sorry I wasn’t clear. What was the gist of Garfield’s “beautiful” speech?
Although I had heard about DeNiro’s vulgarity during his political moment.
Posted this in the discussion in the MT forum:
Happy for the Angels in America wins. That and Three Tall Women were both wonderful. If not for the revivals, this would have been an even more desolate year. Not surprising that Mean Girls got shut out. Congrats to The Band’s Visit, a largely unknown musical, that everyone should see.
The Parkland kids and their teacher brought tears to my eyes.
Here’s hoping that next season provides theatre-goers with better opportunities! And bravo to DeNiro.
I see very few Broadway shows. I see a LOT of Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway shows–a LOT cheaper and better discount deals. It’s very telling that this year, many of the Drama Desk nominees weren’t Broadway shows. https://www.dramadeskawards.com/2018-winners
Given the competition, no surprise that Band’s Visit took so many awards. This show will now get a big boost in ticket sales which is much needed as actually has been doing poorly at the box office. I hadn’ t realized tha Katrina Link was in the cast. She was awesome last year in Indecent. I am not surprised about the Blow High, Blow Low dance number being highlighted as it is a rousing and intricate number and the choreography by Justin Peck who did win a Tony for it , was quite inventive as if mimics the ship’s prow and the anchors and other mechanical devices being pulled when ship set’s sail. Very happy that Lindsay Mendez won as she was outstanding in her role as Carrie Pipperidge. Very touching moment with the MSD high school students. Very eloquent speech by Andrew Garfield and the Ari’el Stachel along with Nathan Lane, Tony Shalhoub. Personally I would have like less “shtick” from Josh Groban and more of an opportunity to see the other awards as well actually hear from Chita Rivera and Andrew LLoyd Weber. My daughter who works in theater said that perhaps one or both did not want to speak and so the video montage might have been a work-aound.That same daughter saw Once on this Island with the woman she works for as a Tony voter and she said the production values were very high and the theater community values that. There were issues that both My Fair Lady and Carousel as outstanding works of musical theater were not politically acceptable choices and interesting to see how the shows were/weren’t staged/updated. I haven’t yet seen My Fair Lady but I did see Carousel. I would recommend that anyone who can get to the theater before the close date for Three Tall Women as the chance to see Glenda Jackson is one you might not want to miss. Her performance is what I can only describe as towering. The show is outstanding, beautifully staged.
Thanks for sharing the link to Drama Desk awards. Interesting to see the overlap between nominations and winners. I also see a good deal of off Broadway and off off Broadway. Band’s Visit actually began life off-Broadway, same last year with Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet and if I am not mistaken, Come from Away which I know originated or had a developmental run at La Jolla Playhouse. There is an awesome show that I saw last year off-Broadway at NY Theatre Workshop, Hadestown that will be opening next season. It is outstanding, beautiful production.
Didn’t I hear last night that this season set new records for Broadway attendance as well as sales? I think we are in for many, many more years of fewer openings consisting mainly of Disney musicals, other movie and TV musicals, restagings of successful musicals from the past, rock-star residencies, and the occasional prestige-cast revival. Oh, yes, and Harry Potter. And Jordan Roth.
Sorry. I misunderstood. His speech was basically a shout-out to the LGBTQ community. He began by saying, "At a moment in time where maybe the most important thing that we remember right now is the sanctity of the human spirit, it is the profound privilege of my life to play Prior Walter in Angels in America because he represents the purest spirit of humanity, and especially that of the LGBTQ community. It is a spirit that says no to oppression. It is a spirit that says no to bigotry, no to shame, no to exclusion. It is a spirit that says we are all made perfectly, and we all belong. ”
and ended it by saying, “We are all sacred and we all belong, so let’s just bake a cake for everyone who wants a cake to be baked,”
Full speech:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UpSKd8B1IE
CFA was never off-Broadway or off-off-Broadway. It had productions at Sheridan College, where the genesis of the idea for the show happened, and it had runs in La Jolla, Seattle, D.C. and Toronto prior to heading to Broadway. If it had opened this year, it would have won best musical without a doubt. Amazingly successful still on Broadway, in Toronto, with a tour starting in the fall and a West End production in 2019. Am so happy for the wonderful young couple who wrote it, who happen to be friends. 
