Show Goes On: Songstress Sheryl Crow, who last week said she has a benign brain tumor, dazzles in a full-length gown last night at the Tony Awards. (Amanda Schwab/Starpix)
Host Neil Patrick Harris spoofs “Spidey” last night (Reuters)
Hugh Jackman gets a special Tony from wife Deborra-Lee Furness. (WireImage)
(
)
Take that, Stephen Sondheim!
“The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess” pulled off the biggest upset last night at the Tony Awards, beating Sondheim’s “Follies” for Best Revival of a Musical.
“Porgy and Bess” also stuck it to the Great Man Himself.
Sondheim launched a scathing attack last summer on this revival of “Porgy,” accusing its director, Diane Paulus, of tampering with a classic to make it more accessible to Broadway audiences.
The producers, Sondheim said, should “advertise it honestly and call it ‘Diane Paulus’ Porgy and Bess.’ And to hell with the real one.”
Sondheim’s missive nearly derailed the production. Investors got cold feet and producers Jeffrey Richards and Jerry Frankel spent the fall scrambling for money.
They managed to get the show on, but such is Sondheim’s clout that nearly everyone on Broadway was predicting doom for “Porgy” at the Tonys.
“Follies,” meanwhile, coasted on rave reviews and eight Tony nominations. The show closed in New York in January and just wrapped up a triumphant run in Los Angeles.
The Kennedy Center, which produced “Follies,” was so confident about picking up some major awards last night that it flew several of the cast members from LA to New York yesterday on a private plane owned by David Rubenstein, the chairman of the Kennedy Center.
I hope they kept their air-sickness bags. Because when “Porgy” won, they looked like they needed them.
Audra McDonald, who plays Bess, picked up the Tony — her fifth — for Best Actress in a Musical.
“Follies” ended up with just one Tony, for costumes.
The other big winner last night was the gentle, romantic musical “Once,” which beat Disney’s “Newsies” for Best Musical.
“Once” pulled of something of a sweep, picking up seven other Tonys, including those for direction (John Tiffany) and book (Enda Walsh).
You could feel the momentum build at the Beacon Theatre for “Once.” After the cast performed a spirited Irish gig while playing their instruments, Nick Jonas leapt to his feet.
Steve Kazee, who plays a struggling songwriter in the show, picked up the award for Best Actor in a Musical.
The Tony for Best Play went to “Clybourne Park,” which was no surprise.
Still, the producers of “Clybourne” were beaming. They took over the play after the original producer, Scott Rudin, dropped it after feuding with playwright Bruce Norris.
This year’s Tony lesson: If you get knocked by the big boys, you win!