Worst Tony Opening.......

[lupone76]

Posted: 6/12/12 at 1:19am

Despite the fact that my favorite performer of all was featured in the opening number of the Tonys. The number was extreemely corny and uninspired. Neil Patrick Harris is an awful host and they need to stop asking him back every year. He's totally overrated. I actually miss when Rosie hosted the Tonys. She really loved Broadway and it showed and she was much funnier than N.P.H.



Updated On: 6/12/12 at 01:19 AM

[KylePKJP]

Posted: 6/12/12 at 1:31am

There have been much worse Tony openings.

However, I am at a point with NPH where he comes off as pretty one dimensional. Whether he's playing NPH in Harold & Kumar, Barney in How I Met Your Mother, old Doogie gags, hosting the Emmys or the Tonys... I think we've seen him do what he can do. It has been entertaining most times, but now I'm just bored by him. Perhaps it is just over-saturation of him in the market.

Don't get me wrong. I am thrillled that his coming out a few years back actually boosted the demand for him in the industry. I just think, as I've said, we've seen what he can do, there's little variety in what he does, it seems stale now and it's time for another entertainer to take the lead.

[sephyr]

Posted: 6/12/12 at 1:39am

I actually enjoyed the opening number and thought he was funny.

[Skip2]

Posted: 6/12/12 at 2:02am

I thought he did a great job. I didn't feel he outwore his welcome. The opening number was a bit "sour" though. They needed more pizazz.

[AADA81]

Posted: 6/12/12 at 4:16am

I thought NPH was funny....once. That was years ago, but his smug, tongue-permanently-in-cheek shtick has completely worn out its welcome. And now that he's become so enamored with himself that he thinks everything he does is "so funny"....he's tiresome. That opening number was trying to hit a home run but I found it trying TOO HARD and didn't even snicker at the goings on. Not good. And can we please get NPH to stop the shtick about how gay the Tonys are....yeah, we got it the first time, Neil.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 6/12/12 at 7:41am

AADA81 - I agree he has gotten stale, I think the same thing with Billy Crystal doing the Oscars. Personally, they need some new blood to host the Tony's I wonder if someone like Norman Leo Butz would be good, he is funny and obviously can sing.

[defyinggravity2]

Posted: 6/12/12 at 8:27am

I think NPH is pretty funny. He does need some more, per say, "dazzle", but he does it pretty nicely. Last year's Tony opening, "Broadway's not just for gays anymore", made me crack up, especially the line, "Al Pichino! You're way to famous to participate in this bit!" This year I especially loved it when he said "Mary Poppins! We can hardly see the strings!". Also, I loved his "Spider-Man" appearance, hanging down on the string.

[Wynbish]

Posted: 6/12/12 at 9:17am

Worst? Did you not see the Rosie O'Donnell years?

[JP2]

Posted: 6/12/12 at 9:27am

I've always enjoyed him immensely every time he's hosted. I always feel like I've missed something when I see all the BWW complaints. . .

[Geoff2]

Posted: 6/12/12 at 10:11am

I think NPH is a great host. I don't know what everyone expects the host to do - they're not curing cancer. Introduce a presenter, tell a joke, walk off. Truth be told there's vast stretches of time in the broadcast the host isn't even on stage. Neil is who he is, does what he does and it's fine. I also didn't see him overly harp on the Tonys being gay thing again. At least there wasn't a whole musical number dedicated to it like in the past (which was hilarious then). In fact, I thought the "What if the Real World was like the Theatre" number was funny and kind of original.

[bryan2]

Posted: 6/12/12 at 10:29am

I really cant understand why they would start off with Book of Mormon a show that is from LAST YEAR and is making tons of cash also the Hairspray cruise performance with a Tracy who looked way to old ...she had a good voice but come on. also how could Spiderman loose best costume or best scenice design the voters are so anti-Spiderman they didnt want it to be able to have 1 Tony to boast about... Once for scenic design...a bar room come on

[darquegk]

Posted: 6/12/12 at 10:53am

I think one thing people haven't really taken into consideration is that Neil Patrick Harris is that rare thing... a genuinely memetic pop cultural personality. Despite not being an A-lister, he is, for whatever reason, incredibly relevant and resonant with huge swatches of the public, especially the heart of the Internet.

Putting someone up who may be a beloved theatrical figure may be good for the Tonys as a tribute to the arts itself, but probably bad for the Tonys as a showcase to the public and commercial for the professional theatre industry, which is what it really is.

[florida theatre kid]

Posted: 6/12/12 at 10:57am

I too thought the opening number this year was great, probably my favorite in memory. It was obvious NPH and the dancers were having a great time. I've enjoyed having him come back to host, I think he does a great job every year.

[JohnyBroadway]

Posted: 6/12/12 at 11:00am

I found this years and last year opening numbers to be one of the most memorable moments in Tony History vs. past years 2009's had so many flaws. I loved many of the cameos made in the number including Annies. Can we please have patti Lupone with a lawn mower every year? They just needed Bernadette and Angela up there and it would've been even more brilliant.

Updated On: 6/12/12 at 11:00 AM

[Auggie27]

Posted: 6/12/12 at 11:00am

But does anyone believe a sitcom audience would follow Neil Patrick Harris to the Tonys? I understand the logic, that his TVQ and recognition factor are pluses. But pluses are very different than tune-ins, i.e. putting eyeballs on screens. I don't think the Tony audience cares who's there, and his fans like to see him act in comedy. The sliver of people who'd tune in just to see Harris do anything must be small. Jackman, perhaps, is another matter. But the hosts are only so important when it comes to ratings. This is not about the quality of his hosting (which I think is exemplary, even when forced to carry limp stuff like the opening).

