Darlings, Bernadette Must Be Royally Pissed!!!!!!!!!!

                  
                                   Girls, the first thing I want to say is that it was a piss poor TONY Awards program. Aired from the Beacon Theatre, rather than Radio City Music Hall, it looked rushed, and done on the cheap!

                                     "Newsies" should have won!  For Best Musical.  Its opening spot, with choreography that did turn out to be TONY winning, kicked off the show in a way that gave hope this would be one of the better TONY telecasts.  But then it just kept going downhill, after Judith Light's much deserved win, for "Other Desert Cities," and her stirring speech.

                                        But Bernadette Peters has every right to be royally pissed!  Played for a fool, gamely getting out there, looking stunning, even appearing onstage to speak or present something--but NO TONY nod for her excellent work in "Follies," and when it comes time for her to receive the Isabelle Stevenson Theatre Wing Award (a kind of Lifetime Achievement thing!) we are deprived of the pleasure of seeing Bernadette, or hearing her speech. And I am sure she would have liked to have been seen on national television, as well she should.

                                           So it is a good bet she is royally pissed.  As must be Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Linda Lavin, both beaten out by a bunch of upstarts, whose TONYS will be their highlight, and then they will go nowhere after that!!!!!!!!!  What were the TONY voters thinking?????  How dare they???????

                                             Oh, but wait, darlings, it gets better!  From the day it hit Broadway last Fall, the revival of "Follies" had stuck gold on all counts!!!!!!!!  It and its cast seemed certain of TONY nominations and awards.  Well, it got some nods, though Bernadette and director Eric Schaeffer were shut out.  Not to mention Elaine Page, with her show stopping rendiiton of "I'm Still Here!"  And how do they represent this show on the awards.  With Danny Burstein doing "The-God-Why-Don't-You-Love-Me? Blues," which was a great showcase for Danny, but so out of context, anyone who does not know "Follies" might wonder what the hell was going on???  Kind of the way I felt about "Once," which made no impression on me at all, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Steve Kazee is attractive and talented, but from what was shown, where is the show? And what exactly is it???? Could have fooled me????????

                                               Same thing with Tracy Bennett.  I have had people tell me how extrarodinary she is in "End Of The Rainbow."  What I saw last nght was a bad parody of Judy Garland--and done on what would have been her 90th birthday, girls!!!!!!--that I have seen drag artists over the years do better!

                                                 Then there was Nina Arianda, who beat out not only Linda Lavin, but some other heavyweight contenders in the Best Actress Play category.  Personally, I think straight critics were all
charged up over her sexpot performance in "Venus In Fur," and this may have clouded their judgment, because Linda Lavin is the one who should have won!!!!!

                                                    Didn't Audra McDonald look classy, dolls???? Her speech was touching,,  and, much as I was pushing for Jan Maxwell, I can't diss Audra; I know she is giving her all to
Bess, and is the one worthwhile item keeping this controversial revival going. And in the excerpts, her voice was just glorious.  But when is it not??????????

                                                    What else?  Patti Lu Pone being game enough to push a lawnmower across the stage, then watching her and Mandy introduce the lackluster revival of "Evita," which would have been improved 100% if they (Patti and Mandy) had stepped into the number, even then!!!!!!!  Elena Rogers, who, granted, was not called upon to do much in the presentation, was lackluster as Eva; even when Patti stood still onstage in that role, she  commanded audience attention!  As for Ricky Martin, he looked as though he had dressed to be in the "Newsies" number, and he sounded it, too!  Personally, I think he was just frustrated at not being able to play the title role!  And I still say--if he had, I might have been more interested in seeing the show.

                                                    Did anything interest me in seeing their shows? Three things--"Newsies!"
"Peter And The Starcatcher," and "Clydebourne Park."

                                                      As it said, this was hardly a stellar TONY telecast, with more performers dishonored, than honored.  But anything I have recorded was not the worst thing, by far!!!!!!

                                                        That distinction belongs to a commercial, shown towards evening's end, of the forthcoming musical of "Rebecca!"  Get our those basters, darlings; a turkey is on the way!!!!!!!