First time winner James Monroe Inglehart wows the audience nightly as the Genie in Aladdin. His sincerity shined through when he won for his performance, ending his speech with a praise shout.
Weirdest Moment: Opening Number
It’s been a while since we had Hugh Jackman as our fearless leader. Having opened with a NPH spectacle the past couple years, we hoped for something along those lines. Instead, we watch Hugh Jackman, the man who can do anything, HOP for nearly five minutes.
Funniest Moment: Chris O’Dowd and the Losing Flask
Bryan Cranston was almost a shoe in for the win for Best Actor in a Play. But it was Chris O’Dowd’s who momentarily took the spotlight as he downed his flask upon hearing he lost. We feel for you!
Cringe Worthy Moment:
We all know Hugh Jackman can do anything. Even rap. So when he offered us Broadway’s first “rap” in the form of “Rock Island” from The Music Man, we thought it would be just a short bit. That was until he brought out LL Cool J and T.I. to help him out. You certainly brought The Music Man to the 21st century. Now let’s bring it back to the 20th.
Best Dressed: Emmy Rossum
Emmy Rossum is the kind of girl who is either wearing the right thing or the absolute wrong thing. This time, she was absolutely stunning in silver. Give it time, she’ll probably be at the Tony’s as a nominee
Worst Dressed: Alan Cumming and Kate Mara (tie)
Oh boy. Alan Cumming looked like an inkblot test while Kate Mara pulled out the shoulder pads and odd flower beads. They both made a statement. Unfortunately they didn’t pay off.
Best Joke: Jonathan Groff does his best John Travolta
While the night featured zero “Frozen” references, the closest we got was Jonathan Groff introducing his “Frozen” costar Idina Menzel performing a number from If/Then. But it wouldn’t be an Idina Menzel introduction without a reference to John Travolta’s horrendous mispronunciation of her name. Groff sounded nearly identical to Travolta copying his “wickedly talented” bit.
Best Presenter: Jefferson Mays
While Jefferson Mays may have lost and didn’t get to perform, we did get to see why he is getting so much praise! We watched Mays change from character to character as he presented his costars from A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. And kudos to those dressers!
Weirdest Presenter: Clint Eastwood
Before he came out, the “Jersey Boys” director was talking to a chair backstage as an homage to the RNC. But Clint Eastwood was not quite up to the task of presenting the Best Director categories. It was quite difficult to watch him try to navigate his time on stage. Best Performance: Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Neil Patrick Harris is a performer and knows how to work the room. While we didn’t get the honor of watching him host the Tony’s, we did get the honor of him rocking the house and playing with some A list celebrities during “Sugar Daddy.”
Worst Performance:Finding Neverland
Well, the show’s not even ready for Broadway yet we got a performance. Jennifer Hudson, who was the second American Idol contestant to grace the stage during the awards, sang the title song. While she was great as usual, having the number on the night when we’re honoring the current season just didn’t sit well.