Posted by William F. Orr @ 06/03/2002 10:11 AM PST

Ron, Julie Harris received her award in the half hour on a "web" broadcast available only at www.tonys.org It wasn't on the PBS portion. Both she and Robert Whitehead were slighted that way. Meryl Streep gave Harris her award and Arthur Miller gave a lifetime achievement award to Mr. Whitehead. This all happened on-line but if you don't have a high-speed connection it wasn't worth trying to see, and to add insult to injury (now there's a phrase), it's not at the Web site now. You would think they would have it up there with all the other "interactive" material. They do have a video clip of Ms. Stritch talking . She has obviously been crying but she's talking about her show and George Wolfe. If you want to see it go to tonys.org, click on the IBM Media Console then click on @the tonys and scroll down to In the Winner's Circle, Elaine Stritch. As I said, it's very hard to watch with a dial-up connection because of the speed, but I am watching it on my lunch hour at the office w/a high speed connection. I hope they eventually put up the Julie Harris and Robert Whitehead material.

As Kerry said, if I start talking about it more, I'll start ranting again. Selling our theatre history for a mess of pottage!

On a lighter note, Mr. BK (and others) because of your praise of Lil Abner, I, this very afternoon, have purchased a CD of the show. Not the re-release just out but the 1990 CBS Special Products release. I mention this because I had never had much interest in the show, in fact, my reaction to it has always been colored by my reaction to Mr. Al Capp who drew the comic strip. I remember seeing him on the likes of Mike Douglas and Merv Griffin in the 60s and70s and was so, how can I say this kindly, put off by his attitudes, rants and political musings that I dismissed the show out of hand (there's another one of those phrases!). Due to the overwhelming response over the last few weeks, when I stepped into Academy Records and CDs and found a used copy for a steal of a price, I snapped it up and promise to listen to it with an open mind. And now, back to work.

Posted by Ben @ 06/03/2002 10:13 AM PST

Ben, actually Capp was quite the political satirist in his strip during its heyday--long before Doonsbury. In the fifties Li'l Abner was always delightfully crazy. It seems that later on Capp just became crazy without the delightful part--ranting about his "enemies" who were out to get him.

But the show reflects that earlier zaniness and distrust of the government--which actually probably inspired some of those evil 60s radicals when they were children.

Bruce, I have a word for you. Please try to slip it into your writing: GROTESQUE. Or, as the Beatles would say, grottie.

Posted by William F. Orr @ 06/03/2002 10:22 AM PST

I can't comment on the Tony Awards last night, as I kept falling asleep while it was on. Or maybe that's a sufficient comment after all.

Posted by Laura @ 06/03/2002 10:39 AM PST

Poor Robert Whitehead and Julie Harris did not even make the PBS understudy pre-show; they were relegated unceremoniously to the web-cast. The Tonys producers seem not to have one whole brain among them. Isabelle Stevenson and Roy Somlyo need to be kicked out of the Wing. They are ancient, out-of-touch cronies who seem to serve neither the old guard nor the next wave. Did no one there hear Harold Prince? Prince gave them good advice they should have taken to heart during the broadcast!

Ron Pulliam, see Ben’s post above. I said web-cast.

Posted by freedunit @ 06/03/2002 11:33 AM PST

Here are my thoughts on the 2002 Tony Awards:

