Red Carpet Review: The 2016 Tony Awards

Very often I write my red carpet fashion reviews based strictly on photographs, having either missed the awards in their entirety or at least missed the red carpet portion. However, I tuned in to the live stream red carpet coverage at 5:30 and faithfully watched (except when the feed was glitchy) all the way until the actual ceremony began at 8:00. So my critiques this time are based not only on how these gowns looked in these photographs, but how they looked as their wearers walked and moved.

I'll admit that I was somewhat disappointed by the general array of gowns. Yes, there were a few that were lovely, but there were more that were missteps. I'm going to rate them as purely thumbs up or thumbs down.

Laura Benanti: Thumbs Down

First of all, I hated the fabric of this dress. I felt like I should like the color combination, but somehow the background pinky-purple was just too vibrant. The silhouette wasn't terrible, but the starkness of the high round neckline and lack of sleeve shape or detail was overly bland. I did like the flare of the skirt, but it wasn't enough to save this look.

Judith Light: Thumbs Down

The idea of the bodice wasn't bad, and if the see-through fabric had been a bit less loose and wrinkled, it could have been very pretty. I really liked the wrapped fabric pulled into a silver detail at the waist. The wide-legged tux pants were too high-waisted to be flattering, and the overly pointed shoes made Light's legs look even more disproportionate. Points for the scarlet clutch, though.

Laurie Metcalf: Thumbs Down

The turquoise skirt was rather pretty - a lovely color, and a nice, crisp silhouette. Even paired with a white V-necked top, it might have been passable. But adding the droopy, winglike capelet gave Metcalf a hunched, matronly look. There's no reason that Metcalf couldn't pull off something much more traditional and less dowdy with her age and figure.

Jane Krakowski: Thumbs Up

Although I didn't love Krakowski's dress, given the field of other gowns, I had to give it a thumbs up. She has a slender but very straight figure, and unfortunately tends to wear dresses that don't completely flatter her figure. The broad V-neck of this gown draws the eye in nicely, but she needed a tiny little belt or solid-color inset panels to create a narrower waist. The flared skirt and tiny train did help to create a more curvy visual silhouette, however.

Lupita Nyong'o: Thumbs Up

I loved both the fabric and the cut of this gown. Nyong'o has worn similar silhouettes in the past, and they flatter her figure perfectly. The straight-across line of the shoulders was softened by the patterned fabric and the curves of the clinging gown, as well as the softly draped train. A beautiful look for her.

Lucy Liu: Thumbs Up

Yellow was a popular color at the Tonys (and unfortunately, seemed to be rather difficult to photograph, as evidenced by this and several other photos). Liu pulled it off best. Not many women are flattered by such a plunging neckline, but her slight figure, tiny waist, and small bust gave a curvy look without a sense that double-sided tape was working overtime. The softness of the chiffon skirt, especially when lifted by the breeze that was very much in evidence on the red carpet, created a lovely, graceful line.

Diane Lane: Thumbs Down

Oh, Diane. A pantsuit? A ZEBRA PRINT pantsuit? Unless you are Angela Lansbury or Bea Arthur, a lady should never wear pants to the Tony Awards. And even if you ARE Angela Lansbury or Bea Arthur, you should never wear zebra print pants.

Bebe Neuwirth: Thumbs Up (barely)

The line of this gown was exquisite, and perfect for Neuwirth's slim, petite, athletic figure. The crinkled bodice, mermaid skirt, and textured train added visual interest to the simple cut. The only thing I disliked about it was that the color was so close to her skin tone that it blended in. But overall, a lovely look.

Cate Blanchett: Not just Thumbs Down but WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!??

Wha...I'm not even sure what to say here. It was like there was a funky black leather dress, a sparkly black-and-white retro cocktail dress, and a full flared black-and-white color block gown, and someone took bits of each of them and stitched them together. It became a Frankendress Monster. I have often said in the past that Cate Blanchett can look great in anything, but she proved me wrong.

Jourdan Dunn: Thumbs Up

This gown made my seamstress heart happy. It was so perfectly constructed, with lovely arched seaming across the bodice, which was perfectly fitted to Dunn's figure. The folds of the drape fell perfectly, with just a hair of silver lining (literally!) peeping out, and a generous train spreading out behind. The fact that the difficult fabric had not a wrinkle added to its perfection. Stunning.