[Plum]

Posted: 6/12/12 at 11:27am

I vaguely remember the 2009 opening number being kind of a horror show. That was the one with Stockard Channing singing "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" to Aaron Tveit or something, right? This year's opener was merely kind of lumpen, as was the rest of the ceremony - maybe something was up with the direction? NPH isn't fantastic, but he's usually perfectly adequate, which is harder than it seems. That said, it's nice to switch up hosts to stave off boredom a bit, and as Auggie said, hosts only do so much for ratings (which is to say not much at all), so I do hope we have someone else next year.

[Wynbish]

Posted: 6/12/12 at 11:33am

In reply to the frustration that Book of Mormon opened the show, in 2008, The Lion King opened the show. Ten years after it won Best Musical. I don't mind the previous winner doing something (didn't Memphis?), nor do I mind a ten year anniversary performance.

From that, it would have been good to see Sutton re-do some Millie magic as it won in 2002.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 6/12/12 at 11:38am

Plum, I have to agree. I remember that cringeworthy medley that went from "Bewitched" to "I'm Alive" and Aaron took Stockard by the arm and I was like, "oh Lord Jesus, I ain't got time for that!"

I think Neil was fine. Just because I can't stand his smugness doesn't mean he's not an enjoyable host. He's way too to "wink, wink" for me.

[RaisedOnMusicals]

Posted: 6/12/12 at 12:35pm

First of all, I had wanted last year's show to start with "Hello" from BOM, as it was such an obvious choice, but I understood then why they couldn't really use that particular opening in the year in which the show was a nominee. So, I loved that intro this year, with the NPH pop ins to various dressing rooms.

Last year's opening (Broadway Isn't Just for Gays Anymore) and this year's (Why Can't Life be More Like the Theater?) were both written by David Javerbaum, one of the most brilliantly clever writers around today (former Executive Producer and Head Writer of The Daily Show). To those who didn't like the opening, I would ask: compared to what? As others have pointed out, these have been two of the best Tony opening numbers in memory.

Finally, I think NPH is the perfect host for the show. Maybe Hugh Jackman might be better, but other than Hugh, I can't think of anyone else offhand that I'd rather see do it (well, Ricky Gervais maybe?)

[darquegk]

Posted: 6/12/12 at 12:39pm

You have to have a certain style of presence to work as a Tony host... a certain, I'm trying to think of a better word than irreverence. Hugh Jackman has a sense of cheeky humor, Neil Patrick Harris is smug and tongue-in-cheek.

Broadway is not Big Hollywood- it's an art form that can only BE so big, and considerably less culturally relevant than it was decades ago. This is why the Tonys tend, with the exception of a few serious moments throughout any given night, to have a certain amount of biting the hand humor- they know the public isn't watching, they know most of their target audience is gay, etc.

Hence, if you brought in someone like a James Earl Jones and filled the night with gravitas and pomp, it is entirely possible that things would come off looking pretentious at best, ridiculous at worst. You need someone who both honors and loves theatre, but also keeps their tongue firmly in cheek throughout the evening.

[Kad]

Posted: 6/12/12 at 12:52pm

As the Oscars have demonstrated the past few years, not everyone can host an awards show. Even Billy Crystal, once the go-to for that stuff, is now stale.

NPH is actually a rarity amongst the big-name crowd... Jackman, too. They're naturally charismatic and personable, ironic, and genuinely talented showmen.


And this opening had Patti LuPone pushing a ****ing lawnmower. What more do you want?!

[ggersten]

Posted: 6/12/12 at 12:54pm

Didn't A Chorus Line open the Tony's the year it was nominated?

[once a month]

Posted: 6/12/12 at 2:07pm

I believe I remember A Chorus opening and closing that years Tony Telecast. This years show was very entertaining. I happened to be very pleased with the Tonys two years in a row. Love Neil Patrick Harris, as well as Hugh Jackman and Angela Landsbury hosting the most. This year was chock full of surprises, winner-wise, and since I had no ultimate favorite shows this year, I was thoroughlly entertained.

Posted: 6/12/12 at 3:12pm

Neil Patrick Harris does a fine job as Tony host. I think his Shaiman material was better than his Schlesinger ditties, but he does a fine job. The "Mormon" "Hello" number was bad, but it's a fairly pointless exercise. That song is just pointless. The "celebrity" door answerers were OK but really- who cares? Just because the song re[eats "Hello" over and over doesn't mean you need to open the telecast with it.

Open the show with a rundown (just the marquee would be fine) of every single show that opened on Broadway this year-or hell, every show running. Or do it as a countdown of the longest-running shows- start with the flops that only lasted 5 performances this year and end up with Chicago and Phantom and the like.

Updated On: 6/12/12 at 03:12 PM

[Bwaydide92]

Posted: 6/12/12 at 3:21pm

I thought the 2009 Tony Awards were the best opening in a long time. It was huge and long (in a good way) and it was a good representation of what was on Broadway at the time. Especially for non-theatre people it was a good draw. It did have it's bad moments (Liza Minnelli sounded terrible), but it was exactly what an opening should have been.

The 2010opening tried to do the same but was no where near as successful. I thought last year's opening was dumb. Instead of relating theatre to a larger audience (not just the gays) it made theatre seem specifically for gays. And this year was just trying too hard to relate theatre to non-theatre-goers again. They should stick to big production numbers. "Hello" form BoM is a great song and works well for the BoM, but it's not a good opening for the Tonys. It was too cheesy and not exciting enough.