 PBS PORTION: Even without commercials it seemed rushed. Barely got to know all those wonderfully creative people behind the scenes. They weren't on screen long enough for them stick in my mind.
 OPENING NUMBER: I agree about the poor sound quality (although I never know if it's my TV or the telecast). Could it be those body mics? For the most part, I don't like medleys and this is no exception. The whole number seemed (once again) rushed. Did you notice how the singers had to start singing on the run? And why place the Oklahoma cast so far upstage? Although it was supposed to be the climax, their inclusion almost seemed to be an afterthought. For an opening, the whole number seemed flat and not really worthy to be called an opening. Richard Rodgers deserved better (I can't remember: Were there any Rodgers & Hart sung?). Great to see John Raitt though.
 BERNADETTE PETERS AND GREGORY HINES: Loved these two together, especially when she sang (sans music) to his tap accompaniment. In fact, their number (or something like it, only better), should have been the opener. I'd definitely like to see these two do a show together.
 SAVION GLOVER: He was so cute when he was younger--probably because then you could see his face and whole body. Now with all that hair and loose clothing, he's nowhere to be found. And, I'm sorry to say - he's no Fred Astaire. But then Fred danced with his whole body while Savion dances from the ankles down. Don't get me wrong, all you Glover Lovers, I still think he's cute.
 MOST MEMORABLE ACCEPTANCE SPEECHES: Frank Langella (eloquent and true), Harriet Harris (adorable and funny), Mary Zimmerman (honestly emotional), and Shuler Hensley (endearing) It was he, wasn't it, who kept reading his speech even though he knew it wasn't good? Too bad about Elaine Stritch. I think if they would forgo the little jokes that they have the presenters speak, there would be more time for the acceptance speeches. After all, the speeches really ARE the crux of any awards show. Let them speak, I say! (Whoa! Sounded just like BK there for a moment).
 BEST MUSICAL NUMBER FROM THE SHOW: Sweet Smell of Success. This seemed to transfer best from stage to screen. There weren't too many things happening on the stage at once, the choreography was interesting and the "in and out" cuts of the camera were kept to a minimum. It definitely made me want to see the show.
 SHOW SAMPLES: Did you notice that all of the numbers from the shows were big production numbers? What about a solo, duet or trio for varieties sake? And where were the plays? Those filmed bits from the plays that were nominated does not suffice. I remember on a past Tonys show when Maggie Smith and (I can't recall the other actress' name) did a scene from "Lettice and Lovage." It was hilarious! That scene alone made me want to see the show. In fact, the very next day I went right out to Samuel French and bought the play.
 PRODUCTIONS I'D LIKE TO SEE BASED ON THE AWARDS SHOW:
- Private Lives (loved the set and what I saw of the acting)
- Morning's at Seven (such wonderfully seasoned actresses and I liked the PBS segment--although it was too short--on the costume designer as well as the women's costumes)
- Sweet Smell of Success (see above)
- Fortune's Fool (looks like good acting and I'm intrigued by the relevancy of this old play to today)
- Into the Woods (if just to see the cow)
- Elaine Stritch, Bea Arthur and Barbara Cook (love all three of these women - especially after hearing excerpts on Donald's show)
 PASSION AND THE TONYS: Is it just me or are the Tonys the ONLY awards show that inspires such passion? The other awards shows don't seem to get half as much scrutiny. I'm not talking about the individual awards but the actual show itself. It must be because of what we discussed yesterday--the memory of the first 20 years when Alexander Cohen produced them.
 TIME CONSTRAINTS: This is a real challenge and I have sympathy for all those who have to plan the broadcast. I'm sure everybody put in their best efforts. Will I watch the Tony Awards next year? Most definitely. Hope springs eternal.

Posted by Donna - Cabaret West @ 06/03/2002 12:02 PM PST

I think that Brian and I are the only dissenters in this debate regarding what happened at the Tonys with Elaine Stritch.

She knew going in that if she won, she'd have only x amount of time to give her speech, the same afforded to everyone else.

Would we have been as indignant had John L. or Barbara Cook gotten up there and wanted to take 3 minutes to give an acceptance speech and they were cut off?

I loved Elaine's show...possibly the best theatre I've ever seen, but I still believe in time limits and occassionaly following the rules. Why should the producers play favorites by giving her extra time? To do so would have diminished the awards for the other winners, I think.

