Some thoughts on the 2012 Tony Awards

Watching the Tony Awards last night made me so happy that I braved a storm to see The Gershwins' Porgy & Bess before it came to Broadway, that Trinity Rep snagged Clybourne Park for a 300-seat theatre and that I set aside my qualms about movie-to-musical adaptations for Once.

In other words, I'm pretty happy about the winners, especially Once, which is the most unique and captivating new musical I've seen in years. It's the one show I've been recommending whenever someone asks me what to see on Broadway.

And the speeches from the winners seemed especially heartfelt and emotional. I was tearing up hearing Tony winner for Once Steve Kazee talk about his mother, who passed away from cancer on Easter Sunday. Anyone who's lost a parent knows how he felt.

I'm not sure whether Stephen Sondheim's angry letter to The New York Times cost the Follies revival a Tony win. I think most voters would be professional enough to judge the show on its merits. But a cast and creative team work so hard and it's such a tough business. I'm sure Sondheim's criticism of a musical he hadn't seen must have stung.

The one show I haven't seen that came across especially well was the British comedy One Man, Two Guvnors. James Corden's acceptance speech was hilarious, even though it was largely recycled from the Drama Desk Awards. And the scene they showed from the play: Who knew someone hitting himself in the head with a trash can lid could be so funny?!

Despite Tony wins for Michael McGrath and Judy Kaye, I'm still not interested in Nice Work If You Can Get It. Maybe if Matthew Broderick hadn't looked so tired and as my friend Tapeworthy said, gotten a better haircut, the musical number from the show would have been more exciting. Where have you gone, Ferris Bueller?

This comment from Alan Menken, who with Jack Feldman won Best Score for Newsies, was interesting: "We really owe it to the generation of kids who adopted this movie and insisted that it be brought to the stage." Before VCRs and cable channels like the Disney Channel, seeing your favorite movie over and over again wouldn't have been possible. And Menken is so close to an EGOT. Get that man an Emmy, stat!

As a show, the Tony Awards were just ok. Host Neil Patrick Harris was his usual charming and witty self. If you're interested and you've seen the plays and musicals, you'll tune in. If not, you won't. For me the best part was tweeting along with my fellow theatre fans. They made watching it at home alone on the couch a lot more enjoyable!

The one misstep was including a snippet of Hairspray performed live from the Royal Caribbean liner Oasis of the Seas. This is supposed to be a night to recognize the best in American theatre and that was underwhelming. Although I was impressed by the enormous size of the ship's theatre.

I'm sure the American Theatre Wing and the Broadway League were under a lot of pressure from CBS to include it. I wish they had stood their ground and made Royal Caribbean buy a commercial in a regular commercial slot instead of disguising it as part of the show. Besides, if I were interested in taking a cruise, I'd want to see more of the ship.

And the one thing I hate about all awards shows is how the camera is fixed on the nominees, to get their reaction as a winner is announced. I always avert my eyes. I just can't watch. It seems so cruel.

But regardless of who brought home a Tony, I loved all of the nominated performances I saw this season. You can find the complete list of winners here.

Once

Once, at Broadway's Jacobs Theatre
Gratuitous Violins rating: **** out of ****

One of the reasons I love going to the theatre is that it gives me a chance to keep the outside world at bay. It's tough to lose myself completely but when it happens, I feel transported.

That once-in-awhile experience happened with the new musical Once, based on the movie of the same name that won an Academy Award for Best Original Song, for "Falling Slowly."

I've been wary of movie-to-musical adaptations but this one worked brilliantly for me. The story of an Irish street musician's chance encounter with a young Czech immigrant woman in Dublin was captivating. It felt dreamy and hilarious and poignant.

The set, designed by Bob Crowley, looks like a pub - there's a long wooden bar and old dusty mirrors lining the walls and a worn checkerboard floor. A band is playing and you can walk onstage before the show to get a drink. It's warm and cozy, the kind of place you'd go to quaff a pint on a rainy Saturday afternoon.

As "Guy" and "Girl" Steve Kazee and Cristin Milioti complement each other perfectly. Kazee is reserved and introverted, still feeling the wound of his girlfriend's departure for New York City. Milioti is just a spark plug - lively and funny and determined. And they sing beautifully, too.

Their story unfolds in a way that's so leisurely it's really refreshing. It never lags but director John Tiffany has paced things so well. Once never feels like it's in a rush to get to the next song or dance number. It takes its time.

And the onstage musicians playing violin, acoustic guitar, cello, tambourine, mandolin and accordian give Once a great folk music sound. Most of the songs are by the Oscar-winning Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. But I especially loved an a cappella "Gold," written by Fergus O'Farrell. Gorgeous.

The book, by Irish playwright Enda Walsh, has a lot more humor than I remember from the movie. I loved the scenes in the apartment where Milioti's character lives with her fellow immigrants and at the bank where she and Kazee go, at her urging, to get a loan so that he can cut a record. Andy Taylor's bank manager, who's also a musician, is a hoot. I also appreciated how we get a sense, through Will Connolly's Andrej, of the difficulty in getting ahead in a new country.

Steven Hoggett is credited with the movement in Once and he did the same for Black Watch, also directed by Tiffany and one of the most visceral theatre experiences I've ever had. The choreography isn't flashy here but it was surprising and different, which made it delightful. And it never overpowered the story or felt out of place.

Once reminded me of another movie, The Commitments, based on the novel by Irish author Roddy Doyle, about a group of quirky Dublin musicians who form a band. The musical is a love story in a way, but it's also got that disparate characters coming together as a community vibe. It feels like you've entered their little world for 2 1/2 hours.

I can't think of the last time I've adored a new musical this much. Once is simply magical.