Oh, Tony Awards....you were great!....oh sorry that was a typo

i sat through the entire show last night and parts of it were....what is the word.....painful.  i have watched this awards show every year since 1987 and last night's telecast was probably the worst one i have seen.  And, judging from Facebook, i am not the only one who feels this way.  There were some very nice moments throughout the show, just not enough.  i did think, though, that it was great how most of the winners got to give decent speeches without being cut off.  i just wish the production had used the rest of the time more wisely.

1.  2 hosts are better than one....NOT
        Multiple hosts rarely work on any awards show.  The only time i have seen it be successful was when Glenn Close, Nathan Lane and Gregory Hines cohosted the awards years ago. Alan Cummings and Kristen Chenowith did not work.  They appeared to have chemistry, but their routines were very forced and the repartee had absolutely no spontaneity.  And if Alan Cummings is going to spend 3 hours speaking in that soft, creepy "i've been playing the Emcee in Cabaret for the last 25 years" please turn up his microphone!

2.  Do a single number, not a medley
        While i do enjoy a good medley, trying to squeeze too much into the 4 or so minutes you have to perform on the Tonys does not give me much of a sense about your show other than there is a lot going on.  i found Fun Home and Something Rotten! more interesting to watch because they focused on one number and i got a taste of what their shows were like.

3.  Is it about the community members who've passed or about Josh Groban
        As much as i like Josh Groban, i think that vocals in any "in memoriam takes away from recognizing those who have passed.  And slow down!  You sped through those people so fast that it was hard to keep up.  If i blinked i would've missed like 10 names.

4.  Don't keep telling us who's coming up next
        Please stop this.  We don't really care.  Those of us who watch this show are NOT watching to see Jennifer Lopez or Nick Jonas.  We're watching because we love theater.  And if you're going to do this, at least tell us who actually is coming up next and not 2 hours later.

5.  Without the composer, lyricist and book writer there would be no musicals...give them their moment in the sun.
        Last night, history was made when the first female songwriting team won the Tony award for Best Score.  It would've been nice to see that being awarded.

6.  Put the awards in a better order
        Best Actress in a Play is the first award?  Best Play comes halfway through the telecast?  Really, people, get with it!

7.  Lifetime Achievement Award...Let us watch that
        When someone is given the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Tonys, chances are it is a theater icon that we all are familiar with.  We want to watch them get acknowledged.   The brief clip of Tommy Tune's speech was FAR more entertaining than that wretched medley salute they glued together.  And, with the icons, how often do we see them anymore...all the more reason to broadcast their award.  How sad it would have been had, when the first Lifetime Achievement Tony was given to Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn, it had not been aired.

8.  Give the plays more time
        There were some great plays on Broadway this year.  Would an extra 5 minutes have killed you?  Yes, it is hard to get a sense of a play from only a small scene, but a little more than 3 lines from each show would have been nice.

9.  Use actual theater people as presenters
         Again, those of us who actually watch have a vested interest in theater.  Hollywood has the Oscars.  Let theater have the Tonys.

10.  Do not gloss over potentially moving things.
         A lot of actors get their start in regional theaters and their inspiration from their teachers.  When Corey Mitchell was awarded the first award for Excellence in Theatre Education, how great would it have been to let him give an actual acceptance speech.  This is a once in a lifetime moment....let them bask in the glow.

Like i said, there were good things last night.  Just not enough.  The Tonys have always been one of the classiest shows on television.  It's time to return to that standard. i will watch again next year and hopefully see some improvements!