Official 2013 - 2014 Tony Awards Thread

[Mr Roxy]

KO by Rocky but D for Hedwig

[Jane2]

"god no Hedwig and the anery inch and rocky pef I give it a d+"

It's Howdy Doody time!

[dramamama611]

I liked GG MUCH more than either Kinky OR Matilda.

To each his own.


And now the bitching begins.

[Mr Roxy]

The most annoying acceptance speech in Tony history was the screaming done for Gentlemen's Guide

This guy went on and on screaming and yelling. Instead of cutting off his mike , they played the music which he totally ignored. He just kept yelling and screaming.

The Inch did not make an appearance on stage when Hedwig won for revival. A bummer.

[haterobics]

"And now the bitching begins."

Not here it doesn't. Had a great night watching so many things I've loved win and not win, and reflecting back on such a great season. I didn't follow this thread or any other live blogging, never found that interesting, so I don't know what is being criticized, panned, etc., etc. I just enjoyed enjoying it instead...

Hope next season is as fun and exciting as this one was...

[Jane2]

"Shummer time....and the liven ISH EASHY...."

[Trish2]

Aside from a great Hugh Jackman, it was an odd TONY Awards show for sure. Though it was a nice showcase for our brothers and sisters of color!

[Addison D.]

"This guy went on and on screaming and yelling. Instead of cutting off his mike , they played the music which he totally ignored. He just kept yelling and screaming."

Yes; well. They've been to hell and back getting that show to Broadway. And tonight they won the Tony for best Musical. Let them yell and scream, I say. They've earned it.

When you win YOUR Tony, you can show us the RIGHT way to do it.

[broadwaydevil]

I'll give the ratings thing a chance.

Opening number (if one could call it that): D: especially disappointing after Neil brought the house down last year.

After Midnight: A -: absolutely heavenly helmed by three bonafide divas...just wished there was a bit more explanation/context instead of just a random transition from the opening number to it.

Les Miserables: C: Ramin sounded great, I'm glad they didn't try a medley, but everything else was bland and this is really not the role for Nikki M. James.

Aladdin: D: I don't still get it. It was bizarre and campy in a summer stock kind of way and very cheap looking. I really don't get the love for James either.

If/Then (aka the hey look it's Idina Menzel and she's in this show called If/Then but never mind that it's Idina Menzel!): B+: pleasantly surprised, she was in great voice but the staging of the whole thing was a bit weird.

Rocky: Failure. No idea what that was about. They took the show's only good 15 minutes and shrunk it down into meaningless nonsense.

Cabaret: C: Boring. It was technically fine, but no idea why they did "Wilkommen" yet again.

A Gentleman's Guide: A: Absolutely wonderful rendition of one of the show's best moments. Loved the introduction by Jefferson Mays as well, what a clever approach to feature both men and the show's best number!

Hedwig: A-: Electric, as expected. Only reason I didn't rank it higher was for picking one of my least favorite numbers in the show.

Violet: A+: Sutton Foster sounded blissful and so did the supporting cast.

Sting: Absolute dismal failure. No words for this.

Wicked: Not worth rating. The women were capable but there's nothing else to say.

Beautiful: A: Absolutely lovely, so glad Carole has embraced the show and Jessie sounded fantastic.

Bullets Over Broadway: B+: Well done by the best part of a somewhat disappointing show.

Finding Neverland: Sounds intriguing. Not sure why they performed/why the producers would pony up the cash for this when it's so far off from coming to Broadway and Jennifer Hudson won't be in it but oh well.

[philly03]

I also thought Violet came across great from the telecast. I enjoyed Gentleman's Guide, but I imagine people who hadn't seen it may have been a bit confused -- it was so rushed in the beginning.

Overall thought it was a bit lackluster even for the Tonys... I actually enjoyed Jennifer Hudson's performance, but I also am not sure what they plan to get out of it -- have Broadway plans even been announced?!

[ljay889]

Anybody else annoyed that we missed the memoriam because of Sting, Finding Neverland, and some dumb rap?

[TheatreFan4]

It warms the cockles of my heart to see Lena win this after such derision she faced from fans while she was Search for the Next Elle Woods six years ago. SUCK ON THAT EMMA ZAKS!

[haterobics]

I always find the memoriam awkward. Hey, why we're all celebrating... some people died, so here's someone to sing while we only clap for the celebrity names that appear on this screeen.

Here's the list: http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/news/articles/2014-05-14/201405141400100167617.html?promo=rss

[gfaustswa]

I really enjoyed the Hedwig performance. Can't wait to see it next Saturday night. I actually liked the Rocky performance/teaser. Looking forward to seeing that next Friday night!

[evic]

I will give the broadcast a C-. it reflected the mediocrity of the musical season. Jackman is 100% energy and commitment but it's all anout Hugh-when I was 14 I did Music Man, that wasn't My butt, wanna see Me do rap etc. Someone on another board said that Joop spent $500,000 on the special Rocky set for the show- he is very rich and very stupid. More4 money flushed down the toilet. Violet was so steroetypical- another gospel number? Surprised there weren't tambourines. Igleheart?- I don't get it either- a cartoon come to life. See Forbidden Broadway for the hysterical spoof of the cheap projections of Les Miz. Nicki is soooooooooo wrong for the role. Hedwig- way too overproduced for a simple downtown show. Won't go on - but just say that the added numbers for next season's shows were just more money into the pockets of Charlotte St. Martin who could use the cash to buy a new wig and to join weight watchers. Pure greed.

