2017 TONY Awards Live Blog

11:13 Patti's is the last face I want to see on the TONYs
11:11 I love that shoutout to Peter Marks!
11:09 Best Musical: Dear Evan Hansen
11:07 Frank Underwood hands Lin the envelope
11:04 Bette clocked in a 15 minutes
11:00 Best Actress in a Musical: Bette Midler
10:59 I just DIED when Glenn Close had to announce Patti's name
10:55 Best Actor in a Musical: Ben Platt
10:51 These TONYS are disappointing me; a general lack of energy
10:44 Best Revival of a Musical: Hello Dolly
10:40 Colbert says more political jokes that aren't clever at all
10:28 I almost left Oslo at intermission but then Michael Aronov showed up and I couldn't get enough
10:27 Best Play: Oslo
10:26 The snack bit is the only entertaining thing Kevin Spacey has done yet
10:15 Josh, get your accordion!
10:11 Best Revival of a Play: Jitney
10:10 Are the TONYs allowed to make fun of Hilary?
10:05 Lynn Nottage's glasses look like them came off of a Boyds Bear
10:04 If Patti and Christine don't tie, I quit
9:57 Patti's hat looks like Abu from Aladdin and Christine is sooooo statuesque
9:53 Best Direction of a Musical: Christopher Ashley, Come From Away
9:50 Taichman looks legitimately shocked...I like when that happens
9:37 Best Featured Actress in a Play: Rachel Bay Jones
9:33 Best Actress in a Play: Laurie Metcalf
9:27 Tommy Tune is just a real, old-fashioned theatre kween
9:19 I don't understand why Groundhog Day needed to be a musical
9:18 I don't understand how Kevin Kline beat Jefferson Mays
9:15 You know Patti died when Kevin mentioned John Housman
9:10 Poor Lucas Hnath lost his hairbrush
9:00 It's convenient when you get to perform after you win best score
8:59 I think Dear Evan Hansen is more mainstream but Great Comet was much more complex
8:58 Best Score: Dear Evan Hansen
8:57 I always forget Cynthia Erivo is British
8:54 Still thinking about that 80s jumpsuit realness
8:48 I love a good 80s jazzercise number
8:46 Cynthia Nixon is a true artist and a true theatre professional
8:45 Best Featured Actress in a Play: Cynthia Nixon
8:44 We need more arts teachers!
8:42 I kind of love how the playwrights are speaking about their work
8:41 I LOVE that all the nominated playwrights are 1st timers
8:35 How is this Miss Saigon selection going to sell tickets?
8:31 Yasssssssss Lea's fancy pantsuit
8:30 Gavin looks so fancy and I'm so happy he mentioned his education
8:29 Best Featured Actor in a Musical: Gavin Creel
8:28 Good lord Sutton is tall
8:27 Kevin looks like a neon blue smurf jacket
8:26 Catherine Zuber should've won best costumes for War Paint
8:23 Come From Away is beautifully uplifting
8:16 This is what a TONY speech should be about, your family and your art, not a guy in Washington DC
8:14 Best Featured Actor in Play: Michael Aronov, Oslo
8:10 Is this opening number over yet? I HATE IT!
8:08 Okay I will admit I did like the "Welcome to the Rock" segment, it was clever
8:07 I hate this opening number SO MUCH
8:06 Is this Natasha, Pierre, or Fiddler?
8:05 Colbert appears in a groundhog head, is he still a thing?
8:03 And we are going into a sendup of Groundhog Day with a clever repositioning of a cast
8:00 Kevin Spacey opens with an Evan Hansen spoof about not being the first choice to host 

Dear Evan Hansen

I saw it! I finally saw it! I purchased a ticked from Stubhub twenty minutes before curtain and ran to the theatre, but that is a story for another day. I resisted the urge to listen to the cast recording before I saw the show and I'm so glad I did. 

In terms of storytelling and musical tone, I would say this show is the child of Rent and Next to Normal, which interestingly enough, were both directed by Michael Greif. Pasek and Paul's songs serve the characters, and the book brings the characters to a place where they can sing. They live harmoniously in the world of Steven Levenson's book. This isn't a show where you feel the actors are breaking into song. The songs come from such a natural place and they grow out of the dialogue in the sense that you feel they're singing a conversation, not a song. 

Ben Platt's voice is in tip top shape, though it's his acting that truly shines. I saw the show several months into the run and he was giving an opening night performance. The nuance with which he colors his portrayal of Evan is both heartwarming and devastating, depending on the scene. "So Big/So Small" is a highlight for his mother Heidi (Rachel Bay Jones). She sings about how difficult single motherhood is and performances like these are why the "best feature actress" category was create for the TONYs. Laura Dreyfuss in the role of Zoe is so reminiscent of Natalie in Next to Normal, another show helmed by Greiff, in her ability to show vulnerability under a hard exterior. Will Roland gives another standout performance as Jared, Evan's family friend, who helps him build his web of lies and provides comic relief in and otherwise heavy show.

I sat in the second row of the orchestra and I don't think I've ever seen such raw emotion on an actor's face as I saw on Ben Platt's, particularly during his speech before he sings "You Will Be Found". I am a teacher and I have many students who, like Evan, suffer from social anxiety. In the hands of a less capable actor, Evan could have easily become a caricature or a joke, but Platt plays him with such honesty and humanity. His facial expressions and vocal inflections are reminiscent of those I see everyday in the classroom as children struggle to make friends and fit in. I'm sure that they feel invisible like Evan and Connor. I only wish they could see this fantastic production and find hope that one day things will be different and they will only have to be themselves.