As soon as the rhythm of NPH’s closing number became apparent, I said to myself “sounds like Lin-Manuel Miranda’s doing,” and was happy to see in the closing credits I was absolutely right. I felt all superior for a second or two, until I remembered that I got a degree in theatre two years ago and have barely used it since.
Just like when he last won (for Boeing Boeing) Mark Rylance read a poem. In 2008, he read “Back Country.” This time it was called “Walking Through a Wall.” Both poems are by Louis Jenkins, who I’ve just read is working with Mark Rylance on a production.
eta:
The whole set-up was meant to represent a train, with tambourines for the wheels. They were shaky because they were communicating that they were riding on a moving train.
I didn’t see that at all. He made a joke about his line and communication problems. When DHP DOES do the over-the-top pomposity, I can practically see the irony dripping off of him. It seems like it’s all done with a wink or two.
When he won his first Tony a couple years earlier, he did the exact same thing, going off on some weird instructional/metaphysical offshoot. It was pretty funny then, too.
Just a bump to point out that Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx are the first team to win the Tony for Best Musical for their first two shows–Avenue Q & Book of Mormon.
Technically, Richard Adler and Jerry Ross won Best Musical Tonys for their first two full-score book musicals, The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees. They had written songs for a revue on Broadway, but other composers were involved, and there was no book.