This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:09] Mo Brady: You're listening to Tony Telecasts from The Ensemblist, the only podcast that shows you Broadway from the inside out.

[0:15] Aaron Albano: I'm Aaron Albano.

[0:31] Mo Brady: Welcome, listeners, to our miniseries about the Tonys, bringing you all the drama behind the drama of a theater season in Broadway history.

[0:38] Mo Brady: In each podcast episode, we watch a telecast of a previous Tony Awards, not only the performances, but the opening and speeches to see how it reflects the season as a whole.

[0:47] Mo Brady: So let's dive in and talk about the 2004 Tony Awards.

[0:51] Mo Brady: The 58th Annual Tony Awards were held June 6, 2004, at Radio City Music Hall, with Hugh Jackman as the host, also a nominee this year for portraying fellow Aussie Peter Allen in The Boy from Oz.

[1:05] Mo Brady: Leading the pack this year was Aussie juggernaut Wicked, with ten nominations, followed by six for Avenue Q, five for The Boy from Oz, and six for Caroline, or Change.

[1:16] Mo Brady: In a rare year, where four productions were nominated for Best Revival of a Musical, a Roundabout Theatre Company production of Assassins led with seven, followed by six for Fiddler on the Roof, five for Wonderful Town, and two for Big River.

[1:30] Mo Brady: This is also the Broadway season chronicled in the very good documentary Show Business: The Road to Broadway.

[1:35] Aaron Albano: Oh, really? Is it very good? I've never seen it.

[1:37] Mo Brady: Oh yeah, it's high drama.

[1:39] Aaron Albano: Okay, fierce.

[1:40] Mo Brady: I mean, not to get ahead of ourselves, but they play up the Avenue Q versus Wicked thing very well.

[1:46] Mo Brady: But aside from the telecast, what was happening at the time, Aaron?

[1:50] Aaron Albano: Well, Mo, the 2003-2004 season was a precarious time for a world slowly trying to get back to some sort of normalcy.

[1:57] Aaron Albano: Only a few years after the events of 9-11, President George W. Bush's campaign for his second term against Senator John Kerry was gaining momentum, focusing primarily on his foreign war on terror and his domestic, quote-unquote, upholding of family values, through which he targets same-sex marriage.

[2:15] Aaron Albano: We see very heated references to Bush's administration and his campaign tactics on these subjects in various acceptance speeches.

[2:23] Aaron Albano: One major event the Broadway community might remember was the Northeast Blackout of 2003, which occurred on August 14th.

[2:30] Aaron Albano: And fun fact, it's suspected to be the infamous blackout in Lin-Manuel Miranda's In the Heights.

[2:36] Mo Brady: Blackout, blackout.

[2:37] Aaron Albano: That's exactly what I was thinking of doing.

[2:39] Mo Brady: Blackout, blackout.

[2:41] Aaron Albano: The blackout was citywide and shut down all 23 Broadway productions at the time, resulting in a revenue loss of about a million dollars, according to the Broadway League.

[2:50] Aaron Albano: Thankfully, all 23 productions were back on the boards the next night.

[2:54] Mo Brady: That would suck if all the Broadway shows were, like, shut down for a whole night.

[2:58] Aaron Albano: A whole night of whatever would they do?

[3:05] Mo Brady: Too soon.

[3:21] Aaron Albano: All right, let's pour one out for those non-nominated musicals.

[3:28] Mo Brady: So, The Any First is the only Broadway revival, quote-unquote, not nominated for Best Revival of a Musical.

[3:39] Aaron Albano: This is Little Shop of Horrors in its first Broadway production.

[3:42] Mo Brady: Right.

[3:45] Mo Brady: So, it ran for 372 performances at the August Wilson.

[3:49] Mo Brady: It was led by Hunter Foster and Kerry Butler, and was currently running at the time of the Tony Awards.

[3:54] Aaron Albano: Yeah.

