My recap of the 2009 Tony Awards

Watched the Tony Awards at Skirball Center with a crowd that included Chita Rivera, Dick Van Dyke, Marg Helgenberger, Jason Alexander, Mitzi Gaynor, Marc Cherry and others at the 13th Annual Los Angeles Tony Awards Party.

It’s the only officially sanctioned party on the West Coast where you get to watch a live feed of the Tony telecast from New York. During commercial breaks. My next post will be all about the tributes to Chita which were amazing. But first, some of my impressions of the fast-moving Tony telecast.

That opening number was something else. There was so much going on there – maybe too much – that you only got a little taste of such things as Pal Joey nominee Stockard Channing singing and Liza Minnelli belting out a number.

The group in LA was a theater-loving group (who else would pay $200 a ticket to watch the Tonys on a big screen?) and when Angela Lansbury won for featured actress in a play for Blithe Spirit, the room went absolutely wild.

It was the fifth Tony for Miss Lansbury. Her win in the featured-actress category tied the record for acting prizes held by Julie Harris, who has five plus a special lifetime achievement award given in 2002.

“Who would’ve thought?” a delighted Lansbury said. “Who knew that at this time in my life I would be presented with this lovely,. lovely award. I can’t believe I’m standing here. I am the essence of happiness and gratitude and joy – the greatest gift in my old age that I can possibly imagine. Thank you for having me back.”

Susan Sarandon presented the directing awards and boy, did she look amazing or what? I just looked up her age and she is 62 years old! Another sixtysomething Oscar winner, 63-year-old Liza Minnelli, was onstage a short time later. Her show, Liza’s at the Palace, was for Outstanding Theatrical Event.

Thompson was her godmother and in the second act of her solo concert, she performed a series of numbers created by Thompson who was best known as the creator of the Eloise children’s books. Liza was the inspiration for Eloise.

Liza won her first Tony way back in 1965 for best leading actress in a musical for Flora the Red Menace. She won again in 1978 in the same category for The Act. She also received a special Tony in 1974.

Marcia Gay Harden was one of the classiest winners of the night. After her name was announced as the winner for best actress in a play, she had the presence of mind to point out to viewers that TV cameras has mixed up two of the nominated actresses in her category.

Not only was it a generous thing to do, but I marveled at how Harden went about her speech in such an organized and intelligent fashion – hitting all of her points and sharing her award with God of Carnage co-stars Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis and James Gandolfini who she cracked “brings the worst out in me every night.”

Marcia now has a Tony to go along with the Oscar she won for Pollock and I think her acceptance speech should be used as a model to others.

Also adding a Tony to his Oscar was Geoffrey Rush who won best lead actor in a play for Exit the King and had one of the best lines of the night when he thanked audiences “for proving that French existential absurdist tragicomedy rocks.”

Another favorite speech of mine was the one by special Tony honoree Jerry Herman, composer of such musicals as Hello Dolly! Mame and La Cage aux Folles.

“Did you know I was born on this street?” he told the audience at Radio City Music Hall. “My mother thought there was something special that her hospital window had a great view of the Winter Garden marquee. “Well, here I am 77 years later, still on 50th Street but enjoying the ultimate moment of my life.”