Posted by TeKay @ 06/03/2002 12:41 PM PST

There are two places where you can see LI'L ABNER strips from Capp's prime, with another one going up almost every day. One, with a 30-day archive, is:

http://www.comics.com/comics/lilabner/index.html

And the other is:

http://www.lilabner.com/strip.htm

The real problem with ABNER in the '60s was not Capp's increasingly rightward politics (in some ways he hadn't moved all that far right; it's just that he couldn't stand the New Left) but the terrible drawing -- I don't think he was drawing most of the strip himself by that time -- and the increasingly mean-spirited humor, as he began to use the strip more for personal axe-grinding than satire.

And Ben: If you find you enjoy the earlier ABNER CD, the new CD is really worth the (relatively modest) cost, for the extra material and improved sound. It almost seemed weird to me, listening to this recording sounding so good after years of listening to my increasingly scratchy LP!

Posted by Jaime J. Weinman @ 06/03/2002 12:57 PM PST

I have this about the Tonys vs other awards shows, like the Oscars:

The Tonys represent people who "think" for a living -- who have to sustain a thought -- who rely on mind power (memory) AND the art of acting, either serious, comedic, or somewhere in between with or without music and dance. The Tonys represent people who "connect" night after night with an audience -- people who feed on energy while their minds are working.

The Tonys, in other words, represent (IMO) the class of our entertainment elite.

The Oscars -- are expected to be schizophrenic -- to reek of bad taste (the worse the better sometimes) -- to indulge in excess -- to be remarkably touching without knowing why -- and to be so outlandishly campy or stupid or ignorant as to make the mind boggle at the salaries many of them draw (Julia Roberts gets $20 million per film)!!!!!

As for time limits and folks knowing there are such limits -- this does not mean that a 77-year-old woman -- a woman who is a theater treasure -- in fact, a woman who was the ONLY true theatrical LEGEND up on that stage last night except for Harold Prince -- should be cut off -- DAMN the time restrictions. Yes, she was a bit slower than she might have been, and yes, the long line of people behind her made it difficult for her to find someone she wanted to introduce. She wrongly takes the blame for being slow, based on what I've ready. She said "I blew it." That's why she was crying. I say whoever played the music and directed the cut to commercial blew it.

Because of WHO she is and WHAT she represents, the entire show was tainted by its harsh treatmeent of her. Should she have been given more time than others -- YES -- with prudence, an additional 15-20 seconds would have made CBS or whoever seem somehow more IN TOUCH with humanity and theatrical history. As it was, it ruined the evening for me.

That just my opinion.

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 06/03/2002 01:10 PM PST

BTW: I have only two quibbles with the new CD of LI'L ABNER. One is that the booklet doesn't include any kind of plot synopsis, presenting a stumbling block for listeners who might be unfamiliar with the show. The other is that there is a tiny bit of distortion in "Jubilation T. Cornpone" -- at around the 3 minute mark, on the words "as good old paper-mache" -- that wasn't there on the LP (I checked). I guess the tapes have deteriorated a bit over the years. (On the other hand, the CD fixes or at least minimizes some distortion that was present on the LP, so it all balances out.) And yes, I am a cast-album geek, thank you for noticing.

