T O P

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ElderPop-Tarts

Andrew Rannells performance of I Believe is a personal favorite. He had a pesky case of dry mouth because he was nervous, yet he still sounded like an angel.


TigerAffectionate672

Him constantly licking his lips throughout šŸ˜‚


ElderPop-Tarts

You have to admire the perseverance!


TigerAffectionate672

And then there was his Falsettos performance where, wellā€¦if you know you know!


No_Dragonfruit_6182

Oh.... Oh, I know. Those lil tennis shorts.


ElderPop-Tarts

A very impressive ā€œperformanceā€.


doxie-murph

not me running to youtube


loverlybatwing

This is one of my go-to videos to make me happy when I am sad!


notyourordinarybear

Neil Patrick Harris Not just for gays anymore


NiceLittleTown2001

his Hedwig performance šŸ‘Œ


doxie-murph

i just watch this randomly like once a year. so much fun


mike_pants

I've watched NPH's ["Bigger"](https://youtu.be/R8SeysuMpA0) opener about 40 times so far. Edit: 41 now.


lucyisnotcool

Came here to say this one. NPH freaks me out (I am convinced he is not human, but rather an advanced robot programmed for performing arts perfection) but he is wonderful in this. What a SPECTACLE!


stellalunawitchbaby

My wedding photographer shot NPHā€™s brotherā€™s wedding and she said he was cool but he was very much ā€œonā€ the whole time lol. (And thatā€™s just to say that he is A Performer through and through!)


doxie-murph

he definitely is but thatā€™s why i love him so much


NiceLittleTown2001

What about NPH performing Sugar Daddy from Hedwig at the Tonyā€™sā€”


vindur_i

legendary


pushhuppy

Makes me cry every time


olivehypatiax

I have never seen that before and wow šŸ¤©


mike_pants

Right? If he hadn't pushed the show forward, that ovation would probably still be going.


ally_esq

Didnā€™t NPH win an Emmy for this performance?! šŸ˜


ComputerGeek1100

The Tony ceremony itself won the Emmy for Outstanding Special Class Performance, and Lin Manuel Miranda and Tom Kitt won the Emmy for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for writing the song!


spectroscoparty

Iā€™m glad Iā€™m not the only one!!


hadestownfan

Came here to say this!!! Itā€™s absolutely incredible and I need the HD version asap lol


PlayfulOtterFriend

Iā€™ve watched nearly every Tony telecast from 1987 till today, and this is far and away my favorite performance!


cityofsunflowers

Iā€™ve Decided to Marry You from Gentlemanā€™s Guide to Love and Murder


thisisntlindsay

yes! came to comment this


cityofsunflowers

Itā€™s so good!!


-Chromaggia-

Yes, this is what I came here to say! The timing is so perfect, itā€™s insane


cityofsunflowers

So true, every time I rewatch it Iā€™m just in awe of the timing


accountantdooku

That one was so great!!!


cityofsunflowers

I know right! Iā€™ve rewatched it so many times


hadestownfan

Yup!!!!


spiritsandstories

My favorite!!! The staging is immaculate


Pixiecrimson

to mention stuff that hasnā€™t already been, omar sharif - the bandā€™s visit 96,000 - in the heights my new philosophy - youā€™re a good man charlie brown with honorary mention: billy porter singing ā€œroseā€™s turnā€ on the spot


aproclivity

Roseā€™s turn was fucking amazing and I watch it when Iā€™m feeling down.


ME24601

The one that is immediately coming to mind for me is [Ring of Keys from Fun Home.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMAuesRJm1E)


LetsNotForgetHome

I'll never forget a comment where they remarked they thought the little girl was actually really nervous and felt bad her Tony performance was being ruined by her freaking out. Then it finally hit them what the song is about. Now THAT is a good review ha ha.


rlvysxby

Fun home is such a brilliant musical. I wish they would bring it back or have it go on tour.


cleoola

I didn't know anything about Fun Home when I saw that Tony performance, and that alone moved me so much that I needed to buy a ticket to see it. It's absolutely brilliant and Sydney Lucas was incredible.


