30 Days Of The 2014 Tony Awards: Day #25 - 2013 Out Of Work TV Actors Medley

By: May. 15, 2014
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Today we continue the 2014 edition of our annual BroadwayWorld feature series spotlighting the very best Tony Awards-related moments of all time with a special spotlight on a particularly guffaw-inducing musical moment from last year's Tony Awards highlighted by four of Broadway's best.

You Gotta Get A Gimmick

Without a doubt, the absolute funniest moment by far in the generally strong 2013 Tony Awards telecast belonged to genial, convivial host Neil Patrick Harris alongside a quartet of fellow crossover star compatriots - Andrew Rannells, Megan Hilty and Laura Benanti, namely. One may ask: what precisely do they share in common in exactly? Ahem - well, to put it bluntly: cancelled TV shows (THE NEW NORMAL, SMASH and GO ON, respectively, to cite the recent victims; and, as we all know, Harris's super-successful long-running hit How I Met Your Mother has also now come to a close nearly a year later, thereby freeing up Harris to take on raucous rock musical mega-hit HEDWIG & THE ANGRY INCH and nab himself a Best Actor In A Musical Tony Award nomination in just a year's time).

Subsequently, so goes the masterful medley's theme, with more than merely just a touch of unmistakable brilliance in composer/lyricist Michael John LaChiusa's wonderful, lovably winking re-working of three Sondheim gems and a Marvin Hamlisch tune - "America" from Leonard Bernstein/Sondheim's WEST SIDE STORY with a catchy new set of lyrics for Rannells to wring out all the wit they're worth; "You Gotta Get A Gimmick" from Jule Styne/Sondheim's GYPSY for Hilty to belt like the blazing bombshell she is; and, "The Ladies Who Lunch" from COMPANY providing guffaw-inducing fodder for a bawdy, beautiful and hilarious Benanti; plus, "What I Did For Love" from Hamlisch/Ed Kleban's A CHORUS LINE to give it all a tad of a wistful twist and also magnify the main point of the musical melange at the same time. Dazzling, indeed.

So, now, revisit one of last year's most memorable musical moments as we look ahead to this year's sure-to-be sensational Tony Awards show.

What is your absolute favorite part of this incredibly inventive and unique Tony Awards specialty song? Furthermore, what pop culture topic could be ripe for parody and/or musicalization on this year's telecast, set to be hosted by triple-threat returning champion Hugh Jackman? Whatever the medley may be, given the simply awesome aforementioned Hugh Jackman masterpiece we featured on Day #30, as well as this surefire hit, let's hope the genius Mr. LaChiusa is the man behind it!


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