There were gasps when Avenue Q, the underdog musical because that's what you call a musical that started off-Broadway and features puppets, won best musical last night at the Tony Awards, but considering that the show won best book and best score earlier on in the night, it seemed clear that it would be a night on Avenue Q, and Gothamist couldn't be happier. Avenue Q could be called a kinder, feltier variation on the "living in the big city" theme that other musicals like Guys and Dolls, Rent, and Wonderful Town visit, but Avenue Q has songs like "It Sucks To Be Me" and "Schadenfreude" plus the Bad Idea Bears. And Gothamist loves what co-creater Robert Lopez said in his acceptance speech: "When we started writing 'Avenue Q,' Jeff was an intern and I was a temp. Our lives kinda sucked, so we came up with an idea for a show about people like us whose lives all kinda suck."
And as reader Brian Van points out, since favored musical Wicked did not win, we'd like Times public editor Daniel Okrent to make good on his claim that "if [Wicked] loses the Tony I'll eat my black satin jacket from the road company of Jekyll and Hyde." You name the venue, Daniel!
Other thoughts: Yay for Phylicia Rashad (best actress in a play, for Raisin in the Sun), Jefferson Mays (best actor in a play, I Am My Own Wife) and Idina Menzel (best actress in a musical, for Wicked) winning. The "is talent genetic" question comes up because, little sister of musical and screen director Rob, Kathleen Marshall won for choreography of Assassins! Wonderful Town. And what was Carol Channing on? Tony Awards coverage from the Times and the Post (including Michael Riedel's hypothesis on why Avenue Q upset). And the full list of winners from the Tonys.
