And I was still reeling too much to even write my full review for Monday publication. But I\u2019m here now, so let the fun begin!<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"http:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/IMG_4244JPG-e1466012265715.jpg\")
<\/a>The wonderful James Corden, “hyperventilating” because he was introducing Barbra Steisand. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n
I actually don\u2019t have too many critical<\/em> comments. The show was basically very good, on every level. But there are one or two things I need to discuss, and a couple of celebrities who just might need some advice from me, so, hopefully, you guys will still enjoy my reflections.<\/p>\n First some general thoughts, then I’ll go in order with my specific snark (or praise!):<\/p>\n After the horrors of the morning, I\u2019m sure it was hard to go ahead with the show, especially with so much of the theatre community being gay themselves. But that little extra \u201cpre-opening,\u201d with host James Corden<\/strong> saying those few supportive words, was excellent and appropriate. So, major kudos to the entire Tonys staff for that bit.<\/p>\n My two favorites of the night were, of course, big winner Lin-Manuel Miranda<\/strong> and host James Corden. Weren\u2019t they everybody\u2019s? James really kept the show moving, like it never has before. And he\u2019s such a talented guy, on so many levels. I\u2019m very happy for his success. (I have a funny little story about him, that I\u2019ll close this column with, so please read to the bottom.)<\/p>\n Carpool Karaoke. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n The telecast went waaay over their allotted three hours, for the first time that I can remember. Perhaps that was because of the Carpool Karaoke<\/em> segment. I enjoyed it immensely, (and had been hoping<\/em> they’d do it, even though it’s the Tonys, so all the entertainment should really be live<\/em>,) but I do believe it was the extra-time culprit. It was a good thing I was watching the show live<\/em>; I had not set my DVR to go long because, come on, it was the Tonys<\/em>, not the Oscars<\/em>.<\/p>\n I predicted just about every<\/em> winner, even though, for probably only the third year ever, I had not seen even one show in New York. I just choose the victors based on Hamilton<\/em>, ethnicity, and age.\u00a0 (I guess Michael Shannon<\/strong> will just have to wait until he\u2019s older to win awards.\u00a0 He’s an unbelievably great actor, but never wins.)<\/p>\n Most of the musicals they featured on the show, originals and revivals both, looked weak. Mr. X hated them all.<\/p>\n Lin-Manuel Miranda’s impassioned acceptance speech, which he rapped. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n I loved hearing so many different accents on the winners and presenters. What a truly diverse Great White Way this year!<\/p>\n The best speeches were those of Lin-Manuel, acting winners Jayne Houdyshell <\/strong>and Reed Birney<\/strong>, and Ivo Van Hove<\/strong>, who won Best Director of a Play.<\/p>\n I enjoyed the cleverness of choosing presenters who were relevant to many of the categories. For instance, they had actresses who had starred in movies that certain musicals are now based on, present the number from those musicals. Those choices made everything that much more interesting.<\/p>\n One of the stupid outside-the-theatre bits. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Those bits they did of Broadway casts singing outside during the show were absolutely inane. I know what the produces were going for, but what a waste of everyone\u2019s time that was. And why would those poor audience people want to stand outside for, I\u2019m sure, four or five hours, to hear strangers sing just one<\/em> chorus of songs not<\/em> from their own shows?! They\u2019d have to pay<\/em> me to do that\u2014the big bucks!<\/p>\n Okay, now let\u2019s do the rest in chronological order of the show:<\/p>\n That was a pretty good number about “little James,” but I wish they had given that poor little chubby kid, (playing James\u2019 younger self,) more to do that just stand there because he\u2019s plump! Not nice of them.<\/p>\n Hamilton’s Ren\u00e9e Elise Goldsberry. Guess she forgot to shave that day. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n School of Rock<\/em> looks exhausting.<\/p>\n I loved winner Ren\u00e9e Elise Goldsberry<\/strong>‘s strapless yellow dress, but honey\u2014shave!\u00a0 And what a weird ending to her speech, about trying to have kids for the past ten years of her life, like she was going to announce she’s preggers right there!\u00a0 But then it turned-out she has<\/em> kids, who are seven and two, so I have no idea what was up with that. I think she just made everyone uncomfortable.<\/p>\n Meg Ryan. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n I don\u2019t want to pile on Meg Ryan<\/strong>\u2019s looks, but o-m-g. She\u2019s almost unrecognizable from her heyday. From now on, when people don\u2019t understand why I\u2019d be scared to have plastic surgery, I\u2019ll just show them a pic of poor, unfortunate Meg.<\/p>\n I really enjoyed the number from Fiddler on the Roof<\/em> this time; I\u2019m usually just a little bit uncomfortable with the whole show, even though it depicts my own ethnicity.<\/p>\n The main character of Steve Martin<\/strong>\u2019s show Bright Star<\/em> spent five minutes singing, “If You Knew My Story.” So just tell it to us already, and then we’ll know!