Tony Awards 2011 Highlights

Even though there's a bus right to NYC, I have only been to the city three times in the past five years. And I haven't seen a show on Broadway since 7th grade. This from a person who's performed in 15 musicals and genuinely likes theater. So like most of America, the Tony Awards are the only time I see Broadway cast performances of new shows and new revivals. Otherwise it's touring companies of the biggest commercial successes and high school shows.

But since most of the people getting awards, aside from one or two Hollywood types, are not so familiar, the performances are the main attraction, rather than the speeches, though that Book of Mormon featured actress had me tearing up.

So here are my picks for the best moments:

Best Song: "I Believe" - Book of Mormon
This show cleaned up, Best Score, Best Book, Featured Actress, Best Direction, Best Orchestrations, Best Scenic Design, and unsurprisingly Best Musical. This song is a great example of why: great music, funny lyrics, earnest performance. This is a great song and an excellent performance.


Best Dance:
The word on the street was that Daniel Radcliffe, the Boy Who Lived, was snubbed for Lead Actor in a Musical. Based on this performance, I'd agree. he at least deserved a nomination. He is seriously delivering, voice and body. Even with a crew of much taller dancers, it's hard to take your eyes of the former Mr. Potter. And while some may say Anything Goes had a better dance number, it's just a matter of taste. Those tappers made it look so easy I could barely even be impressed. At the end of this performance you know Harry is huffing and puffing. And I have an unnatural hatred of Anything Goes, so sue me.


Best Performance: Hands down, Norbert Leo Butz tears up the floor at the Beacon Theater. He is a superstar of Broadway, every guy I know who wants to do theater wishes they had his voice and he somehow manages to out dance the dancers. So while a little Potter love in the form of a nomination wouldn't have been out of line, not even the boy who killed Voldemort could have defeated Butz. Tom Hanks must be proud.


Your faithful watcher,

Alice