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Who all watched the Tony's last night? Anyone? Bueller?

Right...so, for all, what, two of you who tuned in, how awesome was Neil Patrick Harris?! For those of you who missed out, the two-time host opened the evening with a show-stopping number--complete with dancing sailors, stewardesses, and (oh, why not?) nuns--that delivered the message: "Broadway! It's not just for gays anymore!" Later, he challenged Hugh Jackman to a musical hosting duel, rode in on the puppet horse from Best Play winner War Horse, and devoted a full thirty seconds to good-natured Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark bashing. Somewhere in the midst of all that, he managed to squeeze in a production number from his stint in the New York Philharmonic's concert version of Sondheim's Company. To finish off the night, he rapped a newly composed recap of the ceremony's events. I.Am.In.Awe.

Of course, the entire evening wasn't all NPH. The theatre junkie in me was positively giddy over numbers from Anything Goes (could Sutton Foster be any more adorable?) and How to Succeed in Business. I was less than impressed by the screechy Sister Act and morose Spiderman numbers, but after Norbert Leo Butz's tour de force performance, I have to check out Catch Me If You Can. The evening's best number, without question, had to be the feel-good anthem "I Believe" from The Book of Mormon. I'll be purchasing that cast album this week, if at all possible (don't judge me. Yes, I work for a church, but I also have a sense of humor. The two are not mutually exclusive). The evening also provided its own unintentional drinking game fodder, as The Motherf***** With the Hat was nominated for several awards, and presenters had to remember to censor the name for television. Most were successful. Others, not so much (Brooke Shields, I'm looking at you).

All in all, the awards rocked this year, and I'm on a performing arts high, right now. In light of that, I give you the goofiest ad I've seen in a while. It's not for a Broadway show (though you can learn about all of the nominated shows and view clips here), which would have made more sense, as I've written two full paragraphs on the Tony Awards...hmmm. Oh well, it's a blog, not the New York Times. We'll live. Instead, it's for the Royal Ballet's production of Romeo and Juliet. The British company is utilizing a different space for performances this weekend. Instead of their ususal haunt, The Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, they'll be at the O2 Arena, an enormous dome that plays host to rock concerts and seats 20,000 people. The company's regular attendees might fill 10-20% of that, so the powers-that-be decided to take drastic measures to put some butts in seats. The result: a series of ads that riff on the whole ballet-in-a-rock-arena situation. This first one is funny, informative, and just really enjoyable to watch. It's not "cool", but I got the impression the creators knew that. It's just a hoot and a half, and I hope you like it. The video won't embed, for some reason, but you can find it here.

Zegen--wait for it--dary!

Photo Credit: Zegend of Lelda

If any of you guys are going to be in the New York area June 8-12 and have an extra $18 lying around, you might want to check out The Zegend of Lelda: A New Musical Presented in 8 Bits. It's from the creators of Oedipus for Kids, which I know nothing about, but I feel the title probably says it all. To me, it sounds like a can't miss.

Zegend is actually a fifteen-minute excerpt from the full musical, and is running as part of the 2011 West Village Musical Theatre Festival. From Broadway World:

Who can forget the first time they grabbed their pixelated sword, clutching a wooden shield while fighting off nightmarish monsters in order to collect some weird triangles and save the princess? Or the blinding glow of that golden video game cartridge as you screamed over the eight-bit soundtrack that you'd be down for dinner in just a minute, which easily turned into four hours? Now, one of the most epic and enduring video game series of all time is presented as it was meant to be: as a musical, on stage, and in a fully non-copyright-infringing manner. Join us for this Zegendary adventure, and all attendees who come in costume will receive a free feeling of satisfaction from dressing up in costume in a public place.


With music and book by Robert J. Saferstein and lyrics and book by Gil Varod, THE ZEGEND OF LELDA is a hysterical journey through the video game world in search of bored fairies, questionable power ups, and a chorus of singing deformed villains. Watch as the hero Zink (Ronen Bay) and his trusted friends Boomy (Zack Moody), Sierra Myst (Zoe Farmingdale), and Old Man (Sean Ward) fight to save Princess Lelda (Susanne Nancy Kobb) and the kingdom of Tall-rule from the evil Dannon (Steve Copps) and his Shmoblins (Steve Walker and Amy Van Deusen). Direction is by Ron Grimshaw. Piano and Musical Direction are by Brenna Sage. Featuring vocal arrangements by Scott Stein and guitar by Natalia Garrido Rosa.

Honestly, if I were going to be back in NY, I'd find the eighteen bucks. This is a great chance to see some up-and-coming talent performing new musicals with a variety of styles and subject matter, from some amazing new playwrites and composers. I checked out the line-up, and there is definitely something for everyone, and worst case scenario, the whole thing will be over in an hour and a half. I'm just going to hold my breath and hope there's a cast recording someday.