This column comes moments after the Tony Awards.  I intentionally left this paragraph blank in hopes that something truly noteworthy would happen.  Given the host, I knew there was a chance P!NK would plummet from the rafters during one of her inevitable aerial stunts.  And sure enough, she flew in – as Peter Pan singing, “I’m Flying!”  She was helped down by former Tony host, Neil Patrick Harris, who cheekily said, “Haven’t you heard?  The flying twinks are all vampires now.”  She then segued into an all-star opening called “Leading Lady Marmalade”, joined by numerous hunks, starlets, “dolls”, and various Broadway luminaries…and Lea Michele.  P!nk certainly proved she had the pipes (and the gams).  I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the hot blond guy helping winners from stage right.  And, for the love of God, could Paul Rudd have straightened Alden Ehrenreich’s tie before his speech?  If the point of the Tonys is to drive tourism to Broadway, I’d say mission accomplished.

The Tony Award-winning musical Chicago is known for stunt casting – usually centered around the role of Roxie Hart.  People from Christie Brinkley to Pamela Anderson have left their mark on the role.  Occasionally the part of Billy Flynn is assumed by such luminaries as Usher, George Hamilton, Taye Diggs, Mark Ballas, Colman Domingo, and even Jerry Springer.  The next Billy Flynn will be another member of our community.  Starting on June 22^nd, Matteo Lane joins the cast (you’ll be forgiven for thinking he’d play Mary Sunshine).  As with most of these other people, this will mark Matteo’s Broadway debut.

Speaking of Chicago, the Chicago Shakespeare Theater is presenting the North American premiere of the stage version of Brokeback Mountain.  I reviewed the West End world premiere of this play back in 2023 when it starred Lucas Hedges and Mike Faist.  I thoroughly enjoyed it (which is saying something, since I loathed the film).  This production stars Harrison Ball and Jack Cameron Kay and runs through June 28^th.  You can get more info at ChicagoShakes.com.