“The Book of Mormon” is going to sweep the Tonys next month.
But is there a song from the show that can be performed on national television?
The producers of the musical and the producers of the Tony telecast are wrestling with that question right now.
The best songs contain language that would send the FCC and Broadway royalty into a tailspin.
Let’s imagine, for a moment, the cast singing “Hasa Diga Eebowai,” a profane and very funny send-up of “The Lion King.”
What would the reaction in the Beacon Theatre be when the poor but cheery African villagers translate the meaning of the title — “F – – k you, God!”
Julie Andrews would gape. Angela Lansbury would shudder. Marian Seldes would faint. Elaine Stritch would . . . sing right along.
“One thing I can tell you — we won’t be doing that song,” says a production source.
Not all of the songs have words that can’t be broadcast on national television. But those songs are often character- or plot-driven, and won’t make sense out of context.
I’m partial to “Sal Tlay Ka Siti” (Salt Lake City), which is performed beautifully by Tony nominee Nikki M. James. But I’m not sure it’ll mean much wrenched out of the show.
I’m hearing that the second-act anthem “I Believe,” sung by Andrew Rannells, another Tony nominee, is a possibility. So, too, is the bouncy “Two By Two,” in which the Mormons team up and go out into the world.
Whatever number they finally decide on for the awards on June 12, one thing is certain: “The Book of Mormon” should open the Tonys.
Aside from “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark,” it’s the only show the public knows anything about. Some people will be tuning in to see what all the fuss is about.
For too many years now, the telecast has opened with some jury-rigged medley performed by the host.
(This year’s host is Neil Patrick Harris.)
Sometimes it’s cute — Whoopi Goldberg got laughs a few years ago decked out as Sebastian the Crab from “The Little Mermaid” — but most of the time it’s just generic Broadway singing and dancing.
It’s far more effective to launch the telecast with a big, fun, splashy number from a new show.
The opening is a coveted slot, since Tony viewership is at its height in the first half-hour of the telecast. If the slot is up for grabs, all of the shows are going to be vying for it, which could make for some juicy behind-the-scenes intrigue.
But you have to play to your strength. Hits such as “The Book of Mormon” only come along once in a while, and when Broadway has one, it’s gotta play it to the hilt.
DULY noted:
* This sounds like a self-serving joke, but it’s not.
Today — Friday the 13th — the producers of “Play Dead,” one of the most enjoyable (certainly the scariest) shows in town, are offering a special deal. If you go to the box office and say “Riedel,” you’ll get one free ticket with the purchase of a second at full price.
“On Broadway, say ‘Riedel,’ and producers run in fear,” says Richard Kornberg, the show’s press agent. “At our show, at least you get a good deal!”
Cute.
But don’t try it at “Spider-Man.”
* For you serious-minded theatergoers out there, don’t miss what to my mind is Chekhov’s greatest play, “Uncle Vanya.”
An acclaimed production from the Moscow State Mossovet Theater is playing just three performances this weekend at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center.
The director is Andrei Konchalovsky.
For details, call 212-220-1460.