[3:55] Aaron Albano: Talk about this revival versus new musical conundrum.

[3:59] Aaron Albano: Because from what I remember, it was high drama.

[4:02] Mo Brady: Because, like you said, the original production of Little Shop of Horrors was off-Broadway, and it only was off-Broadway.

[4:10] Mo Brady: If you've watched the documentary Howard on Disney+, he talks about keeping it off-Broadway, despite everybody wanting it to move to Broadway, because he was very passionate about it staying in an intimate space.

[4:22] Mo Brady: They did a movie, but they did not do a Broadway production.

[4:24] Aaron Albano: Fast forward now to 2004, it's eligible for Tonys because it's Tony season.

[4:30] Mo Brady: And yet, because it is an old property, the Tony committee deems it a revival instead of a new show.

[4:38] Aaron Albano: There was a lot of beef at the time, because it made them ineligible for a lot of different things, including score and book.

[4:44] Mo Brady: And because Alan Menken and Howard Ashman wrote the book and score, and Howard has passed away, there are limited opportunities for him to win a posthumous Tony, and this show would have been one of those opportunities.

[4:57] Aaron Albano: Wow.

[4:58] Mo Brady: And yet, no.

[4:59] Aaron Albano: I don't remember any of that beef.

[5:00] Aaron Albano: That's like, on the beef calendar, that's like beef number five, I remember from this season.

[5:05] Mo Brady: Oh, I mean, yes, yes. High drama all around, but that was one, because I remember, like, what shade this, like, Tonys has, where you literally open the show with the urchins from Little Shop, but that's all you get, Little Shop.

[5:20] Aaron Albano: No other performance for you.

[5:22] Mo Brady: Better than Never Gonna Dance, or Taboo.

[5:24] Aaron Albano: That's true.

[5:25] Mo Brady: All right, so speaking of which, high drama, we've got Taboo, or Taboo.

[5:30] Aaron Albano: Taboo!

[5:31] Aaron Albano: Played 100 performances at the Schoenfeld.

[5:33] Aaron Albano: Closed in February of 2004.

[5:35] Aaron Albano: Had quite an acclaimed ensemble.

[5:38] Aaron Albano: It was small, but featured Jen Cody, Lisa Gaida, Curtis Holbrook, and Gregory Trico in his Broadway debut pre-Hamilton.

[5:45] Mo Brady: Was that Ewan Morton's Broadway debut also?

[5:47] Aaron Albano: Oh, yeah, sure, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[5:49] Aaron Albano: The second non-nominated new musical is Never Gonna Dance.

[5:53] Aaron Albano: Played 84 performances at the Broadhurst.

[5:55] Aaron Albano: Also closed in February 2004.

[5:59] Mo Brady: Wow.

[6:00] Aaron Albano: Played Bombalist Lover's Dream.

[6:01] Aaron Albano: The company was led by Noah Racey, Karen Siemba, and Deidre Goodwin, with folks like Jennifer Frankel and Tamar Wilson among the ensemble.

[6:10] Mo Brady: Oh.

[6:11] Aaron Albano: And then our third non-nominated new musical is Bombay Dreams.

[6:15] Mo Brady: Oh, what's that show, Mo?

[6:16] Mo Brady: Well, it played 284 performances at the Broadway Theatre.

[6:20] Mo Brady: Was still running at the time of the Tony Awards.

[6:22] Aaron Albano: Yes, it was.

[6:23] Mo Brady: And the ensemble featured Bobby Pestka, Romy Sandu, and one Aaron Jay Albano in his Broadway debut.

[6:29] Aaron Albano: That's me.

[6:30] Mo Brady: That's you. What a baby.

[6:32] Aaron Albano: That's me, little 21-year-old living his life in his non-nominated musical.

[6:37] Mo Brady: Did you turn 21 on Broadway?

[6:39] Aaron Albano: Mm-hmm.

[6:40] Mo Brady: You're such an icon.