Did I miss the award for Best Original Score given to David Yazbek? I was interrupted a couple of times and just wondered. If they didn’t include that in the broadcast, that, in my opinion, is appalling.
I visited Manhattan in April of this year and an old friend told me to see The Band’s Visit. I easily picked up three tickets a day or two in advance for $59 each, and I was pleasantly surprised by that price. I enjoyed and appreciated it, but I can see how it was more like a play with some music, and not so much a musical. It’s very understated, and it’s a vignette of just one 24-hour period. The music was lovely though, and I could listen to Katrina Link all day long. My D19, who is a tried and true Choir Kid, has been evolving her own rendition of Omar Sharif since then, which is fun for me to witness. Buzz among the audience afterward seemed to be a mixed bag, which is true of this show in general. I’m glad it won so I can say I saw this year’s Tony winner 
but I’m sure it wouldn’t have been such an awards success in a more crowded field.
Ifyouonlymknew, it’s been years since I’ve seen carousel, the one with Shirley jones and Gordon macrae, but I loved the songs “You’ll never walk alone” and “If I loved you”. I wish they had done portions of those songs.
@bookmama22 , the child of a CC poster was in Hadestown.
Playing to the crowd. You’d think an actor of his standing would refrain from a cheap applause line like that. Maybe he hasn’t managed his money well and needs to get back in the headlines. That part worked, good for him.
I think De Niro is genuinely concerned , as are many people.
Yes I am indeed very much aware of our CC poster’s daughter and Hadestown and the exciting direction her career has taken
I agree with De Niro’s sentiment, but I think he was a horse’s ass to do something that was nothing more than a sophomoric headline grab. He may be genuinely concerned, as so many of us are, but how did that antic help anything at all but his own PR?
I saw The Band’s Visit (had also seen the movie on which it was based, which is quite charming). I think it’s a lovely little show that was completely lost in a big Broadway theater. It deserves a small venue. Perhaps Circle in the Square would be appropriate. I really object to Tony Shalhoub’s win for best male lead in a musical. He was very good in the role, but unless I’m not remembering correctly, he didn’t sing. How can you compare his performance to the other nominees who had to act, sing and dance? Music chops of some kind should be the minimum qualification for a Tony award. for a MUSICAL.
The soloist in the Stoneman High performance of Seasons of Love was a phenom–she’s going places!
Thanks also for the update about the history of Come From Away as I was too busy at work today to look it up. I saw it last year prior to the Tony Awards and thought it was outstanding and whatever recognition it received was well deserved.
Very interesting the paths that shows take to reach Broadway. So my daughter is also in theater working at a highly regarded regional theater that has been successful in moving shows that they originate to off Broadway and directly to Broadway and so many situations can come up ranging from legal issue and licensing issues, having the right size theater to match the production needs especially if shows that are to vacate end up extending runs, desired performers not able to commit and so on and so on. She also runs her own off-off Broadway company and has just celebrated their sixth year… so now there is grant funding applications, meeting with investors and so on and so on.
I feel like I got to see the best numbers from Frozen and Spongebob, so the night was a win. Loved Bruce, of course.
I like the sound of inclusion, skieurope.
Let’s see if Hollywood takes his advice and starts including racial minorities, sexual preference minorities, gender identity minorities, and political minorities, and others!
@IfYouOnlyKnew , I thought the same thing about soliloquy – soooo moving. He was incredible. And that the dancing was really fabulous and inventive…
But I will always have a place in my heart for that show. Even done a little awkwardly by non-pros. Timeless sentiments
She’s going to my D’s school in the fall - incoming freshman at Elon U! (Department of Performing Arts MT progrmam)