73rd Tony Awards – A Musical Review

By starrymag | June 13, 2019

By: Dustin Bradley

 

 

The 73rd Annual Tony Awards aired this past Sunday and as always was a joyous celebration of life and live theatre. As a giant musical theatre fan, I look forward to this show every year and can’t wait to see what songs and shows get to perform! This year had some really nice performances that’s lit up the stage with copious amount of energy. Let’s review each performance down below!

 

Opening: James Cordon is back as the host this year and starts the show off with a rousing number on why theatre is better than television in regards to everything except for the money being able to tell stories in more than 2-3 hours. He began the performance in sweats and tore them away to reveal a red tuxedo that was the perfect amount of style and pizzazz to start the show! This was the best opening in the past few years. And definitely worth another view.

 

Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations – The Temptations hits including “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)” and “I Can’t Get Next to You” have not looked or sounded this good in a long time! Not since the original group have we had such a fantastic ensemble of men who truly embody suave and funk. This cast is fantastic. You can tell from this performance why they won the Best Choreography category! The soundtrack is currently available.

 

Tootsie – This performance proves why Santino Fontana won Best Leading Actor in a Musical this year! Performing “Unstoppable,” he went from Michael to Dorothy in a matter of minutes. I thought this song was very fun and that drag was classic! The soundtrack is currently available.

 

OKLAHOMA!  – This revival of the Rogers and Hammerstein classic has been hailed as “Sexy Oklahoma!” And if you take one look at this cast and it’s costume design you can understand why. Everyone looks gorgeous! Ali Stroker, who won the Best Featured Actress in a Musical category, performed “I Can’t Say No” followed by the whole cast singing the title song. Ali Stroker, who made history as the first wheelchair bound person to win a Tony, proved that she eventually won her category based off her immense talent and perfection as this character. And the cast as a whole was really fun and had great energy. The soundtrack is coming soon.

 

Beetlejuice – Alex Brightman is 2019 Beetlejuice and boy is he PERFECT casting. They modified the lyrics for the broadcast, but this performance was THE BEST. The feature on this show started off with the cast performing “Day-O” and then lead into Brightman’s “This is a Show About Death.” This performance cemented why this show has been a repeat for me since its cast album came out!

 

Host’s in the Bathroom: James Cordon pays homage to the most popular and fan favorite show on Broadway at the moment, Be More Chill, by parodying it’s most popular song, “Micheal in the Bathroom.” Helped out by former Tony hosts Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban with a special moment with fan favorite Tony host Neil Patrick Harris. This was a nice little nod for the beloved show that was only nominated once due to its prominence before its Broadway run and a cute mid-show bit for Corden.

 

Prom – Another fan favorite show performs its popular hits, “Tonight Belongs to You” and “It’s Time to Dance.” Giving a showcase to its talented actors nominated and it’s message of love and acceptance. Nothing feels better than seeing two LGBT+ characters kissing on screen and hearing roaring applause at the sight and in today’s landscape where queer people have come so far, it’s still a uphill battle for acceptance. The soundtrack is now available.

 

Choir Boy– It’s always rare seeing a play get a performance slot. Choir Boy, which was nominated for Best Choreography, not only brought the house down with its performance of African spiritual “Rockin’ Jerusalem,” but with its song choice coupled with the fact that it was “step” based style of dance made it ultra powerful.

 

Hadestown: The Myth. The Musical – One of the most nominated shows this season truly shined with its performance of “Wait For Me” and proved why it won Best Musical and why André De Shields won his category for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. His sultry voice and narration mixed with Reeve Carney’s rock opera voice was pure magic and the stage production wowed with its costumes and props. The soundtrack is now available.

 

Kiss Me, Kate – This performance of “Too Darn Hot” was a showcase of the amazing choreography and talents of star Corbin Bleu. The only bad thing about this particular showcase of the show was that Kelli O’Hara didn’t get to perform a lick besides narration.

 

And finally…

 

The Cher Show – All hail Cher and all hail this years winner of Best Actress in a Musical, Stephanie J. Block. Block and the cast performed Cher hit “Believe” and not only did it showcase Block as the “Star” version of the leading lady, but it also gave us hints of the “Babe” and “Lady” versions played by Micaela Diamond and Teal Wicks. To be honest, I was expecting a cameo from the goddess herself, but alas that didn’t happen. What a way to end the show though with a performance that celebrates one of the most theatrical legends ever to live! And with the stars, the music and the unforgettable costumes (designed by legend stylist Bob Mackie and winning the Best Costumes category) this was a celebration to behold.

 

 

It was an amazing 73rd Tony Awards! Until next year! Thank you for supporting live theatre.