[6:42] Aaron Albano: Hardly.

[6:44] Mo Brady: Speaking of people the theatre community loves, second to Aaron Jay Albano is Hugh Jackman.

[6:52] Aaron Albano: I felt like this Tony Awards was an opportunity for everyone to gush over how much they love Hugh Jackman.

[7:00] Mo Brady: 100%.

[7:02] Aaron Albano: He was absolutely the golden child of Broadway at this time.

[7:06] Mo Brady: And why?

[7:07] Aaron Albano: I don't know. I mean, I have my speculations, but I don't know.

[7:11] Aaron Albano: It's actually interesting because this is, what, his second time?

[7:14] Mo Brady: I was wrong in our last episode where I thought that this was his first time.

[7:17] Aaron Albano: This is his second time hosting the Tonys.

[7:20] Aaron Albano: And between that and between his tour-de-force performance in Boy From Oz, he either wasn't Wolverine yet or he was starting to be Wolverine.

[7:26] Mo Brady: In which case, he was still a theatre dude.

[7:31] Aaron Albano: Right. At this point, Hugh Jackman feels like the hometown boy done good.

[7:40] Mo Brady: Yeah. He's like one of us.

[7:42] Aaron Albano: Broadway has, at this point, adopted him into the fold because of how wonderful he is.

[7:48] Mo Brady: And he has adopted us.

[7:50] Aaron Albano: He likes us and being a Broadway person, which I think makes us like him more and feed into the whole bit about Rod from Avenue Q flirting with Hugh Jackman.

[8:01] Mo Brady: Yes, absolutely. It's such a love fest.

[8:03] Aaron Albano: It's such a love fest with Hugh Jackman.

[8:05] Mo Brady: And this does feel like peak Hugh Jackman love.

[8:08] Aaron Albano: Yeah.

[8:09] Aaron Albano: This is pre-Greatest Showman. This is pre-Les Mis.

[8:12] Mo Brady: What has changed? Did he get too famous?

[8:16] Aaron Albano: I feel like this was the time when we felt like he was one of us.

[8:21] Mo Brady: Since then, for whatever reason, I distinctly remember watching him in Les Mis and being like, he's not one of us anymore.

[8:28] Aaron Albano: I don't know why. Maybe because I didn't like him in the movie.

[8:35] Mo Brady: There was something that had shifted viscerally that I was just like, you're not one of us anymore.

[8:41] Aaron Albano: This 2004 Tony Awards feels like new love.

[8:46] Mo Brady: It's like the Broadway community and Hugh Jackman are really crushing on each other right now.

[8:52] Aaron Albano: But when he came back in 2014, we didn't feel the same way.

[8:57] Mo Brady: At least I didn't. I don't know if the community at large did or didn't.

[9:01] Aaron Albano: Also, what he was doing on Broadway was very different in 2014.

[9:05] Aaron Albano: And even now, there's a big part of our community that is not looking forward to this production of Music Man.

[9:12] Mo Brady: For sure.

[9:13] Aaron Albano: And usually Hugh Jackman would be the draw where we'd all be like, if 2004 Broadway still existed in 2020, we'd be like, we want to see anything he does.

[9:23] Mo Brady: Oh, he'd be a great Harold Hill, which I think he will be.

[9:26] Aaron Albano: But yeah, that love has definitely tempered a bit.

[9:30] Mo Brady: Maybe it will return. Maybe that infatuation will regrow when we get back.

[9:35] Aaron Albano: And combined with the fact that we will just be giddy to see anything.

[9:39] Mo Brady: Sure. Sure. Maybe. Possibly.

[10:01] Mo Brady: So this opening number, which features Mr. Jackman and a bevy of beauties. It is a mashup of One Night Only and Dreamgirls.

[10:10] Aaron Albano: What shocked me, one, is coming out of the 1982 Tony Awards. So remember, if we could play the audio, we would play you Tony Randall sitting in the house.

