Op-ed: Why I Freaking Love The Tonys

Look, I know a lot of people hate awards shows. I'm just going to put it out there -- I believe those people are fun-hating jerks. I live for the major awards shows. I love to place bets on the Oscars, I scream at the TV during the Emmys, pretend I know something about music while watching the Grammys. And the Tonys -- well, they have a very special place in my heart. 

For those of you who lived or grew up in the 80s and 90s in the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut tri-state area, you probably remember seeing commercials for Cats or Miss Saigon between episodes of Diff'rent Strokes or Saved By The Bell. I remember THE search for the new Annie; had my parents not been preoccupied with a divorce, my mom would have probably dragged me out of Queens and down to Broadway to sing "Tomorrow," and called Al Sharpton if they refused to even consider a Black Annie. And as my friends from the area will corroborate, our first exposure to Broadway music was often commercials with short clips from the stage, and costumed players singing and hoofing down the street -- you know, normal New York. "Come on along and listen to The lullaby of ooooooold Broooooaaaadwaaaaaaay!" was so ubiquitous, it could have been a jingle for a mattress store. I had no idea, but I loved the song. 

I love that Broadway is becoming less staid. As amazing as musicals like Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, and Miss Saigon are...meh. They were cutting edge in their time but the advent of shows like Rent, Stomp, The Lion King, Avenue Q, In The Heights, and Book of Mormon brought a new, more diverse crowd to Broadway's stages and seats. 

And this means a more diverse Tony Awards. These awards, like the Oscars and Emmys, are created to honor the communities they serve. We all know the stats on female directors in films and TV: there ain't enough. It took what, 80 years for the Oscars to award one female director, Kathyrn Bigelow, who directed and co-produced The Hurt Locker. 

But interestingly, the Washington Post points out that the "Tony" is named after Antoinette Perry, an actress and one of Broadway's first female directors. I'm not saying that the American Theater Wing is so incredibly advanced when it comes to inclusion and progress, but Susan Stroman (The Producers), Anna Shapiro (August: Osage County), Julie Taymor (The Lion King), and Garry Hynes (The Beauty Queen of Leenane) have each won Tonys for directing. Producers, which include many women, take home the award for Best Musical, and Best Play. 

Incredibly, two women were honored for directing this year -- Diane Paulus for the revival of Pippin, and Pam MacKinnon for the Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf revival. Then, the incomparable Cyndi Lauper became the first solo woman to win a Tony for score with the musical Kinky Boots, which is as fun and colorful as she is. If that weren't enough Andrea Martin and Cicely Tyson -- while still decades apart from each other -- aren't exactly the bright young things that Hollywood would easily glorify, but they took home Tonys for their commanding performances. 

Add to that the fact that four people of color -- Cicely Tyson, Patina Milller, Courtney B. Vance, and Billy Porter -- took home awards in the acting categories, which would basically signal the End of Days or something if that happened at the Emmys. Have you seen an issue of Hollywood Reporter lately? Based on that, I think I'm the only black person (and one of possibly 8 females) in the city and county of Los Angeles. 

By the way, love the fact that Miller won for a role originated by Ben Vereen. Ben Freaking Vereen! 

And, of course, the gay men who accept the awards and present them, can openly talk about being gay, and thank their partners. And guess what? No BFD. It's just life, guys. Deal with it, homophobes, you're watching the Tonys! What did you expect?!

More and more, the Tonys truly represent the community that it serves, better than any other awards show. That, and the ridiculously epic performances is why I'm addicted to the Tonys, and why I hope to be one of those old biddies who go to see every show, and pine for the good old days of Rent and Avenue Q.

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