LIVEBLOGGING THE TONY AWARDS

Oh what the heck...here goes!

Leave it to the Tony Awards to start with the opening of a musical from the 1970s that captures how desperate performers can be just to get a job on Broadway, let alone any award. The music's great (and that's composer Marvin Hamlisch at the keyboard), but the message?

Starting the presentation is the great Angela Lansbury, who muffs up her teleprompter lines...possibly because she's looking for cue cards. Whatever. She's great...and a lovable part of the Tony Awards is how unslick they are. That really came through during the NY1 red carpet interviews, when Donna Karger and Roma Torre messed up again and again. And I wince and love that kind of thing...at the same time!

Doogie Howser [okay, Myra: Neil Patrick Harris] is one of the two presenters for the first award. I'm happy for my friend Anne, who's there.

The prize for Best Actor in a Featured Musical [Myra, by "Musical" I mean "Play"] goes to Billy Crudup, which means that Debbie and I both get a point! Congrats, Debbie!! Crudup [who said he was happy that his name was pronounced correctly] pronounces Stoppard close to STOP-pard, as opposed to one of the guys on WNYC, who's been saying Stop-PARD. I'm glad Crudup gave a shout out to Ethan Hawke, who was terrific in Coast--the third of Coast of Utopia that I saw.

And look at that--one of the co-presenters for Featured Actor in a Musical is Robert Sean Leonard--I'm happy for Claire, who's there, because RSL is the guy who was in Long Day's Journey... I was trying to think of when we were at Moon for the Misbegotten.

The Tony for Best Featured Actor in a Musical goes to John Gallagher, Jr. I'm happy for Myra, who's there, and I'm happy for me because I just got another point. Spring Awakening is clearly the audience fave--you can hear it in the applause, which is being produced by Anne, Claire, Cullen, Myra, and some other people at Radio City Music Hall, which is not a Broadway theater. Gallagher, like his co-star Lauren Pritchard, sounds a lot like his character.

And Steven Sater takes Best Book for Spring Awakening--my first setback, and I feel sorry for Grey Gardens....

And now Sater returns to share Best Score with Duncan Sheik. Sater is hogging the mike. Give Sheik a chance!!! Wait...it turns out Sheik already won Orchestration earlier--that must be one of those technical awards. And now he's talking about all the lives that he's ruined on his path to success. What a bastard he must be--kidding! Oh wait: He's saying "Musical theater rocks!" A sound bite for the ages. Ben and the rest of the Tony crowd must be kvelling.

Best Featured Actress in a musical? Mary Louise Wilson. Phew--Grey Gardens gets some props...and MLW is a-whooping and a-hollering over it. No apologies from that broad.

Sometime before that John Kander got a big hand. Cabaret...Chicago...just amazing. Then came the Curtains dance number. David Hyde Pierce. Debra Monk. Why isn't she cast in more--or any?--Ethel Merman roles?

Man, that Mary Poppins is scary....

Okay...got some time to catch up with those "not ready for prime time" tech awards.

It's a good night for Bob Crowley, who got Best Scenic Design for a Musical for Mary Poppins and shared Best Scenic Design for a Play with Scott Pask for Coast of Utopia.

Best Costume Design for a Play goes to Catherine Zuber of Coast of Utopia.

Best Costume Design of a Musical goes to Grey Gardens costumer William Ivey Long--and I hope he thanked Little Edie in his speech.

Best Lighting Design of a Musical? Kevin Adams of Spring Awakening.

Best Lighting Design of a Play goes to Brian MacDevitt, Kenneth Posner, and Natasha Katz for The Coast of Utopia.

And, for the record, the Regional Theatre Tony award goes to the Alliance Theatre of Atlanta, Georgia, in the former Soviet Union.

Oh, it's a Frasier reunion (Bebe and David Hyde Pierce) for the Best Choreographer: Bill T. Jones, for Spring Awakening. He's prancing his way up to the stage--makes it all worthwhile. Oh, he's saluting people who aren't there--like Arnie Zane [Jones named no one]--and also his partner...who's a guy! Who knew??? Heh.

You know, I haven't heard a Paris Hilton joke yet. What kind of award show is this?

Best Featured Actress in a play is Jennifer Ehle--point for Blog About Town! I can't believe it!! I don't know what to say!!! I'm so proud and grateful. And she slips in a plug for O'Neill's or whatever that place is called.