Posted by Jaime J. Weinman @ 06/03/2002 01:13 PM PST

2002 Tony Awards Rant:
TeKay, the point is not merely that Elaine Stritch was cut-off, but that producers, Gary Smith, Glenn Weiss, and Elizabeth Ireland McCann, et alia, did their jobs so poorly—and some of Ms. Stritch’s producers should share the blame—that seventy-seven-year-old Elaine Stritch was allowed to think she would have two (2) minutes in which to give a speech. It is no secret that her Outer Critics’ Circle Award acceptance speech was twenty (20) minutes in length. The point is that the Tonys producers had a very good indication she was likely to win and want time and attention. They should have been savvy enough to know that she would make good television. At the very least, they should have personally discussed with her—a legitimate theatre star—the time constraints. The ability to foresee and prevent problems before they occur is a hallmark trait of a good producer, of which there were none associated with last night’s awards. Another trait would be the ability to manage and soothe show-business egos… To cut to a commercial while someone—anyone—is mid-speech—as the Grammys did so infamously to Frank Sinatra in his last appearance before N.A.R.A.S.—makes the producers, the show and the network seem sloppy, unprofessional, inept, and very, very rude—and I believe the net effect is that casual observers (the masses) tune out en masse, which benefits no one. It would have been great television if they had given time to Bea Arthur, John Leguizamo, Barbara Cook, and Elaine Stritch, but none of their shows is currently running—Cook returns to Broadway for a limited engagement in July—and none is likely to tour extensively. No tour means no money to the road presenters and therefore the league deems them ineligible for air time. Stupid is what that is—and deadly dull television, too. All the time is misspent, and what little time is given to nominated musicals is misused. Sometimes Tony-nominated musicals would do themselves greater service in terms of selling tickets if they showed less, not more, of their shows. Every number was a production number because shows’ producers want to impress with size and spectacle and often it backfires. Urinetown may have done best with a production number, its “Freedom,” but in a perverse way it makes sense that some people who have not seen Sweet Smell of Success think it came off best. There is nothing inherently theatrical or interesting about Sweet Smell—it stinks—but showing television-familiar John Lithgow and little snippets may lead some to think it is a darker, more exciting show than it is. To me “Dirt” is merely dirt, inept, obvious, unilluminating lyric-writing. Another missed television opportunity was the presentation of an honorary award to Julie Harris. It is great to have someone as talented and popular as Meryl Streep present an award in portion of the Tonys awards ceremony that only the Radio City Music Hall and worldwide web audience could view, and it is great that Streep was inspired by and thinks so highly of Harris. However, if it were the mass television audience that the producers were after, it would have made much more sense to give the award to Harris during the CBS two-hour broadcast and have Michele Lee be the presenter for a television-friendly Knots Landing reunion. It is no wonder that Better Midler and Steve Martin turned down the hosting gig for this year’s awards, not only would there be no time for them to perform or do anything worthwhile, but the whole affair reeks of rank amateurism—but without any visible sign of love of labor.

Posted by freedunit @ 06/03/2002 01:14 PM PST

freedunit, please do not hold back, tell us how you really feel :)

Bruce - you will have to let us know how these here notes look on your brand new handy dandy laptop. Please try to keep all farmers away from your DELL. I had a farmer in my DELL once. It planted a bad radish and I got a virus. Now I spray for farmers. No more high-ho-the-dairy-o - it is verboten!

Also, you should keep your computer away from Dell O'Dell, the female magician who was on TV in 1951. She's likely to make your files disappear!

Posted by craig @ 06/03/2002 01:50 PM PST

Ron Pulliam, to most of your last post I say amen. The Tonys producers would have done well to heed Harold Prince’s sage advice to not underestimate the audience. As I said before, it all could have been built-up to a compelling human interest story by planting the thread and selling Stritch earlier in the show. In fact, it could have been a twin story of two stars being born: Elaine Stritch and Sutton Foster, the fifty-years-in-the-making overnight sensation and the understudy-wins-the-title-role overnight sensation. And the overwhelmed Foster could have been coached so that her reaction made for better television, too. However, there was no real producing or direction, just a bunch of grid-planning and stop-watch watching judging by what aired on the web, PBS and CBS. Had the producers done their job—had a discussion with Stritch in advance—there would have been no problem. By “I blew it,” I do not believe Stritch was taking responsibility for being interrupted or running out of time, but for losing her patience. The only criticism I could possible have of Stritch is that she did turn her back to the audience several times. It was clear that it was to remember the names of her producers and other members of the “Greek chorus behind [her]” that she did not want to forget, and entirely understandable given the circumstances of an awards show and national telecast, especially at an age when new names may not come as easily as they once did. Still, turning away from the audience and cameras gave the director what he considered an opening to cut away, and turning her back—upstaging herself—might be vintage Stritch business, but it is something over which Merman herself would have taken Stritch to ask.