[Eris0303]

I thought the Rocky number was the perfect way for wives to get their husbands to take them to the theatre. "Look, honey - they're using the song from the movie and there's sports!"

[dramamama611]

yes, I'm sorry they didn't air the memory piece, but I liked the Last Ship number, obviously, STING isn't in the show either, I thought the rap was funny (and so did much of the audience) and I enjoyed the finding Neverland number, too. (Which could be on b'way as soon as next spring, that wouldn't suprise me at all.)

I could have done without Wicked, certainly.

Of the current season's shows that performed I had mixed reactions. I thought both Rocky and Aladdin were pretty horrible. I just saw Beautiful last night, so their number didn't do much for me (I didn't love the show).

If/Then? Didn't make me want to buy a ticket, but I didn't hate it. Violet and Bullets BOTH grabbed my interest, however.



Goodnight,all!

[ACL2006]

I'll say this: Jackman was terrible as host. He did fine the first three times, but tonight he was awful. I almost forgot he was the host.

[evic]

Forgot to add that Cabaret looked like a touring company that has been on the road for 2 years. You just cannot recreate the magic that was originally done (18 years ago or whenever it was).

[Sutton Ross]

"Anybody else annoyed that we missed the memoriam because of Sting, Finding Neverland, and some dumb rap?"

Nope, Jennifer killed it, Sting was enjoyable, and TI/LL Cool J are always welcome on my television screen. Yummy.

"Had a great night watching so many things I've loved win and not win, and reflecting back on such a great season."

Me too! All the performances I saw (did not see the Rocky performance) were fantastic. LOVED when NPH licked Samuel Jackson's glasses, his face was hilarious! Really enjoyed Idina's performance, and Violet was perfect. I'm happy that Bridges won two awards, well deserved! Fun, energetic show.

[haterobics]

"You just cannot recreate the magic that was originally done (18 years ago or whenever it was)."

Weird, when I saw it, I was just as enthralled as I was the first time around... of course I'm basing this on seeing the show, not how it was presented on TV, so that may have colored my perception.

[Melissa25]

I found the camera work very annoying. I guess they purposely decided to shoot from behind that idiotic mosh pit so you constantly were staring at the back of people's heads. Then in certain scenes (Les Miz) some of the mosh pit audience members were very distracting. The worst had to be when they attempted to do the montage scene from Rocky and you had to stare at those 3 big heads. What the hell were they thinking?

[quizking101]

I'll give the ratings thing a chance.

Opening Number: (D) What the hell? Hugh Jackman hopping around Radio City doth not a f*cking opening number make...

After Midnight: (B+) Fantasia sounded a bit off to me, but three divas combined with unrivaled choreography, and Dule Hill cutting a rug with the best of them was fantastic.

Les Miserables: (C) Ramin was great, but the rest just needed to stop. The minute Nikki M. James opened her mouth, my friend and I painfully recoiled and started shouting to make it stop.

Aladdin: (C) Too campy for its own good. I can see why people cream themselves over Iglehart's performance, but I found him annoying more than anything.

If/Then: (B) It's Idina. She sounded fine. Next topic.

Rocky: (F) I literally couldn't even...Please keep sports (and sports films) off Broadway if this is the treatment they get.

Cabaret: (B+) While it loses something in the transition from stage to screen, Alan Cumming is still undeniably seductive for his age will forever do that role and song justice.

A Gentleman's Guide: (A) Clever and thoroughly amusing introduction leading into possibly the best moment of the show. My only quibble is that Bryce Pinkham seems to shout "BE JUST A MINUTE" louder every time I see them perform this.

Hedwig: (A+) I may have had to change my pants after this...He wasn't even hosting and NPH walked away with the entire show.

Violet: (C+) While somewhat rousing, this has to look like the most painfully vanilla show currently on Broadway.

Sting: That was the best failed audition for ONCE I have ever seen...

Wicked: Eh, whatever. It was good.

Beautiful: (B+) Carole's intro was touching and Jessie Mueller rocked it, however, I much would've rather seen them do the "dueling pianos" act that King similar to the Grammys

Bullets Over Broadway: (B+): A solid performance by Nick Cordero and company, although I wasn't a fan of the truncation for time purposes. Can't be Stroman choreo thought

Finding Neverland: It looked solid, but it seemed unnecessary...

[darreyl102]

Rewatching the show again- i noticed a funny moment during After midnight's performance when Patti LaBelle was stumbling trying to get next to Hugh Jackman for the final pose and missing it. LOL.

[bwayphreak234]

Overall I thought tonight's show was a colossal disappointment. If/Then, Hedwig, and Bullets were the only performances that I thoroughly enjoyed. Really hoping next season's show is better.

[teresa2]

I am so happy to hear what everyone is saying about Nikki James. When I saw Les Miz I thought she was terrible and totally miscast. She does not have the voice or the acting chops. I know she won for BOM, but she does not belong in this show. I loved Ramin, he was excellent. Loved the Bullets number with Nick Cordero, definitely the best part of Bullets. Thought Sting was boring, reminded me of Once, which I disliked. Seeing it once was more than enough. I understand why Rocky decided to show the fight scene, but they should have showed some singing as it is a musical. Andy and Margo doing a number together, or doing one of their solo numbers.They both have two and they are both excellent. It would have shown what great voices they both have..