (won for "Hello, Dolly!") and Ben Platt's (won for "Dear Evan Hansen") tuxedos both looked great and their colors really grabbed my attention. There seemed to be a theme going on with the color blue in most of the outfits worn last night. I don't think I can even say who was the best or worst dressed because everyone looked like a million dollars.
THE CEREMONY:
The telecast last night was HIGHLY entertaining. I am not familiar with Kevin Spacey at all, but he was a very talented and charismatic host. After watching him host, I will definitely look into his work on "House of Cards" and whatever else he has done. I say this about almost every single host, but I hope they ask him back next year, because he was fun to have around and each of his bits gave me a good laugh.
Most of last night's performances were outstanding. The first performance of the night and easily my favorite of the night came from "Come From Away". They really showed us who wanted to win that Tony last night with their performance of "Welcome to the Rock" that simply ROCKED!!! They deserved Best Musical. The next performance came from "Miss Saigon", who's performance was probably one of the weakest of the night. As much as I love this production of "Miss Saigon", they chose an ODD part of the show to perform. As I watching their performance, I just kept asking myself "WHY ARE THEY DOING THIS NUMBER?!?!" However, Eva Noblezada did sing a part of "I'd Give My Life For You", which she did a very great job on. The rest of their performance just screamed "SPOILER ALERT" and I really do have to wonder what was going through their head when they said "Hey, let's do the scene where Kim shoots Thuy on the Tony Awards!" "The Great Comet"'s performance was also a huge standout. "The Great Comet" did a medley of "Dust and Ashes", which was sung beautifully by Josh Groban, into "The Abduction", which was an absolute blast to watch. I also LOVED the performances from "Falsettos", "Bandstand", "Groundhog Day", "War Paint" (I couldn't understand a word Patti LuPone was saying, but I knew she was amazing), and Ben Platt did a really nice job in "Dear Evan Hansen"'s performance. I also adored the duet between Cynthia Erivo and Leslie Odom Jr., which also featured the Radio City Rockettes.
RANT:
Listen. I have to talk about "Hello, Dolly!"'s Tony performance...To think that just because they refused to adjust to the walk-around for a fully staged Tony performance enrages me. Their performance on the show was incredibly disappointing. Don't get me wrong, David Hyde Pierce is great and "Penny in My Pocket" is a fun song, but as their official Tony performance that everyone is going to look back at for years and years?? NO, I do not accept. I actually had my head in my hands for the entire song because I couldn't believe that was all they did. It would have been AMAZING if they did "Put On Your Sunday Clothes", "Before the Parade Passes By", or even "So, Long Dearie!". "Penny in My Pocket" would have been fun as something to lead in or out of the commercial breaks, but I just can't believe that they decided to do the bare minimum for their Tony performance. If they really wanted David Hyde Pierce to be showcased, they should have done "It Takes a Woman." The fact that they didn't want to adjust to the Radio City Music Hall stage really isn't a good enough excuse. If "The Great Comet" can do it, then so can you. End of Rant.
THE WINNERS:
First, I must congratulate "Hello, Dolly!" on all four of their well deserved wins. I was overjoyed with Gavin Creel's featured actor win. I was rooting for Creel from the very start and he took that Tony home for me. Bette Midler easily gave one of the best Tony speeches of the night (along with Ben Platt, Rachel Bay Jones, and Creel) and possibly ever, out speaking the orchestra who attempted to play her off. This production of "Hello, Dolly!" is one of the greatest revivals ever.
The biggest surprise of the night for me was Christopher Ashley winning the award for Best Direction of a Musical for "Come From Away." As soon as they had won that award, I swore they were going to take home Best Musical, but unfortunately, that was not the case. I swore Rachel Chavkin was a lock to win the award for Best Direction for her innovative staging of "The Great Comet", but I was glad to see Ashley snatch a win for "Come From Away", the best new musical of the season. "The Great Comet" only won Best Scenic Design and Best Lighting Design, but it also deserved Best Score and Orchestrations over "Dear Evan Hansen."
"Dear Evan Hansen" won the most awards (six) last night, including Best Musical. It only deserved two of them, the awards that were given to Ben Platt and Rachel Bay Jones. I am sorry, but "Dear Evan Hansen" is an extremely mediocre show. The score, by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul, is very weak and is made up of very generic songs, and while Steven Levenson's book does give the show entertainment value, the show does not provide the audience with likeable characters or a message. The show really could mean a million different things and while it doesn't reward the protagonist's inexcusable behavior, you never see him get punished for the things he did in the show. I can't really say anything I haven't already said in my "Tony Predictions" video, which you can view here. The show that deserved the title of Best Musical is "Come From Away", which actually has a memorable score, likeable characters, and everything that "Dear Evan Hansen" didn't achieve as a piece of musical theatre. I think everyone should read this Tumblr post, which really just sums it all up. Other than that, Ben Platt and Rachel Bay Jones absolutely earned their awards for the incredible work they are doing in that show, which you cannot deny no matter what your feelings of the show may be.
Lately, the Tonys have been getting better and better at spreading the wealth among the shows for nominations. Each year the list of shows with no nominations gets thinner and thinner, which is really good to see and that really speaks for the current state of Broadway as a whole. I say it all of the time, but we are living in the new golden age of musical theatre. So many amazing shows are opening and I can't wait to see what this next Broadway season will bring and what we will be seeing up for awards in 2018. Onto next season!!
You an view the full list of winners here.
