Post Tony Closings and some HEIGHTS Love

Now that the Tonys are over, and the losers have to pack up now. A Catered Affair has announced it is closing at the end of the month. Cry-Baby (which was bloody awful, truly), has been even more pro-active, closing on Sunday, one week after getting shut out from awards it largely didn't deserve nominations for, especially compared to the bleak but well crafted Catered). I wonder if the Tony telecast did anything to help Xanadu. Methinks showing America Cheyenne Jackson in cut-off shorts couldn't hurt. But it seems that In the Heights out-performed just about everything (though South Pacific sounded ravishing). Could Passing Strange be next on the chopping block? I felt their Tony performance probably did more harm than good, opting to show 2 minutes of running around screaming "yeah it's all right" instead of singing any of the beautiful, innovative music that makes the show great. It's had a hard time finding an audience, and I don't think last Sunday's show is going to help.

Here is a clip of In the Heights from Good Morning America. It will make you HATE Good Morning America, but that's beside the point. They perform "It Won't Be Long Now", which is mainly a showcase for Vanessa (played by the fabulous Karen Olivo). I find this character fascinating. She has the kind of chip on her shoulder usually reserved for men in musicals. She's bitter, angry, confused, confusing, but entirely sympathetic, largely due to this song (which also features leading man and composer/lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda in addition to Robin de Jesus). She's a new kind of assertive musical dame, and felt very "real" to me in a musical world that often didn't.

The song starts about 50 seconds in. WARNING: Ms. Olivo is not in top form, in fact she's borderline busted at points (it's before 9am and they are literally in the middle of Times Square), but her acting (and hair) are fierce, even when she falters on the vocals.