Let's Talk About The TONYS, Girls, But There Is Something Else, First!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                     That first has to do with "Funny Girl," darlings.  Beanie Feldstein is still holed up in her hotel room, scarfing down Entenmann's, allegedly recovering from Covid, with no one saying when she will return to the show.  Now, at last night's awards, Jared Grimes, who earned a well-deserved nod for his role in "Funny Girl," lost out to Matt Doyle, for his showstopping turn in "COMPANY."  No surprise there.  Now, Jared was surrounded by his own contingent, but whether that included any cast members from his show was hard to detect.  I can tell you, Jane Lynch might have been there, but she was not seen.  And you can bet, Covid or not, Beanie was not there, nor would she have been.

                                                        David and I got home from a dining event 37 minutes into the ceremonies.  Having been taped, we started from the beginning.  But, while dining, I learned some news of the Beanie debacle.  A friend of ours, spoke to another one of ours, who has connections in the business.  Said friend asked his connection about the Beanie situation, and got a look, and silence, which spoke louder than words.  It said, "There is something going on, but I am not at liberty to say."

                                                          Indeed.  This situation almost upstages the TONYS.  Beanie is holed up somewhere, the producers and directors now have egg on their face, and do not know what to do, and the cast must be anxious to know if they are going to be employed or not.  Clearly, something has to be done, clearly Beanie is a disgrace. In performance, and unprofessional behavior.  How this will play out remains to be seen.  I think they should just buy out her contract and go with Julie Benko.  But how much will that cost, and do they have the backup resources to it?   In any case, Beanie is done with Broadway, and it is done with her.

                                                             There were so many things I was happy about, on the program.  It was better run and organized than the Oscars, moved at a faster pace, and was a lot more interesting.  I did not need that "Spring Awakening" reunion; the cast has aged, and the score never did strike me as remarkable.  What was remarkable was Joaquina Kalukango"s performance of "Let It Burn," which earned her "Best Leading Actress In A Musical," last night, for her role in "Paradise Square," one of two nominated musicals I am interested in seeing.  And, no, that does not include the winner, "A Strange Loop," whose lead actor there, I hear, is missing lots of performances.  The other musical I would like to see is "SIX," which is a concept musical, whose concept I like.  David expressed some interest in "Girl From The North Country," so I would see that, too.

                                                                Now, I saw the original production of "Take Me Out," back in 2003.  Oh, my God--almost twenty years!!!!!!!!!!!  I have never known a show to win both "Best Play," and "Best Revival Of A Play."  If I am wrong, enlighten me.  But it was quite impressive.  I was happy for Jesse Tyler Fergusson, who won for the same role Denis O'Hare won, in the original production.  How often has that happened??????????????

                                                                  I was happy for all of these, as well as the stunning presentation of "The Music Man," to remind us of the true Golden Age of Broadway.  I was less happy about Myles Frost winning "Best Leading Actor In A Musical," not for lack of talent but for, by virtue of its subject, glorifying a pedophile.  Nevertheless, its presentation, while talented, did not inspire me to  want to see "MJ," whether he was a pedophile, or not.

                                                                      I would have liked to have seen "Skeleton Crew," not to mention "The Lehman Trilogy."  My one caveat with this year's awards was too many being given out were for shows that are no longer running, so they cannot be seen.  Of course, they may go out on tour, or go regional, but that does not satisfy Theater Queens, who want to see a Broadway production.  Phylicia Rashad won "Best Featured Actress In A Play," but Broadway audiences will not be able to see her performance, since "Skeleton Crew" closed.

                                                                        What else?  Well, Patti Lupone now enters into the tier of "More Than Two TONY Awards," with her "COMPANY" victory.  And Marianne Elliott, also for "COMPANY," became the first female director to win three TONY Awards.  And "COMPANY" richly deserved its TONY for "Best Revival Of A Musical."  And yes, Katrina Lenk should have been nominated.

                                                                              Same with "Best Leading Actor/Actress In A Play."  The winners, Simon Russell Beale, for "The Lehman Trilogy," and Deirdre O'Connell for what sounds like a stunning turn in "Dana H.," cannot be seen because these are closed shows.  Same with Sam Mendes, who won "Best Director Of A Play," for "The Lehman Trilogy."

                                                                                  I would have voted for Mary- Louise Parker and David Morse in "How I Learned To Drive," which would have been my "Best Revival Of A Play" choice.

                                                                                     But there was one egregious error.  The publicity kept hinting at a special award being given to Angela Lansbury, but I saw no sign of this presentation, anywhere.  Angela, by now is a goddess to Theater Queens, and I felt cheated out of not seeing this.

                                                                                         The TONYS will soon fade into memory.  But stay with me, girls.  Because, by Summer's end, I predict the Beanie Feldstein situation will explode!