<\/p>\n Even before the hilarious bit about all these Broadway actors being on the TV show Law and Order<\/em>, it was interesting to see so many actors I know just from TV, including Lin-Manuel Miranda, really be Broadway performers. Of course<\/em> they are, for the few TV shows that are shot in New York. It\u2019s wonderful for them to have both disciplines to act in, without having to give one up because most everything is filmed elsewhere.<\/p>\n Two of the classiest people in show biz, Angela Lansbury and James Earl Jones. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n I love, love, love Angela Lansbury<\/strong>!!! She\u2019s remarkably spry for ninety<\/em>! And she\u2019s opening a new show on Broadway in the Fall! She\u2019s what I picture sixty<\/em> to look like. The funny thing is that she has always played much older than she is, even when she started-out in show business, and she\u2019s grown into her age now. (When she was thirty-seven<\/em>, she played thirty-four<\/em>-year-old Laurence Harvey\u2019s evil mother in The Manchurian Candidate<\/em>!)<\/p>\n Pairing Angela with James Earl Jones<\/strong> for their Tony presentation was genius. Those are two people who really know how to stage act\u2014and their distinctive voices have never needed the help of microphones!<\/p>\n Jessica Lange, who should have at least fixed her hair! Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n I hate to say it, but I have one word for Jessica Lange<\/strong>\u2014sleeves! Besides that the skin on her arms are, sadly, super-aged (she must have sat in the sun a lot in her life,) she had a huge black circle (which looked to be either a bruise or the burning-off of a problem spot,) near her wrist! Why wouldn\u2019t she wear a big bracelet over it?! I understand that other serious actresses may not care about their looks, but Jessica started out as a mode<\/em>l, for goodness sake!<\/p>\n There’s always something so nice about the Estabans, Gloria and Emilio<\/strong>.\u00a0 It was great to see them again.<\/p>\n I know what Frank Langella<\/strong> was going for with his acceptance speech being about what happened in Orlando that day, but it just did not work. And actually fell sort-of flat.<\/p>\n The lovely Blair Underwood. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n I hate all these classic play re-dos. Just perform them as written, please!<\/p>\n And why do plays always have to be so depressing to garner a Tony nomination?\u00a0 Enough already.\u00a0 We have the news<\/em> for that!<\/p>\n I loved seeing Blair Underwood<\/strong> on there. Seriously, he\u2019s perhaps the nicest guy in show business, even though I don\u2019t think he comes across that way.<\/p>\n I can\u2019t believe that Keri Russell<\/strong>\u2019s stomach is that flat\u2014less than three weeks after she gave birth! I\u2019m sure Spanx were involved to some extent, but still\u2026 You go, girl!<\/p>\n Just look at new mom Keri Russell’s flat stomach! Wow. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Jessie Mueller<\/strong> (of the musical Waitress<\/em>,) sure can sing!<\/p>\n Neil Patrick Harris<\/strong> was a good sport to show up, even though he was finally replaced as host of the show. (But did you notice that he felt the need to throw-in that he\u2019s shooting something elsewhere, just so we\u2019d think he was asked to host before James was? What a weak and insecure move on his part.)<\/p>\n I honestly think that Lin-Manuel was happier that Leslie Odom, Jr.<\/strong> won for Best Actor than if he had won it himself. Really. He seems like such a lovely person.<\/p>\n It was special to have Barbra Streisand<\/strong> there.\u00a0 But she should have had a French manicure to highlight her gorgeous hands. I do feel for her, though, having to always cover her old neck. Shame.<\/p>\n Lin-Manuel Miranda being truly touched and happy for his co-star to have beaten him out for Best Actor in a Musical. The best part of this pic, for me, is Lin’s classy parents behind him. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n The Hamilton<\/em> producer\u2019s acceptance speech was semi-rude. And it made him seem unaware of the Orlando tragedy. I always hate to let something bad<\/em> ruin something good<\/em>, but, in this case, the tragedy needed to temper the fun. It\u2019s a shame, but that\u2019s the way it is.<\/p>\n How did they have the number from Hamilton<\/em> ready to be performed at the end? What if that show had not won for Best Musical, huh???!!! I loved their uplifting song about the \u201cperfect city,\u201d and it was the perfect way to end the show, but to have it ready just seem rude to the other nominees.<\/p>\n The Hamilton cast, closing out the 2016 Tonys.<\/p><\/div>\n Maybe I missed the musicians\u2019 names during the end credit roll, but I checked a few times. I may be extra-sensitive regarding that omission because my brother has usually been one of the them, but this is Broadway, people! Without the men and women playing the instruments, there would be<\/em> no musicals, for goodness sake! Give those peeps their props! Jeepers criminy!<\/p>\n Now, as promised, my little James Corden story. I was in New York for the 2012 Tonys, and my very young friend Betsy and I were watching together, so she could help me do my first live-tweeting of an awards show, (as Lily Tomlin had advised me to do, during our five-hour chat on the plane from LA.) Though Betsy grew-up in Brooklyn, she was far from a Broadway babe, so everything on stage was kind of new to her. She\u2019s also very funny, in a very dry way, and says exactly what she thinks.\u00a0She cracks me up often.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>