Claire Danes: Thumbs Up

I'm a sucker for bias-cut silk. Danes' lovely 1930s-inspired gown had just enough textured panels to prevent it from being boring, and her perfect figure lends itself beautiful to the unforgiving cling of silk, even with a broad v-neck and a narrow skirt with a flared train. The deep navy blue caught the light beautifully as she moved. It was unfortunate that her hair suffered from the wind, but in that dress, no-one was looking at her hair.

Glenn Close: Thumbs Up

Close's long, straight dress with a long slit and deep v (with modest inset) was flattering and age-appropriate. I liked the gathering at the waist and the detail of the inset bow (although pink was not the best color choice; I'd have gone with black or white), Her makeup was fresh and flattering, and I liked her fluffed-up hair. A very nice look.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead: Thumbs Up

Winstead's gown looks somewhat bland in this photograph, but what you can't see very well is that it was encrusted with thousands of colored gems that caught the light, glittering and sparkling as she moved. The lighter-colored bodice looked less see-through; instead, it had a kind of "smoky" effect that was very pretty. The colors of the gems brought the whole dress to life, and the simple neckline and A-line skirt didn't compete with the sparkle. Nicely balanced.

Allison Williams: Thumbs Down

As noted before, I'm not a fan of pants worn to red carpet events, but I might have given this outfit a pass if it were strictly a woman-cut white tuxedo. Unfortunately, the right pantleg appeared to have morphed into either a very long cape or drape, or else it was simply cut twice as wide as the left and then pressed into a razor crease. Either way, it threw off the balance of the look. And what's with the strap on that clutch bag? Is it secretly a shield? If you wear a masculine style of clothes, balance them with feminine accessories. Not a shield.

Saycon Sengbloh - Thumbs Up

Sengbloh was one of three actresses from the cast of Eclipsed who appeared together on the red carpet. Each had her own unique style, and each looked lovely. Sengbloh's striking one-shouldered emerald satin gown wrapped her curves gracefully, smoothing and emphasizing in all the right places. The wind showed an unexpected pop of vivid scarlet in the lining of the dress, as well as Sengbloh's pretty metallic sandals. Those, along with her glowing smile, were all the accents she needed.

Saoirse Ronan: Thumbs Down

Much like Bebe Neuwirth's gown, the biggest flaw in Ronan's gown was its color. Unfortunately, it didn't have enough other positives to bump it into the Thumbs Up category. I did like the flare at the knee, but the wrapped bodice with front peekaboo flatters a narrow waist, not just a muscular one (Ronan has about 0.1% body fat), and the broadly-spaced shoulder straps emphasize her broad, square shoulders rather than softening them. Lovely girl, lovely gown; bad combination.

Phillipa Soo: Thumbs Up

I found the fabric of Soo's dress to be simply lovely: pure white with silver patterns in beading running from one shoulder strap, trailing down the bodice, and then spreading out on either side of the high slit. In contrast to Ronan, above, Soo's widely-spaced straps were balanced by the off-the-shoulder sleeves (perhaps "bands" might be a better description), and by her narrower waist, creating a curvier, more well-proportioned silhouette. The wind also worked in Soo's favor, revealing her slender legs (and strappy sandals) and creating a long, barely ruffled train behind her. A simple but elegant look.

Jennifer Simard: Thumbs Up

I loved the simple lines of Simard's dress. The striking color, the graceful seaming in the bodice, the broad A-line of the skirt, and the heavy beading along the neck created just enough balanced details to be simple yet interesting. The soft updo and natural makeup added the perfect finish to this elegant and unfussy look.

New York Theatre Review: New York Spring Spectacular

Last year, my husband and I had ordered tickets for the new Radio City Rockettes show, Heart and Lights, only to find that it was cancelled less than a week before the scheduled opening. Rumors abounded as to what the issues were: problems with the music, problems with the book, problems with the pre-sales, personality and artistic conflicts among the producers and the writers were all named as culprits in various interviews and articles. Unlike a production in a Broadway theater, Radio City has multiple performances and events scheduled which preclude postponing a production, since there is a limited and specific window of stage availability, so the entire production was tabled until this year.