[10:20] Mo Brady: Very quiet audience, coughing.

[10:23] Aaron Albano: He's playing the role of an everyman critic. No opening number.

[10:26] Mo Brady: Yeah.

[10:28] Aaron Albano: From the moment Hugh Jackman walks on stage, there is an eruption of cheers. People are ready to have a good time.

[10:35] Mo Brady: Yes. The second thing I noticed was that this number is four minutes long.

[10:41] Aaron Albano: So short. Speed ahead to the 2009 Tony Awards.

[10:44] Mo Brady: Which is like 45 minutes long. It was 10 minutes long.

[10:47] Aaron Albano: Yeah. So this is just like, wham, bam, thank you, bam.

[10:51] Mo Brady: It's a song. It's an appropriate size of an opening number.

[10:55] Aaron Albano: And it still had all the magic that we'll get.

[10:59] Mo Brady: No, no, no, go, go, go.

[11:01] Aaron Albano: This might be sacrilege. This is my favorite Tony opening.

[11:04] Mo Brady: It might like eke out bigger by a tiny margin for me.

[11:09] Aaron Albano: You're a monster.

[11:10] Mo Brady: I know, but it's so good.

[11:13] Aaron Albano: Well, A, like first we get Hugh Jackman to uproarious applause.

[11:18] Aaron Albano: But then we get the urchins from Little Shop, the dynamites from Hairspray and the radio from Caroline, or Change.

[11:27] Mo Brady: And it's this medley of these three girl groups and Hugh Jackman singing One Night Only.

[11:33] Aaron Albano: The song itself is already so thrilling. And then you have like these three powerhouse girl groups living their lives.

[11:41] Mo Brady: Chills already. And then the Rockettes come out.

[11:44] Aaron Albano: And I love the Rockettes. The Rockettes are my favorite thing in the world.

[11:47] Mo Brady: Go, go. Tell us why, Aaron Albano.

[11:50] Aaron Albano: Because I love the precision. I love the like the clean choreography. I love like the iconicism of all of them.

[11:57] Aaron Albano: But like when they come out in this number, A, we've never seen them used in a Tony's before.

[12:04] Aaron Albano: And yet they live here like we're in their house.

[12:07] Mo Brady: And so then they come out and again, still clean AF.

[12:12] Aaron Albano: But my favorite thing about this is watching all of them kick like above their heads.

[12:18] Aaron Albano: Because as a Rockette, you don't get to kick that high. And they're all living their goddamn lives.

[12:25] Mo Brady: Like bot-mawing as high as they can on both legs and like doing it.

[12:31] Aaron Albano: Like I lose my mind.

[12:33] Mo Brady: And then they kick line, which is iconic.

[12:36] Aaron Albano: And then Hugh does it too.

[12:38] Mo Brady: And then like pandemonium when the rest of the companies show up, which is what?

[12:45] Aaron Albano: We see Fiddler. We see Wicked. We see Avenue Q. We see Boy From Oz.

[12:53] Mo Brady: Do we see Wonderful Town?

[12:54] Aaron Albano: I don't know.

[12:55] Mo Brady: I saw some sailors and I didn't know what show they were from.

[12:58] Aaron Albano: I'm going to assume Wonderful Town.

[13:00] Mo Brady: Based on sailors and based on the fact that they were in the building.

[13:03] Aaron Albano: Hey listeners, if I'm wrong, yell at Mo.

[13:06] Mo Brady: But it was everything that I wanted. Like between Hugh scream singing in Stephanie J. Block's face.

[13:14] Mo Brady: And then making out with Lucy T. Slatt. I lost my mind.

[13:20] Aaron Albano: I love it. I love it so much.

[13:21] Mo Brady: You love a mashup.

[13:24] Aaron Albano: That's what you're telling me. You love this sort of like we're all in the same place.

[13:27] The Ensemblist: Welcome to The Ensemblist, where we celebrate the performances and careers of ensemble performers on Broadway.

