Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered: Unforgettable 2006 Tony Moments
Tony-Came-Lately Moment: Was the Lincoln Center's Bernard Gersten, noting that the revival win for Awake and Sing! was the show's first Tony the awards weren't around for its 1935 debut, overstating the case when he said the award ushered Odets into the pantheon of "great American playwrights"? No, in fact this was the first win for an Odets play or revival; the playwright's only other nom was for the book of the musical of Golden Boy in 1965.
What You Didn't See On the Telecast: During a scintillating preshow speech, League of American Theatres and Producers honcho Jed Bernstein revealed he's leaving his post to pursue producing full-time. Both Gerald Schoenfeld and American Theatre Wing head Douglas Leeds said they look forward to seeing Bernstein on stage accept a Tony of his own. Putting the cart before the proverbial horse, anyone?
They Did What? Wing exec Sondra Gilman promised the telecast would end at 11 p.m. on the nose—and told us that, in olden days back when a glimpse of stocking was looked on as something shocking the ceremony used to begin at midnight. Just think—instead of champagne, they could serve mimosas!
Anti-Fashion Statement: When Norbert Leo Butz came out and referred to our "little black-tied clambake," it was hard not to notice that the suit-and-tie-wearing scoundrel was not with the program himself.
They Should Take It On the Road! Butz and Victoria Clark emceed the preshow—a.k.a. the awards CBS deems not important enough to broadcast to a few million people—and turned out to be quite the cutups. Clark on separating the design awards for musicals and plays: "It is the theater. Some people like to go both ways." Butz to the lighting designers he hasn't yet worked with: "Please have the decency to use some gels that are slimming." Butz to the costume designers he has worked with: "Thanks for not making my butts look too big."
Wherefore Art Thou, Tom Skerritt? In case anyone was wondering what the ex-Top Gun star was doing on stage giving a big fat $25,000 check to Seattle's Intiman Theatre courtesy of Visa, if you missed the 372 plugs, it turns out that he starred as the Stage Manager in a 2004 production of Our Town. Meanwhile, Artistic Director and Awake and Sing! helmer Bartlett Sher thanked his staff, "who work like monks in the middle ages."
Phoning It In: In a turn-off-your-cell moment that would have made Richard Griffiths proud, the Tony producers chose to take a commercial approach: Kelli O'Hara and the Pajama Game cuties singing "I'm Not At All in Love," while castmate and non-nominee Michael McKean watched from the wings and took a phone call. "I'm at the Tony Awards," McKean told his caller. "No. I'm presenting." They also used vintage clips to illustrate a few other rules don't touch the microphone, etc.. "Welcome to Urinetown," boomed Jeff McCarthy. "If you have to use the restroom," boomed the voiceover.
Surgery Plug: Paul Rudd, struggling with the TelePrompTer: "Oh, I need Lasik." Do these people get a rehearsal?
Those Droll Canadians I: Bob Martin, accepting with Don McKellar for the book of The Drowsy Chaperone, thanked the Toronto scene that helped give birth to the show: "We want to share this award with you—not literally, of course."
Those Droll Canadians II: McKellar thanked "the American musical comedy, which has been around for about 100 years, inspiring and entertaining people, and giving Bob and me lots of material to make fun of."
Brits in the Wall: Ian MacDiarmid started the trend rolling with his win for Faith Healer. All told, nine Brits took home Tonys, out of 20 individual categories not counting the play win for the National Theatre import of The History Boys.
Absent-Minded Professor: Speaking of History Boys, playwright Alan Bennett's bow tie was seriously askew. Of course.
Seth Rudetsky, Pseudo-Host: The Broadway Chatterbox host presided over a few homemade films like "Deconstructing the Tonys." There, he pointed out chorus-members-turned-stars like Ben Vereen Hair, who went on to star in Pippin…with chorus girl Ann Reinking, who later starred in Over Here…with chorus boy John Travolta. He also dug up Bette Midler as Tzeitel in Fiddler on the Roof. Later, he picked apart an Evita clip starring nominee Patti LuPone.
Speaking of Patti… We saw no fewer than three Evita clips, plus a snippet of her 1988 turn in Anything Goes. It was like the Patti LuPone show!
It's All In the Details: When History Boys won Best Play, the orchestra broke into "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered"—which is sung in the show. And which Patti LuPone sung in an Encores! production of Pal Joey. See, it all comes back to Patti.
