'South Pacific' is Too Far for Me

I caught the tail end of the Tony Awards last night, hosted by Whoopi Goldberg. I'm sorry, but watching the Tonys is just ridiculous. And that is coming from someone who has been in more plays and musicals than he can remember, and is currently pursuing a theater minor (with absolutely no idea of what to do with it paired with his economics & strategy and marketing double major). I just don't see the point of watching an awards show honoring things I have no knowledge of, and most likely will never experience.

Let me take a step back and look at the Oscars really quickly, because I don't like watching that either. Here's the deal. I'm not a movie guy. I don't enjoy them all that much. I mean, I don't hate all movies, but I prefer theatre, TV, and literature. I go to the movies, but not often, and if I do it's likely to see a comedy or horror movie (two genres I rarely pay attention to in literature or television). That being said, I do usually watch the Oscars despite the fact that I have seen few to zero of the movies being honored. A few blockbuster films squirrel their way into the nominations every year and I'll root for those. This past year I spent my entire time rooting for Juno and Enchanted, some of the only movies mentioned that night that I had seen. Despite the fact I hadn't seen the movies being honored yet, I get a kick out of watching the Oscars to see what other people are watching, and to maybe hear about a movie that looks really interesting that I had never heard of before. Because you know what? I can probably go out and rent that movie. Problem solved.

The Tonys? This award show highlights shows that I have not seen because I have not been to New York City in over three years. Sure, I know a few of the revivals each year and every once in awhile they will honor an older show I have seen (such as this year's tribute to RENT), but for the most part I'm watching actors, choreographers, and producers struggle for recognition on projects I will never see. I understand that if you HAVE seen some of the shows being nominated the awards show could be very enjoyable. I was lucky enough to visit the Big Apple two years in a row in high school and loved rooting on Avenue Q, The Boy From Oz, and Pillow Man those years' Tony Awards. Watching the Tonys without a favorite to root for (that I've seen myself) though? Sure, all of the performances from the nominated Best Musicals are nice, but is that enough of a draw to watch the entire award show? Much in the same way as the Oscars, I see things honored that I have yet to see, and might be interested in looking into (such as Xanadu), but unlike the movies honored at the Oscars, these shows are most likely not going to be available to me without a trip to NYC.



If I'm lucky a national tour could start, though most likely not featuring much of the award winning casts being honored at the Tonys anyway. Not to say touring shows aren't good, I've seen plenty of magnificent touring performances (like The Lion King and Hairspray), but a lot of shows don't even make it to the touring stage.

So in short: I don't particularly like award shows that honor things I haven't seen, but appreciate them more if they open my eyes to a piece of art that I may enjoy and is accessible for my enjoyment. So until I move out to the East Coast (which I never can see myself doing), it's back to YouTube videos of performances and MTV's Legally Blonde: The Search for the Next Elle Woods to quench my Tony inspired thirst for Broadway performances.

Basically this entire post was a plea for free tickets to both New York and a wonderful show. Because as pointless as watching the Tonys seems, it still makes me want to jump up and and see most of the shows featured. Especially when Whoopi Goldberg ends her hosting duties by pleading to the viewers to get out and support live theatre, and I"m like, "I want to help you Whoopi. I really do. So if you'd just send a little cash my way from this hosting gig and that 'The View' show you're on, I'd gladly hop a flight to NYC this minute." So here I am, typing and waiting for my tickets to be delivered. I hope Whoopi knows that I don't like sitting front row. You can't see shit.

At least it's only a month until the Emmy noms get sent out.