On Sunday, June 12th, Broadway comes to television for the annual Tony Awards hosted by audience favorite, Neil Patrick Harris. This year should prove to be very interesting due to one show in particular – The Book of Mormon, by Southpark co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Their new hit musical about two naïve Mormon missionaries who are sent to Uganda to share their scriptures with the native people is one that immediately makes you fold into yourself and wonder, what the heck is going to happen? The two love pushing the envelope and thank goodness for that! Live theater is about in your face take no prisoners sock it to me with all you’ve got passion! And they do it with this show. But we can’t forget the others who also cause us to stop and use our brain.
Broadway has always been at the forefront of subject matter that takes you out of your comfort zone, whether it is drama or comedy. A topic that people are afraid to discuss, or something having to do with everyday life, where you are suddenly knocked on the head with the realization that, wow, that’s me, that’s my life, is what theater is all about. It’s pure emotion that suddenly turns physical. It’s confrontation.
The Tony Awards gives us a glimpse of this and more. We can’t all be in New York to view these exciting productions, but the show allows us to maybe venture out to view and support theater in our own town.
I wish good luck and a long run to all of the shows that are nominated, and hope that they inspire to create dialogue between us all. Broadway is the home of the true spoken word.
To view a list of nominees, click here.
