Tony Awards

I used to love all awards shows, but now I don't have the patience or desire to sit through them. However, I will make an excuse for the Tonies, even if (like this year) I didn't see any of the productions nominated.

Just a few brief observations: there is a certain kind of annoying voice that is popular on the Broadway stage. I caught Raul Esparza's performance of Being Alive, and I just dry heaved a little. So much effort, but so little feeling - or so much manufactured feeling and so little genuine feeling...I just didn't like his voice. I'm sure he's technically excellent and has studied for years, but between his ridiculously fast vibrato and his horrific pronunciations and the nasal quality of some of his notes, I was quite pleased he didn't win.

There is another kind of annoying voice that doesn't bother me so much, and Christine Ebersole presented that one in her performance from the musical Gray Gardens. Her voice cuts through anything, and you can understand everything she's singing, and she's singing in character. I've loved her for years, I'm glad she was encouraged with her win.

Re: Spring Awakenings....I don't feel qualified to make a judgement on this one. The songs I heard are kind of catchy, but....how do you say Rent in German? I didn't understand exactly what the snippets of songs I heard were about, and the use of hand mikes is jarring. I may be too old to appreciate this one.

Oh, the little introductions for upcoming numbers didn't work too well for me. Particularly the guy who introduced Gray Gardens - he was using a Boston accent to introduce a story that takes place in Long Island. And the guys from the Jersey Boys were behind the beat in the music, it was distracting.

Anyway, one thing I do love about the Tony Awards is the unabashed liberalism and all the uncloseted gays. William Goldman wrote a book in the late 60s (I think) called The Season, and one line I that he wrote was "there would be no theater without the Jews and the gays." (paraphrased). You could be forgiven for accepting that as absolute truth from watching the Tony Awards.