Top Five Performances: 2015 Tony Awards

Because honestly, I enjoy the hosts’ gags and my favorites giving acceptance speeches (Michael Cerveris!,) but seeing the performance numbers is about 80% of the reason I watch the Tonys.

Something Rotten

This made-of-meta performance seems like a pretty good representation of its show.  I really enjoyed some of the stranger aspects of musicals that are predicted and puzzled over by the Elizabethan characters.  Though I love it, Les Mis is always ripe for a good dig, and they have a great point – what is it about a kick line that’s so fabulous?

The King and I

Pretty nice medley here, giving us two good looks at Kelli O’Hara’s Anna, a nice feature for supporting actress victor Ruthie Ann Miles, and a glimpse of Ken Watanabe’s king of Siam.  Overall, it looks to be what you’d expect from a King and I revival, but it appears a well-rendered one, and the Rodgers and Hammerstein tunes are of course classy/lovely.

On the Town

One of several performances with the same general setting and music style, but this was my favorite of the bunch.  With a trio of likeable actors in great voice brimming with energy, this short medley makes the most of its brief time, popping congenially.

Fun Home

Bar none, my favorite.  The greedy part of me would’ve liked to hear Michael Cerveris singing something, too, but really, the performance is perfect just the way it is, with a bit of narration and dialogue followed by a showcase for the young actress playing Alison.  The song, in which Alison is bowled over by the sudden sense of kinship that seizes her when she sees her first butch woman, is beautifully written and performed.  The lyrics are so resonant, especially, “I thought it was supposed to be wrong, / But you seem okay with being strong. / I want… / You’re so… / It’s probably conceited to say, / But I think we’re alike in a certain way.”  The sentiment here is just so true – it reminds me a lot of my feelings the first time I lurked on an asexuality message board.  After a lot of production numbers, this performance makes me feel like I’m actually seeing something happen.  Sydney Lucas’s bewildered, elated facial expressions are golden, and I love the shot of the adult Alison standing in the background of the scene, watching her younger self as she experiences this revelation.  Just stunning.

The Visit

Okay, so after seeing this performance, I still have basically no idea what The Visit is about, but it’s kind of amazing, anyway.  Chita Rivera is always a good thing, I love Kander and Ebb music, and more importantly, it’s just so bizarre.  I mean, seriously – what is up with the gaggle guys in suits painted up like ghouls and jazz-handing around Chita?  Points for sheer originality.