Cynthia Erivo took over the Tonys after two years in Ariana DeBose’s capable hands, and she did a great job, deftly weaving comedy with major outfit changes and of course her peerless pipes. The performances were all good, but this year they felt a bit more bedeviled than usual by being out-of-context. Nicole Scherzinger in particular needed the time audiences typically would spend with Norma Desmond building up to “As If We Never Said Goodbye,” which didn’t land for me here. Best Musical winner Maybe Happy Ending also chose a song from deeper in the show, and while I could see the potential, I suspect it also missed the usual staging and story flow. Audra McDonald almost ran into the same issue, but by the end of the tricky “Rose’s Turn” — the penultimate number in Gypsy — she had still told a tight and layered story even without the lead-up, which goes to show how skilled she is (justice for Audra!).
Still! Death Becomes Her chose a candy-colored punny number that’s the second of the show, which worked well, and Buena Vista Social Club started us off with so much joy and artistry. Jonathan Groff lit up in his number from Just In Time, and Dead Outlaw was so lively and weird that it made me Google the show immediately, so that’s a win. Poor Real Women Have Curves felt like an afterthought because by then everyone was just waiting for the ending to Audra vs. Nicole, though I’m hoping that show will have a successful touring life. And Operation Mincemeat looked like a hoot, but the lyrics were too hard to make out. That may have been my biggest overall issue: I don’t think the Tonys got the sound quite right on any of the numbers, which for a live show about live theater is wild.
However, would I watch it all over again? HELL YES. Every year after the show ends, I’m hungry for live theater. I’d be broke if I lived in New York City.