[13:57] The Ensemblist: In this episode, we’re diving into the 58th Annual Tony Awards, which took place on June 6, 2004, at Radio City Music Hall.

[14:27] The Ensemblist: Hugh Jackman hosted the ceremony and was also a nominee this year for his role as Peter Allen in The Boy From Oz.

[14:57] The Ensemblist: Leading the pack this year was the powerhouse musical Wicked, which received ten nominations.

[15:07] The Ensemblist: Following closely behind were Avenue Q with six nominations, The Boy From Oz with five, and Caroline, or Change with six nominations as well.

[15:17] The Ensemblist: It was also a rare year where four productions were nominated for Best Revival of a Musical.

[15:27] The Ensemblist: The Roundabout Theatre Company's production of Assassins led the pack with seven nominations.

[15:37] The Ensemblist: Fiddler on the Roof followed with six nominations, Wonderful Town had five, and Big River received two nominations.

[15:47] The Ensemblist: Today, we’ll be discussing some of the highlights from these nominated shows and the performances that made them memorable.

[15:57] The Ensemblist: Let’s start with Wicked, which not only dominated the nominations but also had a significant impact on Broadway.

[16:07] The Ensemblist: The story of Elphaba and Glinda captured the hearts of audiences and showcased incredible talent in the ensemble.

[16:17] The Ensemblist: The music by Stephen Schwartz became anthems for a new generation of theatergoers.

[16:27] The Ensemblist: Next, we’ll talk about Avenue Q, a show that brought a unique blend of humor and heart to the stage.

[16:37] The Ensemblist: Its ensemble cast delivered unforgettable performances that resonated with audiences, making it a standout in the 2004 Tony race.

[16:47] The Ensemblist: The Boy From Oz also made waves, with Hugh Jackman’s performance being a highlight of the evening.

[16:57] The Ensemblist: The show celebrated the life of Peter Allen and featured a talented ensemble that brought the story to life.

[17:07] The Ensemblist: Caroline, or Change was another powerful contender, with its poignant storytelling and remarkable score.

[17:17] The Ensemblist: The ensemble played a crucial role in conveying the emotional depth of the narrative.

[17:27] The Ensemblist: As we reflect on these shows, it’s essential to recognize the ensemble performers who often go unnoticed but are vital to the success of these productions.

[17:37] The Ensemblist: Their hard work and dedication contribute significantly to the overall experience of the audience.

[17:47] The Ensemblist: Join us as we continue to explore the impact of these Tony-nominated shows and the incredible ensemble talent behind them.

[17:57] The Ensemblist: We’ll be right back after this short break.

[18:07] The Ensemblist: Stay tuned for more insights into the 2004 Tony Awards and the performances that defined that year.

[18:17] The Ensemblist: We appreciate your support and look forward to sharing more stories of Broadway’s unsung heroes.

[18:27] The Ensemblist: Let’s dive deeper into the performances that made these shows unforgettable.

[18:37] The Ensemblist: We’ll start with a closer look at Wicked and its ensemble.

[18:47] The Ensemblist: The chemistry between the cast members was palpable and added to the magic of the show.

[18:57] The Ensemblist: The ensemble’s ability to bring the world of Oz to life was truly remarkable.

[19:07] The Ensemblist: Next, we’ll discuss Avenue Q and how its ensemble tackled complex themes with humor and heart.

[19:17] The Ensemblist: The performances were both entertaining and thought-provoking, making it a unique addition to the Broadway landscape.

[19:27] The Ensemblist: The Boy From Oz showcased a different side of musical theater, highlighting the life of a real person through song and dance.

[19:37] The Ensemblist: The ensemble played a crucial role in supporting Hugh Jackman’s performance and enhancing the storytelling.

[19:47] The Ensemblist: Caroline, or Change brought a powerful narrative to the stage, and the ensemble’s performances were integral to its success.