As part of the revamping, the original plot involving some cousins and a grandmother was tossed and replaced with a new plot involving an angel trying to get his wings, a money-grubbing billionaire, and an aging NYC tour guide. Doesn’t sound like much of an improvement, right? Well, it’s a Rockette show. To quote a lyric from 42^nd Street, “Who cares if there’s a plot or not when you’ve got a lot of dames?” No-one comes to see the Rockettes for the plot. We want to see 72 (in this cast, it was actually 84) gorgeous legs kicking in perfect synchronization. We want flashy costumes and high-tech stagecraft and cheesy “rah-rah, New York” numbers. Fortunately, the revised show, renamed the New York Spring Spectacular, has all that – and more. 

This production does a great job of updating the Rockettes’ age-old formula. There’s still plenty of sharp, crisp, precision dancing with impressively synchronized kicklines, but the opening number, choreographed by So You Think You Can Dance choreographer, Mia Michaels (who has plenty of other legitimate choreography credits, but SYTYCD put her on the map for the general, non-dancing public), uses a much more contemporary style of dance, with plenty of hip hop and athletic cheerleader-inspired moves. The choreography throughout the show incorporates a lot of fun props, including umbrellas, basketballs, hockey sticks, footballs, baseball bats and gloves, and bouquets of flowers. In addition to Broadway veteran Laura Benanti (who, on top of her Broadway credits, is recognizable for her role as the Baroness in the television production of The Sound of Music Live! in 2013 and her role on the television show Nashville), the cast features Derek Hough of Dancing with the Stars fame, both names somewhat familiar to the general public.

The production also wisely uses a mix of traditional and contemporary music. The score includes Broadway classics like “Singin’ in the Rain,” “Easter Parade,” and “I Could Have Danced All Night,” American standards like “The Way You Look Tonight” and “New York, New York,” contemporary pop numbers including an instrumental version of Taylor Swift’s “Welcome to New York“ and Demi Lovato’s “Neon Lights,” as well as a number of original (albeit somewhat forgettable) compositions written for the show. Benanti’s impressive Broadway chops are shown to their best advantage throughout the show, and Hough shows off a surprisingly impressive voice as well, more than holding his own against his talented partner.

The cute but mostly forgettable plot is (as is fairly standard for any Rockette production) mainly an excuse for the Rockettes to dance around iconic NYC landmarks, including Central Park, Times Square, the Statue of Liberty (an enormous animatronic puppet voiced by Whoopi Goldberg, who also voices God), a Fashion Week catwalk, the top of the Empire State Building, the New York Public Library (complete with animatronic lion statues hilariously voiced by Tina Fey and Amy Poheler) and the homes of several New York sports teams. 

These multiple scenes also allow for a parade of flashy costumes, from very traditional glittery leotards to matching yellow rainboots and slickers to ballgowns to various sports uniforms to LED-lighted tux jackets, most of them clearly designed to show off the dancers' famous legs (prompting Benanti to hilariously ask at one point, “Don't you people ever wear PANTS?”).

In addition to the “name” stars and the Rockettes themselves, the high-tech stagecraft was practically its own character in the show. Each audience member is given a pair of 3D glasses and an LED wristband upon entering the theater. A brief but effective 3D segment near the beginning of the show draws the audience in, and the LEDs pull them in even further as they light up in coordination with the Rockettes’ costumes, reminiscent of a rock concert or a Superbowl game, as everyone raises their wrists and cranes around at the effect.

Other flashy tech effects include a large kite flying over the audience, jumbotron-like projections from onstage Steadicams (some actually working in real time, others faking pre-recorded video), and a huge upstage video wall projecting detailed sets that are seamlessly incorporated into the physical sets.

But much like my comments in On the Town (see my review here), it was often the minor characters and small details that brought the show together. The character of Bernie, played by Broadway vet Lenny Wolpe; dancer Jared Grimes as Benanti’s fast-talking, fast-dancing assistant; Bernie’s cute but not-too-precocious grandchildren; featured vocalist LaVon Fisher-Wilson; the multiple animatronic characters (Alice in Wonderland, as well as the previously-mentioned Statue of Liberty and NYPL lions); a magical costume change when Benanti’s red tailored dress transforms instantly into a floaty ballgown; a pair of aerialists descending from the rafters; and a recurring bit with a group of crossing dogs that grows in number from 1 to 9 over the course of the show all add lovely moments of charm and humor to the production.

There may not be a huge amount of substance to this show, but the flash, the sweetness, and the genuine love of the city of New York all come together to make a winning combination that could very aptly have kept the production’s original name of Heart and Lights – but which just as aptly deserves the current moniker of Spectacular!