Movie(s) I Watched This Week (6/2/25 - 6/8/25)/ Tony Awards 2025 Recap
maybe the *real* happy ending was the friends we made along the way...
THE MOVIE(S)
ALIAS JIMMY VALENTINE (1915, dir. Maurice Tourneur). watched on YouTube.
wrote about this one for Cine-File. say what you will about me, but silent cinema usually only works for me if (a) it’s a comedy, (b) it’s a genre film, or (c) it employs overtly-stylized visual grammar. ALIAS JIMMY VALENTINE leans closest towards c, but is otherwise a run-of-the-mill dry silent drama, which - apart from historical reasons - can be a tough hang. some of the imagery is rather splendid here, if nothing else!
RANKING THE TONY AWARDS PERFORMANCES FROM WORST TO BEST
Honorary Mention: Cynthia Erivo as Host
as expected, Cynthia did completely Fine in her hosting duties. she was reverent, self-serious, and sung her face off like the best of theme. definitely not a disastrous turn by any means, but it’s not like i’m clamoring for her to return to host next year. Cynthia Erivo seems to be friends with everybody!
12) Real Women Have Curves
i’m sure that, in performance, Real Women Have Curves (could they really not have changed the title?) is a charming work, but this snippet really did nothing for me, showcasing a bland piece of contemporary musical theater with nothing of interest or substance to really latch onto. that this show performed for no discernible reason as a non-Best Musical nominee makes it all the more baffling. Best Score and Best Book had to be bumped to the pre-telecast ceremony, but this bland performance was featured instead?
11) Operation Mincemeat
my apologies to these lovely blokes, but Operation Mincemeat has always ben Musical Theater Cilantro in my eyes. bless these kids for getting their silly, silly show to Broadway, but I just cannot stand the tonal imbalance of the material, the derivative Hamilton-meets-Six-meets-faux Stiles and Drewe score, the same damn opening number that has been performed at every awards ceremony. very happy for Jak Malone though!
10) Pirates! The Penzance Musical
insane that the song they chose to perform isn’t even from The Pirates of Penzance?!?!?! Pirates! The Penzance Musical has remained one of the most confused productions of the season, an attempt at adapting and updating a Gilbert & Sullivan operetta in no need of adapting or updating. there seems to be a complete disinterest in the material at hand, and that emanates clearly from this performance. if anything, I love David Hyde Pierce’s little red nose.
9) Buena Vista Social Club
a lively piece of Cuban musical performance, but doesn’t really pop outside the context of the material. it does make me want to see the musical, just to see if this is better as part of a larger show.
8) Hamilton 10-Year Reunion Performance
a list within a list, my favorite things about this Hamilton reunion performance;
a vision of what Jamie Lloyd’s Hamilton will look like in a decade.
Daveed Diggs’ beret.
Anthony Ramos being shunted to the ensemble and not being featured in any discernible way, to the point that I didn’t even notice he was here until the rewatch.
7) Floyd Collins
was there ever going to be a good way to feature Adam Guettel and Tina Landau’s art-house, bluegrass musical drama within a commercial setting like the Tonys? likely not, and so we got a gorgeous piece of Viewpoints staging, and Jeremy Jordan Singing Well. maybe he should’ve sang “How Glory Goes,” or would that have been too depressing? ah well, I can dream.
6) Maybe Happy Ending
i’m unsure of how the producers/team of the eventual Best Musical Winner came to choose this particular number as their big showcase. it certainly showcases the charm and Pixar/Ghibli-esque tone that the show is going for, but again, does this capture an audience outside the context of the story? at least the music is pretty!
5) Death Becomes Her
it would’ve been fun to perform something that features Hilty and Simard, but this number is pretty undeniable. Megan Hilty catching Toto at the end is a hoot.
4) Dead Outlaw
if the mission of a musical’s Tony Awards performance is to showcase the vibe of a particular show, i’d argue Dead Outlaw was the real winner of the night. we get a sense of the musical’s irreverent tone, it’s glimmers of seriousness and warmth, it’s humor, and it’s kickass rock score. if I had the means, after watching this performance, i’d be buying a Dead Outlaw ticket right away.
3) Just in Time
the top 3 performances fall into the vague category of Charismatic People Stand Onstage Singing. Jonathan Groff’s mini-nightclub act here is magnetic, his buttery voice and manic mannerisms guiding us through a dynamo run of Bobby Darin classics. yes, this also had no reason to be part of the telecast, but getting that moment with Keanu Reeves more than makes up for it.
2) Sunset Blvd
I saw Jamie Lloyd’s Sunset Blvd in the West End back in January 2024, and I can’t lie; it’s one of my favorite productions I’ve seen in recent memory. I’m totally on the wavelength of Lloyd’s particular vision and interpretation, and I think everyone on that stage is a knockout. that includes Tony Award Winner Nicole Scherzinger, who…look, i’m not desperate to go hang out with the woman, but my goodness did she give one of the most electrifying stage performances I’ve ever seen. her voice is a spider’s web that catches you and refuses to let you out of its grasp. it’s an insane performance, and that’s on full display here.
1) Gypsy
lmao let’s be real now. Audra McDonald isn’t *singing* “Rose’s Turn” here; she’s performing it. she’s interpreting it in real time. she’s giving a master class in musical theater performance here. it’s some really incredible work, and acts as a wonderful snapshot of a groundbreaking piece of stage work. like the best Tony Awards performances throughout the decades, hopefully this inspires generations of theater lovers for years to come.
that’s all I got! more movie stuff coming next week! what was your favorite Tonys performance? what should Boop! have performance were they given the chance? see you next time!