The musical number from Mary Poppins--something about a chimney--seems oddly familiar. And that Mary Poppins--she looks so full of herself! On second thought, maybe it's not that familiar.

So let's see...Spring has 6, Coast has 5, Grey has 2, and Mary has 1.

Best Direction of a Play goes to Coast of Utopia's Jack O'Brien, who earned the award by getting a large company of actors to holler in the acoustically flat center of the Vivian Beaumont for three plays straight. Oooo--he just mentioned that there ought to be an award for Score for Play. I've been thinking along similar lines...but on a grander scale.

Eddie Izzard presents Special Event--in drag, if you count men's clothing as drag clothing because women wear it too. Heh. Kiki and Herb. But it goes to Jay, depriving us of the chance to see K&H's speech. I wish I'd seen Jay Johnson's show, even if he's accepting without a dummy on his arm. You know that pin on his jacket? It's a Charlie McCarthy--with a tiny movable jaw! (I know that from the red carpet interview on NY1.)

Anyway, I'd hoped for a tie in the Special Event category. So no point for me. Another miss: Best Lighting for a Musical (my pick was 110 in the Shade, which I haven't seen--I figured pulling off the 110/Shade thing must've been quite a feat).

Hey--there was a kind of Pythonesque/Phantomesque moment when a chandelier "dropped" on the rule reciters. And they're replaced by John Mahoney and the wonderful Jane Krakowski, may she forever be well-employed. Another one of those endearing and clumsy Tony routines.

OMG--I think there might be a tiny moment when a musical act from Legally Blonde goes on air. Let's see...the Grinch, Les Mis, that Dylan/Tharp thing...with none of the music, The Pirate Queen, High Fidelity...yes--Legally Blonde made it on the show! Hm. I hope I didn't miss anything in that montage....

Harry Connick presents Best Direction of a Musical. Goes to Michael Mayer for Spring Awakening, averting a riot. Yay--his first mention was my music director crush, Kim Grigsby. He also said there should be some other category, but I missed what it is. I'm sure I've been thinking along those lines...but on a grander scale. And he squeezed in some remarks about sexual oppression, which he's against. Which is good.

And there's Patti LuPone, who's gonna be in the Encores! Gypsy. See you soon, Patti!!

And now Harry Connick plays a selection from Company. No...wait...that's Raúl Esparza, who's actually nominated for his leading role in the musical. Accompanying him is Patti LuPone on tuba. No...wait...that was last season. But a blown opportunity, as far as I'm concerned. A funny thing about this is that he's got orchestral backup--even though part of the point of his Company is that there isn't orchestral accompaniment. Oh, the irony.

Maybe that's why John Doyle wasn't exactly grinning ear-to-ear.

Psst. At least one of the presenters for Best Play is a Gay. That's right: Marcia Gay Harden! Hah hah. Wow--Judd Hirsch is rocking some serious shades. Did I say that right? Hm. The Little Dog Laughed is very telegenic. I smell cable/film rights. Maybe that's happened already.

OMG, some sort of bait-and-switch took place. Suddenly it's time for Best Play Revival, and Hirsch and Harden have become Waterston and...Huffman? It goes to Journey's End, a very fine production that was poorly attended despite my recommendations on this very blog. Good for them. And OMG OMG--one of the guys on stage is wearing plaid pants. WTF? Of course, in true Tony fashion, the acceptor made a crack about the money. And now he's saying that the play has never [ever] made money. Well, I'm glad I saw it, so thank you. And thanks for the plea for a better way than war when it comes to solving conflicts.

Tall Tommy Tune gets to do the goodbyes. Waah. He says goodbye to Betty Comden. Waah. And now we get to hear him singing her lyrics. Bye Jay Harnick! Bye Roscoe Lee Browne! Bye Lloyd Richards! I miss you all.

The camera caught Tune from a low angle that emphasized his height. Would it have been in bad taste for him to be dressed like an old-fashioned undertaker, with a high top hat? Don't answer that.

Jane Krakowski's back! Yay!! Hey--she was in Starlight Express!!! I might've seen her in that. She's with Kevin Spacey. And they're presenting Best Revival of a Musical. For real. No switch-and-bait here. I can feel it coming. Kevin says he played a dog on Broadway. So did Sarah Jessica Parker. [Actually, maybe that was just Off-Broadway.] Anyway, Company takes the Tony.

