*Disclaimer: Rounding off my old write-ups
involving Kevin Spacey. I didn’t know he was such a predator when I wrote it,
but it still makes me cringe to look back on it now. As much as we might like
to associate talent with being a decent human being, that obviously isn’t the
case, and Spacey’s talent doesn’t make up for his crimes.*
Wrapping
up this year’s Tony’s, as usual, with my favorite performances from the
telecast. As I said in my review of the
ceremony, not quite the wealth we had last year, but there was still some great
stuff to enjoy.
Opening Number
While I
don’t expect Kevin Spacey to be joining Les
Miz anytime soon, I thought he had a nice voice and carried the opening
number well. And even though I didn’t
know the songs they were parodying, I liked the lyrics of the song, all
centering around Spacey’s insecurities about hosting (including worries about
past hosts) and building up his confidence to be ready for the night. Clever and fun.
Natasha,
Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812
Some Tony
performances can’t pull off getting the audience involved, but I think this one
managed it pretty well; it felt like a realistic old-world party that was
spilling over the edge of the stage, all lights and colorful costumes and
exuberant dancers and accordion-playing.
For me, the jury’s still out on Josh Groban – while his singing was
obviously beautiful, I didn’t see enough to get any sense of his character, and
I’m not sure how “Josh Groban on Broadway” his performance is.
War Paint
Patti
LuPone and Christine Ebersole: two
classic Broadway divas going toe to toe in a period piece about powerful women
both trying to take the reins of their industry. Yes, please!
This is a show that intrigues me.
Bandstand
I’d never
heard of this show, but it piqued my interest when it was mentioned in the
intro to its performance that the production partners with groups working to
help veterans readjust to civilian life.
But coolness aside, that’s extra – the performance itself was really
energetic, a dance-heavy number with amazing choreography and great performers.
Dear Evan
Hansen
You have
to be really great to command the stage in a solo number (think Tonya Pinkins
in Caroline, or Change or Sydney
Lucas in Fun Home,) and this was, I
think, a worthy addition to that club.
Ben Platt sounded gorgeous, and after having heard the show’s name a lot
without hearing any of its music, the song was beautiful – lovely melody, and
the lyrics hit on the emotion of adolescence without getting too tangled up in
its angst.
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