That show was the 70th Annual Tony Awards, a celebration that somehow managed to be exactly that without being disrespectful to the monumental tragedy earlier that morning in Orlando or the shock and despair millions of people around the world were feeling at the time.
In that spirit of celebration it has to be noted that, under the most difficult of circumstances, this event, flawlessly produced, was easily one of the finest Tony Awards in their history – or, at least, the history of their telecasts. It was a spectacular show, as it has been for almost 20 years now, ever since CBS Corporation President and CEO Leslie Moonves first came to the Tiffany Network. Way back then, I heard from a very reliable source that Moonves was not at all pleased with the quality of CBS’ Tony telecasts and insisted that changes be made. It has been one of the best awards presentations – and certainly the classiest -- of every year since then. This one was no exception.
It’s not easy getting an audience for an awards show that celebrates artistic accomplishments most people will never get to see. In other words, why should the many millions of people who rarely travel to New York City or have never seen a Broadway show care about any of it? Frankly, not many do in the grand scheme of things, as has been evident by declining ratings for Tony telecasts over the years. But Sunday night’s show made clear that there are great pleasures to be had in watching, even from afar, when the theater community gets together to honor its own and share its talents with the world. (Again, this likely wouldn’t be possible were it not for Moonves and his team at CBS, who deserve enormous credit for doing the right thing.)