Anything Goes - 65th Annual Tony Awards

Joel Grey introduces the nominee for (and winner of) Best Revival of a Musical. Featuring Sutton Foster. Choreography by Kathleen Marshall.

The revival won the Drama Desk Awards and Tony Awards for Best Revival and Best Choreography and Foster won the Drama Desk and Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Musical.

I've never been a great fan of tap dancing, but this production is phenomenal!!

[gregstorkwilson]

This shouldn't be possible....
This is a great example of what NOT to do in Directing a musical.

You do NOT have your leading lady sing a complicated, wordy song with lyrics that all start the same way.

You do NOT then break up said song with an eight and a half minute full on tap number.

You do NOT put your leading lady out front, leading the entire dance ensemble in said break FOR THE FULL NUMBER!

You do NOT then, after dancing for eight minutes, have her finish the song with more verses and end with an 8 measure held


The only time a director should ever attempt this is if you have cast Sutton Foster, who can belt a high C in her mask, has a better dance line than most of the ensemble, and can genuinely act. There was not at the time (and maybe even still) another Broadway star with the skill set to pull this off 8 times a week for a 2 year run.



(Though I give Rachel York very VERY high marks for the tour)

[anniew]

That crushing realization that I will never be Sutton Foster

[JosiahHarrisonBenjamin]

This just in: Sutton Foster doesn't require oxygen. More at 11.

[takakhan-zw]

Sutton Foster is one of the last in a dying breed of classic Broadway leading ladies. There's such a magnetism to her on stage in the way stars like Mary Martin and Gwen Verdon would captivate back in the day.

[Chacochan]

Besides this entire performance being incredible, Hugh Jackman always looks like a kid in a candy store at the Tony's! He's always so happy to be there and he always looks like he loves every bit of it and is impressed by everything, such an amazing and incredibly humble man for a person that has accomplished so much!

[frenchllama]

I bet a good 1000 of those views are just Jonathan Groff.

[klausweasley]

What amazes me about this is that it's VERY complicated choreography which I'm sure took a long time to master and they do it 8 times a week, yet everyone looks like they're having a good time!

[free_siobhan]

Warning: DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME WITHOUT THE GUIDANCE OF YOUR PERSONAL SUTTON FOSTER

[BackAnalog]

The Internet was invented so we could watch this. All other purposes are incidental.

[simplystreeptacular]

Sutton Foster is that impossibly rare find: a true triple threat who can not only sing, dance, *and* act equally well, but can do all of the above better than anyone else on the stage with her. She's one in a million.

[iljasmitsis]

I love how she just started that last note like she didn't do the longest dancebreak ever at the Tony Awards

[judigunn]

Can we just have a little shout-out here for the costume designer? The costumes are completely adorable.

[manuelorozco]

I actually never seen Anything Goes but the tap dancing is so epic and refreshing! You rarely find dancing like that in a musical nowadays except Newsies. Also, Sutton Foster has a stunning voice

[clarebearclare]

I can't watch this without hearing Jonathan Groff's commentary in my head :)

[debbied]

her economy of movement, her natural style, her singing, her acting, her charisma, her talent -- she is unmatched IMO

[celiamcdaniel]

literally one of the best tap routines of all time.

[judahcatherine]

HOW ARE THEIR TAPS SO CLEAN IM STILL SO SHOOK ITS BEEN 8 YEARS

[garylibra]

All the comparisons here of Patti LuPone vs. Sutton Foster in the same show are just apples and oranges.  Foster is a dancer who also sings, whereas LuPone is a singer who also dances a bit.  In this number, Sutton is the central dancer throughout the very long (this is shortened by almost 4 minutes from the actual Broadway number) tap sequence.  She immediately sings another verse and chorus afterwards.  In Patti's show, she does a few little steps at the beginning, then stands against the wall and nods to the beat while the dancers do their thing, then a few more steps and singing at the end.  She really doesn't have the "dance then sing" stamina that Sutton has.  In my opinion, doesn't make either of them better or worse than the other.  They're both pretty fantastic.

[amynadeau]

She makes everything look so effortless. Her tap dancing is incredibly relaxed-it looks so easy! Of course we know how this isn't the case, it's just her immense talent on display!

[viktoriaf.]

how can she belt that note after all that and still be perfect!!! OMG!!!