Postscript to Craig: I could E-mail you what I really feel…

Posted by freedunit @ 06/03/2002 02:47 PM PST

FYI to Elaine Stritch...

It takes me only 1 minute and 5 seconds to read aloud the Gettysburg Address. Thus, your remark from last night made no sense at all:

"I know CBS can't let people do the Gettysburg Address up there, but I think they should have given me my time".
__

"Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting-place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us--that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion--that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth."

Posted by Informed American @ 06/03/2002 05:24 PM PST

Bruce is considered "one of today's songwriters" as part of his contribution to Lisa Richard's album Virgin Tracks.This is part of the review from the LA Times.

I have this album and her first album as well and they are both highly recommended.

To see the blurb and more about the album click on my name and it will take you to the website.

Unfortunatly Bruce's track is not one of the ones that has an excerpt you can listen to.

(Bruce get Lee to change that!)

Posted by Michael Shayne @ 06/03/2002 06:45 PM PST

FYI to anonymous Informed American.

Congratulations -- you've managed a new high in anal retentiveness.

"Pucker Power" to the People!

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 06/03/2002 08:42 PM PST

Ron Pulliam, not anal-retentiveness but irrelevance. The Gettysburg Address may be read at an infinite variety of speeds, and the issue is not sixty-five seconds. The issue is that the Tonys producers did not prepare Stritch and make sure she knew the allotted time, a courtesy that should have been extended politely to all nominees well in advance of the broadcast. Informed American? Not at all. Irrelevant.

Posted by freedunit @ 06/03/2002 09:07 PM PST

freedunit:

Maybe you should lead us all in one more chant of "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore." We can then clear the air of all this Tony stuff. and we can all start tomorrow of clean and bright (Isn't that from Eidelwiess?) How about starting tomorrow out fresh?

I will add one comment. I think I'm just going to have to start taping the Tony's and watching them later (like I do with the Oscars and Emmy's). I can then just fast forward through them in about 20 minutes. It saves so much angst. This whole attitude of mine of thinking the Tony's are good and entertaining is obviously outdated.

Posted by Kerry @ 06/03/2002 09:20 PM PST

I've already posted my rants/considerations about the Tonys over at Sondheim.com (check out Tony Awards 2002 under "Theater in General"). Enough said.

Posted by SWoodyWhite @ 06/03/2002 10:01 PM PST

Kerry, I share your disappointment. So many missed opportunities, and very few realized, every year!

Posted by freedunit @ 06/03/2002 10:33 PM PST

When I read Peter Filichia praise Mos Def's performance of "My Favorite Things" on Theatremania.Com, I sent him an e-mail regarding the lyric change. He replied that Mr. Def was told to do that and it was pre-arranged. I find that hard to believe, but considering the rest of the program maybe that is true.

Posted by William E. Lurie @ 06/04/2002 06:07 AM PST

Sorry, as much as I love Stritch, she's a pro, she knew the rules, she knew she would likely win, and she admitted pre-show on the red carpet she had not prepared a speech. Sounds like she created her own self-fulfilling prophecy.

In my mind, the true tragedy of the evening was relegating a genuine theatre legend, Julie Harris, to the webcast only.

Posted by Philip Crosby @ 06/04/2002 06:49 AM PST

Stritch could have handled herself with dignity, or she could have handled herself with no class at all. It's pretty obvious what she opted to do.

Posted by Bridget @ 06/04/2002 07:32 AM PST

Michael Shayne:

Correction. The LA Times said Bruce was one of "today's hottest songwriters."

In re: Tonys Telecast
Come on, folks. CBS was maintaining the consistently high standards that we see in coverage of, say, the Olympics.

The opening of the recent Tokyo Olympics was a musical program featuring some of the greatest artists in the world (the U.S. included). By all accounts it was a shear wonder to behold. Most of the world got to see it all live and uninterrupted via satellite. In the U.S., however, it served as background music for sportscasters' inane banter--frequently interrupted by long commercial breaks, of course.