THE RED CARPET:
Everyone at the Tony awards truly looked STUNNING last night. Last year, I didn't care for everybody's choice of outfit, but this year, I would say that everybody looked fantastic. Standouts on the red carpet included Eva Noblezada (nominated for "Miss Saigon'), Jenn Colella (nominated for "Come From Away"), among many, many others. For the first time, some of the tuxedos actually stood out to me, which is odd for me because normally they all look the same to me. Gavin Creel (won for "Hello, Dolly!") and Ben Platt's (won for "Dear Evan Hansen") tuxedos both looked great and their colors really grabbed my attention. There seemed to be a theme going on with the color blue in most of the outfits worn last night. I don't think I can even say who was the best or worst dressed because everyone looked like a million dollars.
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| Jenn Colella on the red carpet. Photo from Broadway.com |
THE CEREMONY:
The telecast last night was HIGHLY entertaining. I am not familiar with Kevin Spacey at all, but he was a very talented and charismatic host. After watching him host, I will definitely look into his work on "House of Cards" and whatever else he has done. I say this about almost every single host, but I hope they ask him back next year, because he was fun to have around and each of his bits gave me a good laugh.
Most of last night's performances were outstanding. The first performance of the night and easily my favorite of the night came from "Come From Away". They really showed us who wanted to win that Tony last night with their performance of "Welcome to the Rock" that simply ROCKED!!! They deserved Best Musical. The next performance came from "Miss Saigon", who's performance was probably one of the weakest of the night. As much as I love this production of "Miss Saigon", they chose an ODD part of the show to perform. As I watching their performance, I just kept asking myself "WHY ARE THEY DOING THIS NUMBER?!?!" However, Eva Noblezada did sing a part of "I'd Give My Life For You", which she did a very great job on. The rest of their performance just screamed "SPOILER ALERT" and I really do have to wonder what was going through their head when they said "Hey, let's do the scene where Kim shoots Thuy on the Tony Awards!" "The Great Comet"'s performance was also a huge standout. "The Great Comet" did a medley of "Dust and Ashes", which was sung beautifully by Josh Groban, into "The Abduction", which was an absolute blast to watch. I also LOVED the performances from "Falsettos", "Bandstand", "Groundhog Day", "War Paint" (I couldn't understand a word Patti LuPone was saying, but I knew she was amazing), and Ben Platt did a really nice job in "Dear Evan Hansen"'s performance. I also adored the duet between Cynthia Erivo and Leslie Odom Jr., which also featured the Radio City Rockettes.
RANT:
Listen. I have to talk about "Hello, Dolly!"'s Tony performance...To think that just because they refused to adjust to the walk-around for a fully staged Tony performance enrages me. Their performance on the show was incredibly disappointing. Don't get me wrong, David Hyde Pierce is great and "Penny in My Pocket" is a fun song, but as their official Tony performance that everyone is going to look back at for years and years?? NO, I do not accept. I actually had my head in my hands for the entire song because I couldn't believe that was all they did. It would have been AMAZING if they did "Put On Your Sunday Clothes", "Before the Parade Passes By", or even "So, Long Dearie!". "Penny in My Pocket" would have been fun as something to lead in or out of the commercial breaks, but I just can't believe that they decided to do the bare minimum for their Tony performance. If they really wanted David Hyde Pierce to be showcased, they should have done "It Takes a Woman." The fact that they didn't want to adjust to the Radio City Music Hall stage really isn't a good enough excuse. If "The Great Comet" can do it, then so can you. End of Rant.
THE WINNERS:
First, I must congratulate "Hello, Dolly!" on all four of their well deserved wins. I was overjoyed with Gavin Creel's featured actor win. I was rooting for Creel from the very start and he took that Tony home for me. Bette Midler easily gave one of the best Tony speeches of the night (along with Ben Platt, Rachel Bay Jones, and Creel) and possibly ever, out speaking the orchestra who attempted to play her off. This production of "Hello, Dolly!" is one of the greatest revivals ever.
The biggest surprise of the night for me was Christopher Ashley winning the award for Best Direction of a Musical for "Come From Away." As soon as they had won that award, I swore they were going to take home Best Musical, but unfortunately, that was not the case. I swore Rachel Chavkin was a lock to win the award for Best Direction for her innovative staging of "The Great Comet", but I was glad to see Ashley snatch a win for "Come From Away", the best new musical of the season. "The Great Comet" only won Best Scenic Design and Best Lighting Design, but it also deserved Best Score and Orchestrations over "Dear Evan Hansen."
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| Bette Midler accepting the award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical |
"Dear Evan Hansen" won the most awards (six) last night, including Best Musical. It only deserved two of them, the awards that were given to Ben Platt and Rachel Bay Jones. I am sorry, but "Dear Evan Hansen" is an extremely mediocre show. The score, by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul, is very weak and is made up of very generic songs, and while Steven Levenson's book does give the show entertainment value, the show does not provide the audience with likeable characters or a message. The show really could mean a million different things and while it doesn't reward the protagonist's inexcusable behavior, you never see him get punished for the things he did in the show. I can't really say anything I haven't already said in my "Tony Predictions" video, which you can view here. The show that deserved the title of Best Musical is "Come From Away", which actually has a memorable score, likeable characters, and everything that "Dear Evan Hansen" didn't achieve as a piece of musical theatre. I think everyone should read this Tumblr post, which really just sums it all up. Other than that, Ben Platt and Rachel Bay Jones absolutely earned their awards for the incredible work they are doing in that show, which you cannot deny no matter what your feelings of the show may be.
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| Gavin Creel accepting the Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical |
Lately, the Tonys have been getting better and better at spreading the wealth among the shows for nominations. Each year the list of shows with no nominations gets thinner and thinner, which is really good to see and that really speaks for the current state of Broadway as a whole. I say it all of the time, but we are living in the new golden age of musical theatre. So many amazing shows are opening and I can't wait to see what this next Broadway season will bring and what we will be seeing up for awards in 2018. Onto next season!!
You an view the full list of winners here.
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| Ben Platt accepting the award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical |
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