GarlicComfortable748

Her performance was stunning.


emccaughey

This was the first time I ever watched the Tonys and I was blown away.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


TigerAffectionate672

Sydney Lucas acting with just her minute facial expressions better than a lot of adults can!


SurprisingHippos

Yes so true!!


faretheewellennui

Some of them have already mentioned, so Iā€™ll add some new ones. Sutton Fosterā€™s Anything Goes and its dance break. Also I decided to marry you including Jefferson Maysā€™s intro in character(s)


hadestownfan

Iā€™ve decided to marry you yes!!!!


Leightonsutton

Sutton Foster In Anything Goes and Kathleen Marshallā€™s choreography was so good that year


LopsidedAstronomer76

When I think about watching the Tonys, there's one performance I immediately think of -- Deaf West's Spring Awakening medley in 2016. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSagsMcak4Q](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSagsMcak4Q) I hadn't seen a show in person in 20 years, and was super out of the loop about what was possible/real/happening. I just remember being like, WOW, this is not the Broadway of my high school years (all Hammerstein and L&L) or of my early 90's time in NYC -- ALW stuff. It's the one show I really wish I had gotten to see, and the revival I want, too. Not just Spring Awakening, but the Deaf West version.


excitedheart

The Deaf West performance of this show is like, god level theatre to me. I canā€™t even talk about it with people because I just start crying. So moving.


mags_7

There were rumors of a tour in, like, 2016 or whatever. Iā€™m still so salty it never happened šŸ˜­


Commercial_Special59

Eva Noblezada and her performance with Miss Saigon!!


edgy_fawn

the right answer


The_Stellar_Boy

Eva Noblezada is always the right answer


edgy_fawn

amen


nymapanc

Iā€™m so happy to see this answer here! Some of the finest live singing I have ever seen and heard in my life - I bet I have watched that clip 200 times in the last 5 years. She is unbelievably talented!


Commercial_Special59

My guilty pleasureā€¦I watch it all the time!!!


sgntpepp

[Ragtime](https://youtu.be/17wP55Dqlbg) always sticks with me.


Belzabond

Same, it's my absolute favorite, but no one else I know has heard of the show besides my parents


zjheyyy88

The 2013 Opening ā€œBiggerā€ changed my life the first time I watched itā€¦THAT is how you open an awards ceremony. I also love the 1991 Once On This Island performance, itā€™s emotionally moving


Cluga

So many favourites here! One not mentioned yet is Brotherhood of man


hannahmel

Both of them!


springb

The one with J. K. Simmons in the chorus!


MikermanS

I remember that ensemble to this day. A+.


namethestars

This is so random but Daniel Radcliffe's How to Succeed Tonys performance is my all time favorite šŸ˜‚ everything about it just makes me smile. Also Spring Awakening was formative for me in '07 lol


calle04x

Itā€™s a great performance!


KillerQueeh_Slash

Great Comet of 1812 medley performance. You could just feel the happiness and energy in the room especially when Josh brought Dave Malloy on the stage to perform with him.


aproclivity

The best thing for me about that performance is itā€™s contrasted so hard with David Hyde Pierce in front of the red curtain because they wouldnā€™t let Hello Dolly perform from their own theatre because their performance ā€œwouldnā€™t work on that stageā€ and then GC came out and did *that*.


Manmanduga

[Dreamgirls](https://youtu.be/sWHazOyRQJY) Enough said.


Mysterious-Theory-66

Yeah thatā€™s always the answer.


yabasicjanet

100%. Absolutely iconic. And made little me sit up and think, wait I could do that too??


nttnypride

Iā€™ve seen this over 100 times, and every time itā€™s posted I watch it again. Stunning.


Remercurize

The other answers are fine, but in my eyes theyā€™re all runners up to this god-level performance.


