Broadway panders to the mainstream- vol. 2

Back in April, I blogged about the Glee phenomenon, and how a show that's supposed to make Broadway cool is actually doing more for the current pop artists that it pays tribute to. You can read that post by clicking below

http://http//broadwaysnark.blogspot.com/2010/04/glee-phenomenon-is-broadway-going.html

Now along those same lines, Michael Riedel reported today that the opening medley at this year's Tony Awards is "Pop Songs You Didn't Know Were on Broadway". Yes, the Broadway league is practically begging America to think that theater is cool by showcasing the well known songs that you can see performed on the stage. Million Dollar Quartet will break out it's rock jukebox catalog, Kristin Chenowith will perform "I Say A Little Prayer", Twyla Tharp's crew will do their "So You Think You Can dance to Sinatra" show, Catherine Zeta Jones will perform "Send In The Clowns" , and Green Day will finish with songs from American Idiot.

Hey, you know who ISN'T being mentioned?? The cast of Memphis, which is the only original musical of the season to be nominated, and considered by many to be the front runner to win Best Musical.

Isn't it a shame when the show that might be the best show of the season ends up getting buried because it's not a star driven jukebox??

But it isn't just the musical category that is guilty of this. The Tony Awards have reportedly decided to showcase the most successful plays of the season, featuring appearances from Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Scarlett Johannson, and Christopher Walken. Interesting that nobody was doing that for a couple of years ago, isn't it? Then again, the show didn't have a Hollywood A-lister headlining it.

I get it. The Tony telecast is a chance to reach out to millions of potential tourists (although given the usual ratings for the Tonys, you still aren't reaching as many people as a new Family Guy episode) and get them to attend live theater. It's an important audience and we need it. But it seems hypocritical to say Chenowith's performance was not as worthy of an award as Montego Glover's, only to pimp Kristen on the telecast since casual fans know her from Glee, while Montego will be buried in between technical awards in the middle of the show.

Maybe Montego's agent can get her on Grey's Anatomy between now and her next Tony nomination. Then she'll be important enough to be on the show.

Good news for Michael Douglas???

He likely won't have to take his son's framed mugshot down off of the mantle to clear space for his wife's Tony Award. People in the know all seem to insist that Catherine Zeta-Jones' award season hopes are fading, after the Oscar winning actress missed 5 performances over the last two weeks with a viral infection that has killed her voice. To make matters worse, the missed performances have come at a critical time, when Tony voters are attending shows and deciding on who to vote for.

While I certainly empathize with the frustration of losing your voice at such a critical time, I will also go on record and say that healthy or not, CZJ probably doesn't deserve the award in the first place. I attended a performance of A Little Night Music while visiting the city in April, and while Zeta Jones looked amazing, she didn't SOUND amazing. Her voice was already showing some wear and tear from the eight performances a week, and while she may have won her Academy Award for belting out Velma's songs in Chicago, she did sound different without the added help of some good, old-fashioned, Hollywood post production. "Send In The Clowns" is not the most vocally demanding song in the Sondheim catalog, requiring an actress to hit all of about 7 notes, but even so, I didn't think she pulled it off. Her acting performance was convincing, but this is the Tony's. Your vocals have to count for something s well.

All that being said, her six month run at the Walter Kerr Theater is good for Broadway. I suppose her winning an award on a national telecast to casual theater fans would be even better for Broadway.

It just might not be the right decision artistically.