Performance-wise,
this wasn’t the best Tony telecast in recent years, but it was pretty decent,
with fun hosts, some surprises, and a nice showing from the revivals. These were my favorites.
Opening Number
Hosts
Josh Groban and Sara Bareilles kick things off to an amusing start with this
opening number, which they wrote and performed.
It starts off a bit staid, but as soon as they make self-deprecating
references to the fact that neither of them have ever won any major awards, the
main song begins, dedicated to all the nominees who aren’t going to win that night.
Bouncy melody, cute lyrics, and all-around nice performances by our
hosts.
SpongeBob
Squarepants
As I said
in my Tonys review, I’d heard that this musical isn’t as bad as one would
think, but I would not have expected
it to be one of my favorite performances of the night. This song, sung by Squidward and backed by a
hallucinated “sea anemone chorus line,” is enjoyable enough on its own, but the
production and showmanship is really where it’s at. The costumes are wonderfully inventive,
especially the stage magic they use to create Squidward’s four legs, and the
effect that creates when he tapdances is truly impressive.
Carousel
I’ll put
myself down as not being any sort of fan of Carousel,
and the song itself is nothing in particular to write home about. However, the headline here is the dancing. I don’t know the show well enough to know if
the featured dancer in this number is an actual character in the show or if
he’s just an ensemble member highlighted here for his talent, but either way,
he’s stupendous – really lovely.
Once on
This Island
In my
review of the telecast, I said I wish they’d picked a different number, and
“Mama Will Provide” still isn’t my favorite, even if Alex Newell performs the
hell out of it. Still, I love the set,
the costumes, the staging of little Ti Moune caught by the waves in the
hurricane, and the wonderful boldness of anyone incorporating a live goat into their
theatrical performance. Little over a
week before I see this show, and I’m officially excited!
The
Band’s Visit
This is a
very subdued number, and I came away from it wishing I could’ve seen more of
the cast and gotten a better sense of the show as a whole, but I can’t deny
that it’s a lovely song beautifully performed.
Having seen it, I can certainly understand why Katrina Lenk got her
Tony.
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