The Antoinette Perry, or Tony Awards, which honor Broadway’s finest, airs Sunday, June 12, 8 pm EDT on CBS-TV. Of the four US major entertainment awards – Emmys, Oscars, Grammys, Tonys – it is the most mysterious to the general public. I watch it because I find it to be the most entertaining of the programs, even though, or maybe because I’m least familiar with the source material.
Reasons you should watch it:
It’s unique. Music has the American Music Awards, movies and TV have the Golden Globes, not to mention the People’s Choice Awards, plus a plethora of others.
Nothing else is on. Prime time shows are over, summer movies are showing on 30,000 screens each.
Neil Patrick Harris is hosting, and The Book of Mormon is up for 14 awards, either of which would make it interesting.
If you do have something else to watch, such as Sunday Night Baseball, tape or DVR the Tonys; it’s not as though the Tony show is water cooler fodder, though it should be.
*It’s informative. When Memphis showed up on the roster for our local theater, I actually knew the plot, from seeing it on the Tonys.
Also, you can tell people what your favorite TV and movie actors have been up to in the last year, such as Ellen Barkin, John Larroquette, Frances McDormand, Al Pacino, and Vanessa Redgrave.
Unfortunately for the Tonys’ commercial appeal, this year’s list of recognizable names is dwarfed by last year’s roster. In the best actor in a play category alone, there was Jude Law, Alfred Molina, Liev Schreiber, Christopher Walken, and winner Denzel Washington. Other “names” included Kelsey Grammer, Valerie Harper, Sean Hayes, Linda Lavin, Laura Linney, and Catherine Zeta-Jones, and those were just in the starring categories.
I’ve been particularly fascinated by the career of one Brian Stokes Mitchell. As Brian Mitchell, he appeared in a bunch of serviceable roles such as Jackpot on the TV show Trapper John, MD. But as a Broadway performer, he’s a star, even a legend.
Can’t wait for the Tonys!
***
EGOT winners.
Theatre rocks. Gr8 recommendation, Roger
I always feel like I should watch the Tonys, for the reasons you suggest. (I also always feel like the plural should be “Tonies”, but that doesn’t look right, either.)
Brian Stokes Mitchell: He was cast as a memorable and potentially fascinating character on “Frasier”, upstairs neighbor Cam Winston, who was every bit as stuffy and knowledgable and opinionated as Frasier Crane, but who disagreed with him on most things. I hated that they didn’t keep the character around for more than three episodes.