Lazy Post Of The Day: This Is How You Do It

I must admit that I was hoping for a "Xanadu" upset at last Sunday's Tony Awards.  It was hands down the funniest show I saw last season, and I was ecstatic to see it give the best performance of the broadcast.    Special shout out for Dan Knechtges fantastic, goofy, and wonderfully musical choreography.  Is it just me or did they make Cheyenne Jackson's shorts extra short and tight for the broadcast?  I guess he's gotta hit those high notes somehow. 

Comments

[Natalie D.]

Oh my gosh! Those short shorts! Too funny! And that girl on one skate was just too much.

[Jack]

I have to say, that as much as I love Xanadu, I didn't feel like it was the best performance of the night. I felt that Cry Baby's performance was more polished, and In the Heights had more heart. Perhaps it was my lack of familiarity with those two shows, or my bewilderment at the selection of song for Xanadu coupled with my WTF moment when Kerry started singing and then Tony started singing from the audience, but I just felt that it didn't put their best foot forward as far as introducing themselves to a national audience.

[M]

Hey Jack! The only thing I really agree with is the WTF moment of Kerry singing. "YOU'RE WEARING A MIC KERRY!"

Personally I felt that both "Cry Baby" and "In the Heights" were pale comparisons to what those numbers are like in the theater. "Cry Baby" had the chance to hit it out of the park, but poor camera work, and a song so out of context made it all seem more abrupt than usual.

"In the Heights" was an even bigger disappointment to me. That number in the theater was one of my favorite theater moments of the season, but it requires a full view of the stage to appreciate the intricacy of both the song and ESPECIALLY the choreography, both of which I felt were a bit lost.

"Xanadu" on the other hand didn't necessarily sell what the show is like in the theater, but I think they were smart to "deceive the audience" a bit. The campy nature of "Xanadu" would have been off-putting on a broadcast (as it was when they performed on shows like "The View," etc.), so choosing to do more of a vocal and choreographic showcase that highlighted Jackson's bulging thighs was smart. IMO. :)

[jolene]

From someone who hadn't seen any of these shows, I have to side with Jack - I knew that Xanadu was campy and quirky, but I wasn't really sold on what Xanadu did on the Tony's (I was able to get a copy and watch it! Yay~). I loved the energy of "In the Heights" - I felt like it had the confidence to win the best musical, for some reason, like they knew they were going to win. "Cry Baby" was cute, adorable, with great flashy choreography, and Grease was just a major disappointment. It was disappointing even from my already-low expectations. Why is that song "Grease is the Word" in the musical, and why did they perform it for the Tony's?? It was a bit dark and depressing and it dragged a bit; they would have done much better just done a typical happy Grease song like "Born to Hand Jive" or "Those Magic Changes" or "Greased Lightning" or "Summer Nights". Almost any other song would have been better. Or just show Danny Zuko combing his hair. Anything.

Fun! Loved your podcast too, Matt - I thought it was interesting what you said about Gypsy and about how the show changed, pre- and post-move. And how they swept the Tony's. I personally would have liked to have seen Boyd Gaines win a Tony last year for his stellar performance in Journey's End. But that's just me.