Top Ten Tony Awards Performances - Part Three

So, on to the top 10....

10.  The Apple Tree. The Apple Tree was a set of three tales - Diary of Adam and Eve (based on the Mark Twain story), The Lady or the Tiger, and Passionella (from a Jules Feiffer story).  This clip is of Barbara Harris just owning Passionella from start to finish.  And she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in A Musical.  An absolute delight!

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9.  Big Deal.  Bob Fosse's last Broadway show based on the film Big Deal on Maradona Street.  This is the Act One closer - Beat Me Daddy Eight to the Bar featuring Cleavant Derricks and Wayne Cilento.  It is exhilarating, breathtaking, uplifting and must have been simply exhausting to perform! And this is only half the number as Fosse restaged it for the Tony Awards!  The show was not a success - and I've never seen it nor have any idea how this number fits in - but I watch this clip often. 

  
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8.  Anything Goes.  The Act One closer.  Tap and sing.  Cole Porter wrote it.  Ethel Merman originated.  Iconic.  Show stopping.  Tough to top.  And, while this is not number one on my list - so, I can't say "it doesn't get better than this" - I can say it rarely gets better than this!  And, yet, it's hard to select a best presentation.  So, in this corner we have Patti Lupone from 1987: (Choreography by Michael Smuin - a ballet guy!)

And in this corner, we have Sutton Foster from 2011: (Choreography by David Chase)

7.  Catch Met If You Can.  Another show that was not a financial success.  But, I must watch this number highlighting Norbert Leo Butz (in a Tony winning performance) at least once a month .  I didn't see the show - but am told this is the best number and, if only, the rest of the show were half as good as this number, it might have run longer.  Music by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman and choreography by Jerry Mitchell.  It's.....Don't Break the Rules!

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6.       Promises Promises.   Promises Promises was a musical adaptation of The Apartment with music and lyrics by the top of the pops team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David.  A book by Neil Simon.  And this is yet another Act One closer.  And a number that has pretty much nothing to do with the actual show. And the leads are not in this number!  But it is unforgettable - and you would pity the poor dancers (who reportedly visited chiropractors constantly for the amazing head pops).  Featuring the amazing dancers Baayork Lee (the short one on the left), Donna McKechnie (the tall one in the middle with the elastic neck) and Margo Sappington (on the right) and choreographed by Michael Bennett, from 1968, it's Turkey Lurkey Time.