Where Do I Go?

2009 Tony Award's Review

I liked but I didn’t LOVE the Tonys this year. There were a lot of great moments but as a whole they lacked something this year. Maybe it was the fact that there were not so many great shows that I was excited about being nominated? Or maybe it was that every award seemed to go to Billy Elliot and that it lacked excitement since the race was not even close. Either way here is a list of my Pro’s and Con’s of the 2009 Tony Awards:

Pro’s:
1) Karen Olivo won best featured actress in a musical for her role as Anita in West Side Story. Karen was in last year’s Best Musical In The Heights and stepped up her game even more this year with a winning her very own tony for her work.
2) LIZA Minnelli! Need I say more… She is an unstoppable woman! She was all over the place in this year’s ceremony and she was great to watch win.
3) The Billy Elliot Boys (David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish). They were sooo cute in their acceptance speech for winning best lead actor in a musical. And History makers as well, being the 1st set of actors to take one one acting award for one role.
4) National Touring cast were invited to perform. Mamma Mia and Jersey Boys were fun and was a great reminder to those who can not make it to Broadway stage in NYC that there are great theatre companies on tour at a city near you at all times! I loved that and wish they continue to do so. (Just not Legally Blonde ever again! )

Con’s:
1) OPENING ACT: Way to much going one. I think this why the sound was sooo bad, with so many performers needing mic’s I think the sound guys had a hard time remembering to turn on, or off which mic’s and when to do so. Also the Mash-ups did not work. Pal Joey and Next to Normal horrible, West Side story girls could be heard with Guys and Dolls Cast and the West Side Boys going at it. ALSO maybe if there were less performers Brett Michael's would have paid more attention to where he was going and not gotten himself injured.
2) The SOUND ISSUES what was going on!!! Please you would think with people who run shows 8 times a week all year long that they could run a TONY AWARDS with good sound.
3) Brett Michael's: I feel that this will be the only thing people remember for this show. There were no stand out performances besides HAIR and Next to Normal which were good but not great. I mean to this day I can remember watching the cast of Ragtime performance from the 52nd Tony Awards and being blown away, the casts of The Drowsy Chaperone and Jersey Boys in 2006 who kick ass, and the casts of The Full Monty and The Producers in 2001 with amazing performances.
4) Lastly they didn’t give NPH much time to do an opening or even host. He closing was the best part of the show because it was short, it was simple, it was funny and it made sense!

Overall I am happy for all the winners but was sadly disappointed that this will not be one of my favorite Tony Awards of all time.

" Where Do I Go?"- song from Hair