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Tony Awards 2020

Clearly, the Tony Awards will not be happening "on schedule" this year--if at all--so the NY Times ran a piece about Ben Brantley's "all-time greats." These were the live performances that shook Brantley to the core.

The argument: A live performance really exists in a class of its own. A taped performance can't compare, because the electricity is missing; there is no longer a kind of dialogue between the performer and the audience.

Brantley lists several great theatrical performances, and the ones I recall are Cherry Jones ("Glass Menagerie"), Christopher Plummer ("Barrymore"), and of course Jennifer Holliday ("Dreamgirls").

I didn't get to see any of those shows, but if I could have my own special, weird Tony Awards, where I hand out prizes to any stellar performer, from *any* year in my own personal past, the winners would be:

*Bernadette Peters, over and over again. ("Hello Dolly," "A Little Night Music," "Gypsy")
*Cynthia Erivo and Heather Headley, "The Color Purple."
*Ben Platt, who clearly learned from Erivo's stillness and focus, and then did "Dear Evan Hansen" on Broadway.

*Laura Linney, "Time Stands Still."
*Sutton Foster, "Anything Goes" and "Violet."
*Christian Borle and Jonathan Groff, "Little Shop of Horrors."

*Raul Esparza, "Company."
*Joshua Henry, "Violet."
*Laura Benanti, "Into the Woods."

Those are all star turns I could watch again and again. Also, if you're missing the Tonys this year, I recommend just searching Sutton Foster's Tony performance from the "Anything Goes" year. That is an easy way to cheer up.

Till next time.....

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/28/theater/memorable-stage-performances.html
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