Best and Worst of the Tony Awards
The Hamilton-ys are officially in the history books, but Hamilton wasn’t the only big victor at this year’s Tony Awards. Viewers were also treated to an exceptionally good awards show, one that flowed smoothly from award to award and from comic bit to comic bit. Under the watchful eye of host James Corden and with the palpable energy of all the performers and theaters fans assembled in the room where it was happening, the telecast rarely dragged and almost never ceased to entertain. And if the night’s big winner fell short of setting a new Tony record — Hamilton took home 11 statues, one less than the 12-Tony victory set by The Producers in 2001 — this year’s awards did make history by awarding all four music acting awards to performers of color: Hamilton‘s Leslie Odom Jr., Daveed Diggs and Reneé Elise Goldsberry, as well as The Color Purple‘s Cynthia Erivo. Here’s our look back at the night’s highlights and (relatively few) lowlights.
Best: James Corden
Neil Patrick Harris remains the MVP of Tony hosts for now, but the former Doogie Howser had better look out, ‘cause, in the words of The Wire, Corden’s comin’. The former Tony winner-turned-late-night superstar was a hosting dynamo, opening the show with an emotional message addressing the Orlando attack, then segueing into a Hamilton-themed intro song before bringing down the house with a medley of Broadway favorites that crescendoed with a hopeful note aimed directly at the next generation of theater performers and fans. His only off-note was a faux flirtation with Oprah that she visibly wasn’t into. Didn’t he learn anything from David Letterman’s Oprah-related fiasco?
Related: Emmy Talk: James Corden on the 5 Defining Moments of the ‘Late Late Show’
Best: Ham4Tonys
Adopting Hamilton’s tradition of live outdoor #Ham4Ham performances, the Tony’s sent various performers out onto 72nd Street to perform for assembled bystanders. It was a great way to connect Broadway to the city it calls home.
Worst: School of Rock
Let’s be clear: This isn’t a slam on the kid actors singing their hearts out in the stage version of the Jack Black’s career-defining 2003 comedy. It’s more a reflection of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s blandly orchestrated score, a major step down from his Jesus Christ Superstar and Phantom days. Let’s just say that Weber’s best musical moment all night was his tambourine accompaniment during the Ham4Tonys rendition of “Tomorrow.”
Best: Audra McDonald
A theater pro through and through, McDonald didn’t let a little thing like being pregnant keep her from shuffling along with the rest of the cast of Shuffle Along. You might say that kid had the ultimate front-row seat.
Worst: Playing Off Jessica Lange
Lange is now one “G” away from full EGOT status, but the Tony producers barely gave her (or us) the time to properly appreciate the moment. And the Long Day’s Journey Into Night star was just one of the performers who received a swift dose of “play-off” music; Leslie Odom Jr., for example, was interrupted in the midst of thanking his Mom and Dad. Obviously the show must go on, but preferably not when the winners are just getting started.
Best: Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Sonnet Speech
Not only did Hamilton walk away with almost every possible trophy, but Lin-Manuel Miranda took top honors for the night’s best speech: a beautifully penned sonnet that functioned as both an ode to his wife, Vanessa, as well as a larger statement about love in the face of tragedy. “We live through times when hate and fear seem stronger/We rise and fall and light from dying embers/Remembrances that hope and love lasts long/And love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love,” a visibly moved Miranda said. This guy should really write a musical or something.
Worst: She Loves Me
We’re willing to give this star-packed musical version of The Shop Around the Corner — whose ensemble includes Jane Krakowski, Zachary Levi and Laura Benanti — the benefit of the doubt, but compared to the night’s other big production numbers, it was hard to find a lot to love about She Loves Me. Maybe it plays better in the theater rather than on television.
Best: Corden’s Law & Order Game
Scan the average Broadway actor’s bio in your Playbill and you’ll see Law & Order listed at least once — and frequently more. A source of employment for theater actors for decades, the venerable procedural happily recycled performers in different parts, as Corden illustrated with Fiddler on the Roof star Danny Burstein’s multiple appearances as various characters with various amounts of facial hair. This should be a game they play every year.
Best: Bright Star
Amidst all the Hamilton hullaballoo, the night’s strongest musical performance may just have been from the full-throated folk musical written by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell. This gets us one step closer to that Three Amigos musical we’ve been dreaming about for years.
Worst: Josh Groban’s Tevye
There’s a reason why video footage of high school musical productions are best kept in personal or scholarly vaults. Even Groban was embarrassed by his 17-year-old self’s attempts to pass himself off as a middle-aged shtetl resident. He’s smart enough to not use that tape as an audition for the current revival … right?
Best: A Clinton Line
Glenn Close brought the house down when she took the stage as Hillary Clinton and delivered a command performance from the musical that deserves to dominate next year’s Tony Awards, A Clinton Line. Can Kate McKinnon play the young Hillary in Act 1, please?
Worst: Carpool Karaoke Repeat
Corden’s planned bits and sketches generally went over like gangbusters. The fact that the Tony producers re-aired a shortened from The Late Late Show‘s Tony-themed “Carpool Karaoke” segment, though, left us wondering if it had replaced a gag that wasn’t ready for primetime. It’s an adorable video, but everyone in that room had already seen it.
Best: ‘A Whole New World’
It didn’t make the telecast, but Facebook has thankfully preserved Jake Gyllenhall and Sean Hayes’ adorable duet of “A Whole New World.” Unlike the Oscars, the Tonys actually gives attendees a reason to stay in their seats during commercial breaks!
Best: Everything’s Coming Up Hamilton
It’s usually more fun to root for the underdog rather than the champ. But when the champ is as dazzling as Lin-Manuel Miranda’s modern masterpiece, you can’t get too disappointed by its complete and utter dominance. How lucky we are to be alive right now and to have Hamilton on Broadway for years to come.
