Did you see the Tony awards last night? It was a great show, celebrating Broadway, celebrating the young people who sing and dance and act, and the creative talent of all ages and kinds that create magic onstage.
It was joyful!
Watch this song from a new rendition of Cats, called The Jellicle Cats. What talent!
For years, I have thought about the contrast between The Oscars and the Tony awards. I watch both, and every year I find the Oscars slow, sometimes tedious, and the musical numbers are usually dull.
Why?
The answer is obvious. The people who do the musical numbers at the Oscars were assembled to perform, they rehearse and rehearse, and they put on a good show. But never as good as the Tony awards.
Why?
Because the musical numbers at the Tony awards are performed by singers and dancers who have performed those numbers hundreds of times, eight shows a week.
What a difference!
I loved the Tony awards 2026.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I didn’t see the Tonys. I don’t watch CBS any more.
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I don’t watch CBS anymore either but I love Broadway and couldn’t miss the awards.
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Kinky Boots came to Chicago and on your recommendation I tried to get tickets for me and my son. They started at $119 each for the back corner of the balcony. $512 if you want to sit anywhere with a reasonable view.
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I would not pay that either!
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It’s scandalous how expensive so much entertainment has gotten – beyond the reach of most families. Even taking a family to the movies can run $200 with tickets and food.
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You can usually see the best musical numbers on YouTube.
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Ouch! That is a big hit.
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Great theater is not just expensive here. I got standing room tickets in London because seating was so costly there as well.
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Yes, I loved it as well. I wish I could visit New York each year and see all the shows.
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I always watch the Tony Awards. It is the most entertaining of any of the award shows, IMO. New York Broadway performers are like teachers in that they work hard and have a strong sense of community. I enjoyed hearing Leslie Odom, Jr. sing during the in memoriam and hope he returns to Broadway soon.
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I’ve seen many Broadway musicals in my life, in NY and also US tours to other cities, beginning in the 50s. That’s because my mom played the records at home (along with a lot of other kinds of music) and I loved listening to them all so much that she’d let me miss school and take me to matinee performances –the first of which I recall was My Fair Lady. I adored them all, but CATS was the only one I saw where the performers sang and danced in the aisles! What a treat to be reminded of such an enchanting experience today! Thanks ever so much, Diane!!!
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BTW, I was 6 years old and in 1st Grade when I saw my first Broadway play at a theater and my mom was taking a big chance when she took me downtown to see it. That’s because the previous year, she took me to see my first movie at a theater, which was the Wizard of Oz, and I was so afraid of the monkeys that could fly, I got up and ran into the lobby. So my mom made me promise that I wouldn’t do that again. (Since I had been so freaked out before, I felt I had to ask if there would be any more flying monkeys before I could agree to that…)
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Sorry, correction: I forgot that, being a summer baby, I had always been one of the youngest kids in my class, so I was only 5 years old when I saw My Fair Lady (and just 4 when I saw Wizard of Oz).
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I agree! I loved the show last night!
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Melissa loves going to those shows when they come to Nashville. The level of professional acting is superb.
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I just caught a brief glimpse of the Tonys spectacle on a news web site; the UK actress Lesley Manville was accepting her award in an orange sequinned off-the-shoulder gown. Off-the-shoulder is the understatement of the year. It was waayyy off the shoulder nearly off the nipples. Kind of shocking for a woman of her age and a serious quality actress.
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I enjoyed watching the Tony Awards’ too, and the joint speech by the two directors who won the Tony for Jellico Cats Musical was excellent! I love the non-apologetic celebration of diversity. Their shout out to the 12 year old kid who feels they don’t fit in, watching this in their room with the volume turned low, made me teary.
Also, check the various discounters for decent ticket prices for Broadway shows.
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Yes, about the sites with discount prices. THEATR is one. Also, on the day of the show, unsold tickets are sold at a deep discount, either at TKTS in Times Square or at the box office.
Even the Metropolitan Opera deeply discounts unsold tickets on the day of performance. At Lincoln Center, the Met sells “Rush” tickets, where you can pay as little as $25 for a seat that sells for $200.
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I think that one of the best things about the awards shows is the memorials to those who’ve died over the past year, since I’ve often missed that info in the news. Here’s the very touching memoriam from the Tony Awards show the other day: https://playbill.com/article/watch-leslie-odom-jr-lead-powerful-tony-awards-2026-in-memoriam-tribute-with-rent-song
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I am fortunate because I live in Southern CA and all the travelling shows come here, LA and San Diego! I try to take my youngest son to a show each year. He is an adult but loves the theater, so the two of us make a date every year to see something. Contrary to everyone else here, I did not like Cats. My husband and I just couldn’t sit through it. It was the only show of many we didn’t enjoy. However, that new rendition of Jellicats, is awesome! Thanks for sharing that clip.
And Kinky Boots? AMAZING! If it comes anywhere near where you are, go see it! Fun, fun, fun!
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I love the music of Cats. I would like to see the new version, “The Jellicle Cats.” The writers rewrote the story. Also, it’s a gay version of Cats, so there’s a lot of pizzazz.
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I am sure it is fun! When the new version comes around again, I will try it again. The gay version sounds great!
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