[19:57] The Ensemblist: Their ability to convey emotion through song and movement left a lasting impression on audiences.

[20:07] The Ensemblist: As we continue our discussion, we’ll highlight specific performances that stood out during the Tony Awards.

[20:17] The Ensemblist: Each of these shows had moments that resonated deeply with both the audience and the critics.

[20:27] The Ensemblist: We’ll also explore how these performances have influenced the careers of the ensemble members involved.

[20:37] The Ensemblist: The impact of being part of a Tony-nominated show can be life-changing for many performers.

[20:47] The Ensemblist: Let’s take a moment to appreciate the hard work and dedication of the ensemble performers who bring these stories to life.

[20:57] The Ensemblist: Their contributions are invaluable, and we’re excited to share their stories with you.

[21:07] The Ensemblist: Stay with us as we continue to celebrate the ensemble talent of Broadway.

[21:17] The Ensemblist: We’ll be back shortly with more insights and highlights from the 2004 Tony Awards.

[21:27] The Ensemblist: Thank you for listening to The Ensemblist, where we honor the unsung heroes of the stage.

[21:37] The Ensemblist: We appreciate your support and look forward to sharing more stories of Broadway’s ensemble performers.

[21:47] The Ensemblist: Let’s dive back into our discussion of the Tony-nominated shows and the incredible talent behind them.

[21:57] The Ensemblist: We’ll explore the performances that made a lasting impact on Broadway and beyond.

[22:07] The Ensemblist: Join us as we continue to celebrate the artistry and dedication of ensemble performers.

[22:17] The Ensemblist: We’ll be right back after this short break.

[22:27] The Ensemblist: Thank you for being part of our journey as we highlight the contributions of ensemble performers in theater.

[22:37] The Ensemblist: Stay tuned for more insights and stories from the world of Broadway.

[22:47] The Ensemblist: We’re excited to share more about the 2004 Tony Awards and the performances that defined that year.

[22:57] The Ensemblist: Let’s continue our exploration of the nominated shows and the talent that brought them to life.

[23:07] The Ensemblist: We’ll be back shortly with more highlights and discussions.

[23:17] The Ensemblist: Thank you for listening to The Ensemblist, where we celebrate the unsung heroes of Broadway.

[23:27] The Ensemblist: We appreciate your support and look forward to sharing more stories of ensemble performers.

[23:37] The Ensemblist: Join us as we continue to honor the contributions of ensemble talent in theater.

[23:47] The Ensemblist: We’ll be right back after this short break.

[23:57] The Ensemblist: Thank you for being part of our journey as we celebrate the artistry of ensemble performers.

[24:27] The Ensemblist: Stay tuned for more insights and highlights from the 2004 Tony Awards.

[24:37] The Ensemblist: We’re excited to share more about the performances that made a lasting impact on Broadway.

[24:47] The Ensemblist: Let’s continue our discussion of the nominated shows and the incredible talent behind them.

[24:57] The Ensemblist: We’ll be back shortly with more highlights and discussions.

[25:07] The Ensemblist: Thank you for listening to The Ensemblist, where we honor the unsung heroes of the stage.

[25:17] The Ensemblist: We appreciate your support and look forward to sharing more stories of Broadway’s ensemble performers.

[25:27] The Ensemblist: Join us as we continue to celebrate the artistry and dedication of ensemble performers.

[25:37] The Ensemblist: We’ll be right back after this short break.

[25:47] The Ensemblist: Thank you for being part of our journey as we highlight the contributions of ensemble performers in theater.

[25:57] The Ensemblist: Stay tuned for more insights and stories from the world of Broadway.

[26:07] The Ensemblist: We’re excited to share more about the 2004 Tony Awards and the performances that defined that year.

[26:17] The Ensemblist: Let’s continue our exploration of the nominated shows and the talent that brought them to life.

[26:27] The Ensemblist: We’ll be back shortly with more highlights and discussions.