Revelation of the Night: History Boys' Richard Griffiths, pointing to his wife: "She persuaded me not to quit the show."
Bitter Party of One: Accepting the award for his set design of History Boys, snubbed Tarzan director-designer quipped jokingly?: "You're very generous…but between you and me, I should have won for the other one."
We Now Pause For This Commercial Interruption: While they were off the air, Radio City audiences were treated to performances from past Tony Awards. A few of the numbers we saw: Kristin Chenoweth in "My New Philosophy" You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown; Brent Barrett and Michael Jeter in "We'll Take a Glass Together" Grand Hotel; a tank-top-and-suspender-clad Jerry Orbach in "All I Care About" the original Chicago; a hefty Jennifer Holiday in Dreamgirls.
And Speaking of Commercials… Theater audiences also saw vintage ads trumpeting Tony-winning plays like Equus, Agnes of God, Noises Off, Burn This, Tru, The Heidi Chronicles, Two Trains Running, Torch Song Trilogy, Loot and 'night Mother.
Too Much Information of the Night: Christian Hoff, accepting the featured actor award for Jersey Boys, gave tribute to his wife and children, "including my new baby, in her womb right now."
Sound Familiar? Featured actress winner Beth Leavel recycled a few bits—and words! "Breathe! Breathe!" from her Drama Desk speech. At least she had it memorized.
Leather Report: While introducing her show, The Threepenny Opera, presenter Ana Gasteyer told us it's "wrapped in leather for your protection." And, thanks to CBS, sanitized for our protection. Naturally, they bleeped out the word f--- for the family-friendly telecast. And while we're on the Threepenny subject, did anyone else notice that even an audience programmed to applaud on command couldn't muster a respectable ovation for the much-maligned revival?
Forget Me Not: Erstwhile Phantom Howard McGillin tripped over his lyrics for "Music of the Night." I guess that can happen when you've performed the show 24,978 times.
Wrong Awards Show, Dude: Nominated for the lyrics of The Wedding Singer, Chad Beguelin flashed the old heavy metal devil's horn to his seat-side camera.
Best Unintentional Double Entendre: While best actor Richard Griffiths was making his way to the stage, the announcer praised his "skillful handling of the role of Hector." And Hector was rather skilled in handling his pupils' parts, wasn't he?
Flash Back! Cameras were supposedly confiscated but you should have seen the flashes going off when Oprah came on to introduce The Color Purple. Just think what would have happened had she been the host!
Best Rah-Rah Moment: Jersey Boys producer Michael David—who, fortunately, removed his proverbial baseball cap for his Best Musical acceptance speech—gave a shout-out to anyone who "stepped onto a Broadway or Off Broadway stage this year." Even Drowsy Chaperone fans had to applaud that statement.
Chivalry Is Not Dead: Harvey Fierstein helped co-presenter Audra McDonald with the train of her puffy white gown, quipping at the mike: "A gay man's work is never done."
Mistaken Identity: Hal Holbrook's self-indulgent anecdote about his close identification with the character of Mark Twain—a visitor to the author's grave was reportedly told that Holbrook's grave is "close by"—seemed to go on a bit. Was his unfortunate co-presenter, Kristen Bell, supposed to chime in with, "Yeah, people confuse me with Veronica Mars all the time, too"?
He Ain't Heavy, He's…: Featured actor nominee Manoel Felciano looked at his seat-side camera, gestured to a hairy man next to him, and mouthed: "My brother."
All About Me: Her Oprah-ness, hands together, lips apart: "When Steven Spielberg and Quincy Jones asked me to play Sofia in the film of The Color Purple, it was a life-changing experience." Wait, wait, I haven't heard about this before—tell us more, Oprah, please.
Then It's War: Producer Michael David, accepting for Jersey Boys: "Many of you fought in the trenches this season, waging your own artistic battles." Tell it to Joseph Brooks.
Ad Watch: That Philadelphia tourism ad was unintentionally hilarious, like the Drew Carey opening credits without the irony. And an ad for Broadway Across America, a national ticket membership organization, spoke to the secret pain of budding theater queens everywhere, as a young girl told the camera, "My friends make fun of me 'cause I've got all these showtunes on my pod." Sing it, sister!