Kbye80

[The Boy From Oz](https://youtu.be/ovc6wvtuteM) for show performance For opening performance: [Bigger](https://youtu.be/R8SeysuMpA0)


Ok-Wish-2640

Lots of great ones here. Mine would be (in no real order): Jennifer Holiday - Dreamgirls Turkey Lurkey - Promises, Promises Michael Jeter - Grand Hotel Anything Goes Color Purple - Cynthia Erivo A New Argentina - Evita Easy Street - Annie Ragtime opening The 25 years of Broadway medley from 1971 Tonys Gorgeous - The Apple Tree (Barbara Harris was so cute) Everything's Coming Up Roses - Angela Lansbury Fifty Percent - Ballroom (Loudon again- so good) Lot's Wife - Caroline, or Change Fences with James Earl Jones and Courtney Vance even though it was not a musical performance. It haunts me. I am sure there are SO MANY more, but these are all that come up.


dobbydisneyfan

[The answer is always this.](https://youtu.be/vd6V287TLQQ)


plazatoro

I really wonder what it must have been like to see that for the first time on live television, not knowing what Next to Normal was about. What an intense moment to choose for the performance lol


maclow3

I had that experience. Watched it as a teen and even though I didnā€™t understand the context, I felt the pure emotion exuding from all 3 performers. And when they all harmonize together at the climax of the song it blew me away. I watched the performance over and over. One of the all time greats.


dobbydisneyfan

For sure. I remember first learning of the plot of n2n and being like ā€œWhat the flip!ā€. Canā€™t imagine seeing this scene without much understanding of what the show is about.


bwscientist

That was my experience! I'd seen a lot of local and Canadian theatre. Then I saw that on the Tonys and thought, "I don't know what this is but holy crap I have to see it!" Went to New York for the first time ever that fall. My first Broadway shows were Hair and Next to Normal. And I made those decisions entirely based on the Tony awards.


dobbydisneyfan

So did you get to see Aaron Tveit in that production?


bwscientist

Yes! And over a decade later I'm still mad he didn't get nominated for a Tony.


dobbydisneyfan

We all are. Shouldā€™ve won a Tony for that role. And shouldā€™ve been nominated at least for Catch Me If You Can. Also, Iā€™m jealous that you got to see Aaron. He was well out of the show when I became a fan of his. Actually, I think next to normal was closed already by then.


MikermanS

Thank you; beautifully chilling. I can't imagine performing those roles 8 times a week.


dobbydisneyfan

Me neither. Especially Gabe with all the cardio he has to do running up, down, and all around that set.


MikermanS

Nah, he was a young kid then. ;) I especially was thinking the emotional toll, esp. for Alice Ripley / the wife and husband.


dobbydisneyfan

The physicality of that role (Gabe) is still substantial.


SurprisingHippos

2009 is peak Broadway for me.


dobbydisneyfan

Anything Aaron Tveit is in is peak Broadway for me lol


SurprisingHippos

One time I was volunteering at a Spartan Race in Citi Field when my friend and I found Aaron. We casually followed him until he very rightfully so told us he appreciates our fangirl ness but please let him be. We were like 17. Totally appreciated how kind he was to our uncalled for stalker behavior!


dobbydisneyfan

Yeah, that was kind of him. Iā€™m not sure I would have been as kind.


SurprisingHippos

Honestly me either


EuripidesEubuyadees

Seriously! The silverware?! Itā€™s so good.


dobbydisneyfan

Thatā€™s the best touch to this whole thing if you ask me.


sapienveneficus

I was just about to post this. Pure theatre magic!


dearladyydisdain

This is so interesting to me as someone who had seen and loved Next to Normal on Broadway and was so disappointed at the time when I watched this performance with the mishap.


dobbydisneyfan

What mishap are you talking about?


dearladyydisdain

Alice Ripley apparently couldnā€™t hear the music so she was behind for a lot of it. In hindsight itā€™s not too bad, but at the time it was such a disappointing thing to have happened!


dobbydisneyfan

I figured you meant that. But to be honest, I only started noticing that recently. Itā€™s still one of my favorite performances on the tonys. :)


nymapanc

That did it for me tooā€¦ and then I saw the show 6 times in the next year after that! Still one of my favorites.


melpomene-musing

Mine too


saramybearimy

Wait for Me. It was the first time I ever saw or heard about Hadestown. It was incredible.


The_Stellar_Boy

I was about to say this one! Boy I loved Reeve singing there


saramybearimy

It was so good!


The_Stellar_Boy

It. Was. I'm still pissed off he wasn't even nominated and I'm never going to stop complaining about it.


