Channel Surfing: The 70th Annual Tony Awards

Welcome to a new column called Channel Surfing, in which I sporadically look at current TV shows and talk about them. These are not ones that I care to write weekly recaps for and are instead reflections either on the episode, the series, or particular moments. This will hopefully help to share personal opinions as well as discover entertainment on the outer pantheon that I feel is well worth checking out, or in some cases, shows that are weird enough to talk about, but should never be seen.
It's not often that one medium experiences a phenomenon. Sure, movies gross billions every year. Music creates anthems for a summer. However, it is rare that someone creates transcendent work that not only is a big deal then, but will be discussed as being something important decades from now. Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton may very well be live theater's equivalent for this decade, and presumably millennium if you don't count The Producers or Book of Mormon - which were both very successful in their own right. It's what generally made this year's Tonys ceremony far more interesting than the average year. It wasn't just a year to recognize theater that nobody outside of New York has had the chance to see. It was about recognizing a musical that was ambitious in style and even has great subtext about the immigrant experience as it relates to today.
It will be difficult for man like myself to fully appreciate the Tonys largely because live theater isn't a standard evening. While names like Arthur Miller, Waitress, and School of Rock have a ringing familiarity, the chances of seeing them within a confined budget are nil to impossible. Still, it's hard not to appreciate the art form of performers singing on a stage and conveying a complex range of emotions. Much like The Grammys, the show's biggest draw is that they have each of the major nominees perform a quintessential music number from their show. Add in live interstitial performances played for crowds outside, it was a lively evening that embraced the medium in all of its potential. 
It is even fitting that host James Corden opened with a somber yet touching moment for the victims of the Orlando, Florida shootings. It's hard not to think of it, especially in a community openly embracing of gay culture and whose purpose is to unite people in their passion for the arts. He wasn't the only one to mention it, as several winners took a moment to give their moment. Miranda, who is now an Oscar short of the EGOT amazingly, had a sonnet that he read encouraging people to stay strong and make others' lives a little better. Speaking as his grandiose production embraced that fully, it only felt right for him to mention it - and include a performance of the production's closing number "Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story?" which felt just as poignant on that evening.
What's probably the greatest appeal of live theater beyond the spontaneity is the diverse recognition of talent. There were several musicals that ranged from bluegrass style to poppy melodies, and even a mini-concert by Gloria Estefan for some reason. It was a night embracing the medium in ways that felt vital. For an audience like myself who may have to wait for smaller productions to make the rounds, it's a moment to enjoy live theater as those who have the advantage can. There's lavish sets and props are constantly moving. For a medium that is almost as old as history, it's amazing that it remains at its primitive core so exciting when the right artists are given quality material. Even the speeches seem so passionate that the names that don't register immediately become exciting to watch. 
Of course, the evening was always going to be about Hamilton's potential historic win. With an unprecedented 16 nominations, everyone wondered if it could beat previous record holder The Producers, which won 12 Tonys (Hamilton was one off). The show did end up stealing the evening anyway, as it was featured in the opening and closing number along with its centerpiece performance. It does seem unlikely that there will be another Hamilton for quite some time; a piece of live theater that everyone talks about passionately outside of the theater community. Miranda and the gang made the most of it, and their enthusiasm for theater definitely made the final cut to performance all the more gratifying. 
In terms of awards shows, Tonys may be among the greatest to watch. It's not only because it is accessible to new audiences. It's also because there's a sense of passion that is unmatched in anything, except possibly the unevenness of an Oscars ceremony. Even if Corden spent most of the show doing his late night shtick, it was still fun to enjoy the medium and realize that even if nothing is as phenomenal as Hamilton, there's still a lot worth checking out that is made by contemporary, living talents. It just takes a certain passion to find out what that is all about. It makes the Golden Globes look bad - which is supposed to be Hollywood's laid back evening - and frankly lazy in ways that are insulting. Still, there's no denying that this year's winners were obvious, even if you don't know live theater at all. That doesn't make it any less exciting to watch.

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