Hm. I think this is going to go past 10.

And the Company producers get drowned out by the orchestra. That wouldn't happen with Patti LuPone on tuba. At least I don't think so.

Did Santo Loquasto give Brian Dennehy his haircut? Aren't there union rules against that?

Anyway, it's Best Actress time--and no jokes about Eve Best being the Best Actress. It sounded like it was going to go to Julie White--and it did! Good for her. She's really on right now. Will she thank the real-life, now deceased, agent who inspired her character? She's very funny and fun to watch. Real YouTube potential. Oy--she's calling her character "hideous." But she's fun and full of life and I want to see her again and again on Broadway.

Here's an ad for the movie musical Hairspray starring John Travolta. I miss you, Divine.

So...is The Sopranos over, well underway, or just beginning? It's 10:06 and I'm clueless.

Okay, this is where the show might lose me. It's a Jersey Boys cover. So I think I'll refresh my tally.

7 Spring
6 Coast
2 Grey
1 Mary
1 Company
1 Jay Johnson
1 Journey's End
1 The Little Dog Laughed

I hope that's right.

For Best Actor, Frank Langella seemed to get the most applause, but it was close. But not close enough. It's Frank Langella--as widely predicted. I look forward to seeing Frost/Nixon.

Patrick Wilson intros Grey Gardens by saying that everyone has one eccentric relative, but Jackie O had two. At least, I'm sure. Christine Ebersole's getting the audience love. And I can't wait for her hum. Here it comes. It's coming. It's coming. Da da da da dahhhhh. Love it! And she gets to make that nasty Republican comment on national TV. She also did it at a performance for Laura Bush and her daughters--I learned that from the NY1 pre-show.

The Tony for Costuming for Musicals went to Grey Gardens via William Ivey Long, who thanked the Tony powers for recognizing both Grey Gardens and Spring Awakening. Interesting, don't you think?

And yeah...Da da da da dahhhhh. isn't exactly humming. I know. That's liveblogging for ya.

Hm. I think I'll do some boldfacing.

Presenter Christopher Plummer misses Vincent Sardi. Waah.

Best Play goes to Coast of Utopia. Accepting is Tom STOP-pard. Real greatness. Thank you, Tom, for Arcadia, too. Man, I'm glad Stoppard didn't get cut off. And André Bishop also says STOP-pard. During Bernard Gersten's thank you I heard a mazel tov off camera. Heh.

And here's Zach Braff confessing that he loves musical theater. Has he been on Broadway? Not according to IBDB. Will he be on Broadway? I hope so.

And here's the number from Spring Awakening. With Kim Grigsby's graceful arm movements! And here's some of Bill T. Jones's YouTube -inspired choreography--the bit with the chairs that really looks like an Ok GO! routine. And there's Kim again, rocking out in the background. And shit--they were allowed to say "bitch" but not "ass"? Chickenshit! Excellent--but not enough Lauren Pritchard. Can't get enough Lauren Pritchard.

Time for Best Actor in a Musical--Jonathan Groff got a lot of applause, but so did David Hyde Pierce and Raúl Esparza, whose companion looked very confident. And it goes to David Hyde Pierce, surprising the world and vindicating the prediction in The New York Times! And hey--he recognizes his partner, Brian, too.

Best Actress in a Musical goes to...could it be Audra McDonald, who got a lot of applause? No, in this case it's the fore-ordained winner, Christine Ebersole. You've come a long way from Saturday Night Live, baby--in a speech that could be from A Chorus Line: The Sequel. And she thanks the Edies, if not the Maysles.

So is there anything left? It's almost 11! Oh yeah: Best Musical. Ya think it's gonna be Spring Awakening? It is indeed. There will not be enough room on the stage, but I think Mozart will get a chance to speak. Wow--he looks more like P.D.Q. Bach these days. And I mean that in the best possible sense. And he said Kimberly Grigsby. He did!

8 Spring Awakening
7 The Coast of Utopia [closed]
3 Grey Gardens
1 Company
1 Curtains
1 Frost/Nixon
1 Jay Johnson: The Two and Only [closed]
1 Journey's End [closed]
1 The Little Dog Laughed [closed]
1 Mary Poppins

That's a record for Coast of Utopia.