Face it. The networks will never listen to Hal Prince. They will instead take their motto from H.L. Mencken: "Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public."

Posted by William F. Orr @ 06/04/2002 07:33 AM PST

How many of us agree with Bridget that Ms. Stritch acted with no class at all?

Not I.

R

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 06/04/2002 07:41 AM PST

BK, you mentioned you have some handy-dandy photos of your very own self if anyone would want such a thing.....well, I believe my girls would want such a thing (hint, hint).

Posted by Laura @ 06/04/2002 07:57 AM PST

William E. Lurie wrote:

"He replied that Mr. Def was told to do that and it was pre-arranged. I find that hard to believe, but considering the rest of the program maybe that is true."

Again, we mustn't forget the Lowest-Common-Denominator Theory of television programming.

Out here on Long Island there is an ad currently running for Optimum On-Line, Cablevision's high-speed internet server, that features a Black basketball player--don't ask me who; I don't know from sports.

The ad shows a White producer who keeps feeding him lines to read in gangsta slang. The player rolls his eyes and objects, insisting on speaking Standard American English. So true.

When the whole Ebonics flap appeared, we discussed it in my Esperanto class. The White students had no opinion. It was my African-American students who were passionately condemning Ebonics as a crock of cackie-doo-doo.

Posted by William F. Orr @ 06/04/2002 08:03 AM PST

In re: Stritch

My Joe's mother is 82 and in poor health. When the family gets together and she remenisces, most of the other kids are argumentative: "Mommy, Daddy never did that. Mommy, that's not how it was."

Joe and I decided long ago that however Mom remembers it, that's how it was. There are certain privileges accorded to age--or at least there used to be. Stritch has paid her dues and then some. Give her some leaway, people.

Posted by William F. Orr @ 06/04/2002 08:07 AM PST

Quite obviously the Mos Def lyric was set in advance. He acquitted himself well and has nothing for which to apologize. The Tonys producers have bad taste.

Elaine Stritch is professional and extremely talented. She is also seventy-seven years old and rightly had a lot on her mind Tony night. She had prepared a speech—and she even timed it. As explained before, she thought she had more time than she did. Interrupting her as was done hurts far more people than merely Stritch; it hurts the awards, the show and the ratings. The Tonys producers did not do their jobs; they are idiots. Certainly, Julie Harris was in no way given her due; she was wronged, too. Nominees, especially older nominees, deserve respect and special handling. Self-fulfilling prophecy? Bull.

Stritch conducted herself with dignity and unwavering emotional honesty, and was true to herself. She is as high-class as Detroit upper-middle-class gets. ;-) Jacqueline Onassis said class should never be used without a modifier and she was correct.

Did I ever mention that the Tonys producers are idiots?

Posted by freedunit @ 06/04/2002 08:08 AM PST

WFO, yes. Besides, had Stritch been allowed her speech or assisted in fitting it into 45 seconds it would have been extremely entertaining. The Tonys producers could have built to it, as mentioned before, but instead they did nothing, because they are idiots.

Posted by freedunit @ 06/04/2002 08:11 AM PST

I shared this with BK, and he said it was ok for me to unleash it on an unsuspecting world. Here's a parody of part of "The Road You Didn't Take," expressing the opinion "Oh, come ON, Elaine!":

You've played a reporter,
Mocking a stripper
Zipping her way to fortune and fame!
You had some flops,
Dreamed of a hit,
You were "adopted" by a Brit;
A man of elegance and wit
Took up your cause.
You got applause
And had a drink or two...

The speech you didn't make
Ruins all you've done,
Think so?
The talk you never gave
Went out of your head.
The points you never made
never had a chance
Did they?
Did they?
Did they?
Could've kept it short, but then,
Blame the freakin' world again!
It isn't YOUR fault
It isn't YOUR fault
At all
Not at all...

Posted by Bob Gutowski @ 06/04/2002 11:30 AM PST

[No applause.]

Posted by freedunit @ 06/04/2002 11:57 AM PST