Steve Kazee was one of a few first time winners on the night, but it was his heartfelt speech that brought tears to everyone’s eyes. Kazee’s earnest speech was especially touching when he spoke of his mother who he lost on Easter. Don't be shocked if another Kazee speech happens in the near future for whatever he does next.
Weirdest Moment: The “Movement Piece” that was the Best Play presentation
It’s always a challenge to showcase the Best Plays during the awards, but this year’s display was just strange. Jim Parsons spoke about each of the four nominees as he was accompanied by an awkward silhouetted movement piece behind him that somehow related to the plays.
Biggest Shocker of the Night: No Audio Issues!
For one of the first times in recent Tony memory, there were nearly no audio issues during the presentation! We heard all the actors and there were no actors chiming in backstage. Kudos CBS.
Funniest OMG Moment: Nina Arianda admitting Christopher Plummer was her first crush
Nina Arianda had one of the best podium moments of the night, but it was her admission to Christopher Plummer that he was her first crush that had the crowd roaring. “When that whistle was blown, you made my day”, Arianda squealed, making the 82 year old star of “The Sound of Music” blush.
Cringe Worthy Moment: Patti and Mandy do the Best Musical Revival songs
Mandy Patinkin and Patti LuPone had the honor of revealing the winner of Best Revival of a Musical. But their bit included the duo singing snippets of songs from each song that was cringe worthy. It wasn’t cute, it was rather sad.
Best Dressed: Condola Rashad
Condola Rashad, the Best Featured Actress in a Play nominee for Stick Fly, looked absolutely stunning in her silver dress. She could have rocked the outfit on any of the major red carpets.
Worst Dressed: Amanda Seyfried
Amanda Seyfried may not gotten the memo on how accessories work. A big, bold orangy-red belt looked strange on her dress to begin with, but the matching red lips called more attention to it.
Biggest Upset: James Corden beats Phillip Seymour Hoffman for Best Actor in a Play
Phillip Seymour Hoffman was heavily favored to win Best Actor in a Play for his role as Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman, but when James Corden, the only nominee without a heft, prevailed, I literally fell out of my seat. It was the only real big shocker of the night.
Best Joke: Movie Musical Mashup
In a pretty bland night of jokes for Neil Patrick Harris, his highlight was probably his Movie Musical Mashup idea. Some of the pairings went over better than others, but that was the trend for the evening in joke world. Coming in a close second was his “50 Shades of Gay” nod.
Biggest Low Blow: Theater Wing/Neil Patrick Harris Spider-Man momentSpider-Man: Turn Off the Dark got no love from the Tonys. Not even an official mention. But it did get mocked during the oft boring Theater Wing speech. This time, while Angela Lansbury and Ted Chaplin were speaking, they threw in official jabs at the massive budget musical while Neil Patrick Harris dangled behind them like a faulty stunt in the show.
Best Presenter: Trey Parker and Matt Stone
Leave it to Parker and Stone to call themselves Broadway royalty after one win last season. As they played hoity toity, they got massive laughs almost begging for an encore before they revealed Best Musical.
Weirdest Presenter: Tyler Perry
Tyler Perry at the Tonys. Well, it was justified because they were at the Beacon Theater where Perry sold out many performances of his “hit” show Medea. Well, if that’s the best you could come up with…yeah, I still don’t buy it. Even Sheryl Crow had a better reason for being there.
Best Performance: Newsies
The night was a slugfest between Newsies and Once, but in the best performance of the night, I think Newsies had the slight edge. Maybe the camera directions were partially to blame for the odd focus shifts during Once’s performance, but Newsies brought it, reminding why people are flocking to the show.
Worst Performance: Ghost
It was a gift that Ghost was given the opportunity to perform. But if this was their attempt at selling the show, they failed miserably. It was odd and static and you couldn’t help but feel sorry for them. Coming in at a VERY close second was the Cruise performance of “Hairspray” (and I use that title loosely).