2018 Tony Awards

At the Fortress of Ineptitude, my family peeked through a window to watch the glittering talents of Broadway salute themselves at the 72nd Tony Awards. We watched the Tonys 2 years ago because my daughter Randie wanted to see what she could of “Hamilton” and my wife Andrea wanted to see James Corden who was hosting. 

 

This year, we watched the Tonys because Randie wanted to see what she could of “SpongeBob SquarePants”  and Andrea wanted to see Josh Groban who was co-hosting Sara Bareilles.

 

Much to Randie’s frustration, “SpongeBob SquarePants” kept getting shut out of everything, mostly falling to “The Band’s Visit,” about an Egyptian band that gets lost while traveling through Israel. The musical walked away with 10 awards. 

 

About “SpongeBob SquarePants”, it might seem like a commercialized cash grab by Broadway to stage a musical based on the long running Nickelodeon cartoon. But Randie’s focus on “SpongeBob SquarePants” transcends mere childhood nostalgia. From bits and pieces of clips she has seen of the show, it is an inventive and engaging adaption of the “SpongeBob SquarePants” into a Broadway spectacle. The “SpongeBob SquarePants” performance during the Tonys is a tour de force dance number featuring Squidward in a kick line with a row of very attractive sea anemones.  

 

“SpongeBob SquarePants” is not a garish reproduction of the cartoon show with actors awkwardly moving about in Styrofoam suits. Spongebob as well as the rest of the cast are human but still accurately portraying the characters known and beloved from the TV show. But it’s origins as a TV cartoon show probably worked against it against the politically charged, deeper message of “The Band’s Visit”. 

 

The performance by Katrina Lenk from “The Band’s Visit” is beautifully rendered and emotionally evocative. But it did little to support why “The Band’s Visit” was drawing all the heat and light from the more daring and challenging “SpongeBob SquarePants”.

 

Hosts Josh Groban and Sara Bareilles were warm and welcoming in their roles. Rachel Bloom, working an alleged comedy angle back stage was sadly less appealing.

 

Robert DeNiro blew everything up when he came out with a bold and quickly censored declaration of “Fuck Trump”!  It’s hard to imagine any Trump supporters were watching by this point what with all the gayness that was going on in the show before hand, exploding there empty racist heads underneath their MAGA caps.

Speaking of "all the gayness", this moved into the commercials too, including an unexpectedly moving spot for Las Vegas. I'm going to give that topic its own post later. 

As cathartic as DeNiro's outburst may have been... God knows I wake up every day and go to the bed every night with "Fuck Trump!" in my brain.... I'm not entirely sure the moment, even among this decidedly anti-Trump crowd was welcome. The Tonys should focus on the positive power of art in our lives.

And nowhere was that mission more emphatically expressed than by the performance by students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The students from Parkland, Florida, who earlier this year survived a school shooting that left 17 dead and 17 others injured, sang "Seasons of Love" from the show "Rent."  The very fact of their presence was amazing enough. Then consider how seriously good these young people were performing this song.... Wow! 

All in all, we had a good time watching the Tonys, celebrating art that makes you think and makes you feel. 

I really would like to see that “SpongeBob SquarePants” show.

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Oh, I almost forgot. There was some "fun" to be add with "spot the Doctor Who actor" at the Tony awards.  

Carey Mulligan was at the Tonys; Carey's claim to Doctor Who fame was as Sally Sparrow in the Series 3 classic, "Blink".

Also from Series 3 was Andrew Garfield was Frank in "Daleks in Manhattan". Andrew won the Tony for Best Actor in a Play for the revival of Angels In America.

Noma Dumezweni was at the Tonys for her role in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Doctor Who fans may recall her as Capt. Erisa Magambo from UNIT in the 2009 special,  "Planet of the Dead".  

Diana Rigg was on hand for her role in My Fair Lady as Mrs. Higgins. Also on her resume is the role of wicked Mrs Gillyflower in the 11th Doctor episode, "The Crimson Horror".