If you haven't watched Neil Patrick Harris' 2013 Tony Awards opening number recently, you should
TV Features Neil Patrick Harris
When Neil Patrick Harris signed on to host the Tony Awards for the fourth time (just one time less than record-holder Dame Angela Lansbury) he knew he wanted to go “Bigger!”
The result was a 7-minute musical marathon with music and lyrics by Bring It On: The Musical collaborators Tom Kitt and Lin-Manuel Miranda, choreography by Tony-winner Rob Ashford, and appearances by members of almost every cast on Broadway at the time—including Mike Tyson, who debuted his one-man show, Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth, on Broadway the previous year.
While speaking to Harris for our 11 Questions feature, The A.V. Club’s editorial coordinator Gwen Ihnat couldn’t resist the chance to ask the actor about the performance that garnered him a solid 1-minute standing ovation from the Tony’s audience at Radio City Musical Hall that evening, and repeat viewings on YouTube over the years by multiple AVC staffers. “It wasn’t the hardest thing [I’ve done,] but it was certainly the most exhilarating,” Harris tells Ihnat on the latest episode of The A.V. Club’s podcast Push The Envelope. “And I will say that I’m not sure how it all happened, because there were so many things that could have easily gone wrong: magic tricks that didn’t work in the dress rehearsal, hoops that were going to probably be a terrible mess if I didn’t lift my leg high enough, quick changes that could have gone wrong. There was a lot at stake. But it’s the Tonys and it’s Broadway and people do that kind of nonsense, or at least used to, eight times a week. So, I was thrilled to represent.”
In addition to Harris’ 11 Questions interview, Ihnat and editor-in-chief Patrick Gomez spend this week’s Push The Week episode discussing the behind-the-scenes details that led to “Bigger!” and why it works so well.
“Apparently, they only were able to rehearse it in full the day of the telecast and only did it like one or two times. And the only time it ever went perfectly was the live performance, which is impressive for many reasons that were about to get into,” Gomez says on the podcast. “At one point, Neil Patrick Harris was going to get the mayor of New York to be on a trapeze swing. There was going to be a Wicked element to it. They were going to had an Elphaba line, but unfortunately, they couldn’t get the Wicked people involved. The rehearsal schedule for this was apparently insane, where they were teaching the little dance moments to the separate groups of people that were in different parts. They’d have time to teach them for like 12 minutes and then they’d run it twice, once or twice.”
To hear the full interview, subscribe to Push The Envelope. New episodes launch every Thursday. If you’re a fan, remember to rate and comment as well. And thus ends our shameless plug.
24 Comments
This performance never gets old. Seeing all these actors in costume in one room is probably akin to how hardcore MCU fanpeople felt during Endgame when everybody showed up for the final battle. It’s pretty thrilling.It kinda reminds me of how bummed I was/am that Kinky Boots rather than Matilda won Best Musical, but it’s cool to see Lilla Crawford as Annie, a bunch of Newsies (even though I think the musical was nominated the year prior), and, of course, NPH going all out.Mike Tyson, however,…fuck that guy. Stop thinking he’s cool, everybody.
I can’t believe people ever feel safe in a room with that guy.
Fuck that guy, and also the number nearly grinds to a halt for a few beats with his intense awkwardness.
Wha? But Mike Tyson is a lovable cartoon character!Yeah, fuck that fucking bullshit forever. Anyone bitching about “cancel culture” can kindly shove Mike Tyson AND Mel Gibson right up their ass.
probably akin to how hardcore MCU fanpeople felt during Endgame
And Spider-Man was in both!
Man I love that opening. Makes me cry happy tears every time.
Jumping through that tiny paper ring in the middle of running literally all over the stage for ten minutes was VERY impressive. I mean, lots of people do that kind of thing, but this is the opening of a major awards show, he had little practice, and had he failed to make it and tumbled, everything else falls out of whack. I’ve watched this opening a dozen times over the years. Never gets old.
I’ve no interest in Broadway, never watched the Tony show in my life, and clicked on the video out of boredom, and then sat spellbound for the entire eight minutes, which is seven and a half minutes longer than I usually watch videos on the internet. What a tour de force. Bravo!
There’s lots more Tony goodies out there! How about this one featuring Sutton Foster at the height of her powers?
This is an exceptional example of how to do musical theater for TV – obviously, it works live as a stage production, but NPH adds a ton of nuance in his inflections and expressions that emphasizes the performance on screens. The camera work doesn’t capture everything, but focuses when it needs to focus and moves quickly to capture the energy when the emphasis is on movement and scale.Two gripes: including Mike Tyson (nah) and the audience applause stepping on the Matilda/Billy Elliot joke.
So many wonderful NPH Tony moments :
Okay, do you guys have me under survailance? I watched this yesterday, along with NPH’s Hedwig performance of Sugar Daddy for the 2014 Tony’s. I gotta search out a bootleg of Hedwig…
Not NPH of course, but the movie is damn good!
I love the movie! I just want to see all of the NPH performance. I saw Hedwig on Broadway with Darren Criss, and even though I know he is a good, I was blown away with his performance. I would love to see that again too!
My daughter and I flew across the country to see NPH do Hedwig at the Belasco. It was worth it.
That’s awesome!
This is one of those times where I’d figuratively kill for there to have been a video crew documenting the entire production, from the “Hey, I have a wacky idea” moment, through pre-production and rehearsals all the way through what was going on behind the scenes of the live run.
Ah, yes. That is what I needed today. Spirits fully lifted… and yet, heartbreaking remembering that many of those talented, passionate people have been struggling without work for a year now. I know live theatre will be one of the last things to be restored. I cannot wait to sit in an audience again.
I remember when this aired, being one of those “never watched Broadway/Tonys but being super impressed” guys. I hate that I see things like this with NPH, especially Tony connected things, and all I can think about is his comments to/about Rachel Bloom at the Tonys when she did the backstage stuff.
Oh man thank you for reminding me of this so I could watch it again!! How funny that I can now unmistakably identify LMM’s lyrical passage… what a distinctive master of rhythm and rhyme. And it doesn’t matter how tiny your flyer and how big your bases, holding an extension for several minutes of applause is fricking hard. Bravo!!
NPH is ripped under that tux.
I remember being a teenager and watching this live and almost crying it was so nuts and awesome. Holds the hell up.
I really don’t know why you can’t fucking spell his name right ever.One final time; Doogie Hoswer m.d
Seen it before but not for a while, and what a great display of creative energy, old school showmanship, humor and fun in this performance! Gosh I am glad you shared it to remind us how much we miss theater and talented folk.