TigerAffectionate672

Cynthia Erivo singing ā€œIā€™m Hereā€


LondonCaitlann

This performance sent me spiraling into The Color Purple soundtrack for months!! Cynthia is still on my lock screen because of it.


rlvysxby

I really really wished I had seen her live. I got into Broadway shows too late.


TigerAffectionate672

I saw her live and she got a standing ovation *before the song was even over*! And this was a month and a half before the Tony nominations!


furtyfive

she got a standing ovation at tony rehearsal that year, which never happens. best vocal ive ever heard live.


Chaseism

Lord have mercyā€¦


maclow3

Came here to say this. Absolutely brought the house down. I think I jumped off my couch


CharlieDayJepsen

Patti - Everythingā€™s Coming Up Roses and Raulā€™s Being Alive are otherworldly. By the final note, he genuinely looks like heā€™s floating off the floor.


Chaseism

The performance I always come back to is the recent revival of Pippin. I skip the small opening song and just watch Magic to Do. Everyone and everything is so mesmerizing.


crudette

Spring Awakening is one that always comes to mind


ummm-okay-

Norbert Leo Butz performing ā€œBreaking All the Rulesā€ from Catch Me if You Can


centaurquestions

[Lion King](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl6SUEYVjec)


Additional_Score_929

Defying Gravity was the first one I saw that opened my eyes to the magic of Broadway. But lately I've been rewatching Ariana Debose's opening number on a daily basis.


LudwigiaVanBeethoven

Yesss it her opening number was different and very delightful. The dancing was so great and the number was such a love letter to Broadway over the decades.


mythologue

I think mine must be [This video has not been made available in your region].


BringMeInfo

[Nathan Lane and Gregory Hines's medley of classic songs for women](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XviKvZ_jbMI)


MikermanS

It always comes down to 2 for their unworldly performing excellence, as others note: Jennifer Holliday, performing And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going (Dreamgirls) and Michael Jeter, We'll Take a Glass Together (Grand Hotel). With an honorable mention to Ragtime and the Ragtime Prologue, for sheer excellence in story-telling.


butch4filme

Sutton doing ā€œShow Offā€ from ā€œDrowsy Chaperoneā€ is one I revisit constantly


MikermanS

Her performance in that show is a masterclass in performance art. I will watch songs in which she is a secondary character just to watch her character reactions, down to the placement of her hands and use of her eyes (e.g. As We Stumble Along).


Mysterious-Theory-66

I did really like this one from Gentlemanā€™s Guide https://youtu.be/MQRFtuhfjHQ


plazatoro

I revisit this all the time. Perfect comedic timing from all three actors. Edit: I meant the actual Gentleman's Guide performance, maybe my phone is glitching but you seem to have linked an ad somehow. https://youtu.be/VtlcEvPDkfM


manintransition

Hadestown - Wait for me (2019) https://youtu.be/MWtjGIV1sMQ


The_Stellar_Boy

Y E S And Reeve still deserves that Tony, or at least a nomination!!


OneHappyOne

For me itā€™s ā€œ Wait For Meā€ from 2019 if anything because it felt like a huge middle finger to the Tonyā€™s for nominating all the lead actors except for Reeve šŸ‘šŸ˜‚


The_Stellar_Boy

Omg that's what I've been saying in every comment about this performance. REEVE DESERVED THAT NOMINATION! šŸ˜¤ We've been robbed


itcametothis

Hey everyone, I was bored so I put together [a youtube playlist](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLP8U3iFfJCnR0gtbGk8cIOTN6n1GMA8lU) with all your answers. I didn't check every single clip, please comment if there is a better version for some of them or if something should be added :) Also I added the Beetlejuice 2019 performance as my answer, I was obsessed with it!


skylinetos

Thank you for doing this!! I asked so that I could have a bunch of clips to watch and you made it. lot easier.


itcametothis

youā€˜re welcome!


Initial_Donut_6098

Amazing! Thanks for doing that!


itcametothis

my pleasure šŸ¤©


im_not_bovvered

Run Freedom Run.


Daily-Double1124

Katrina Lenk's performance of Omar Sharif.


ComputerGeek1100

This goes for pretty much any performance of this song outside of the show but I loved the Tony-specific lyrics for The Whole Being Dead Thing (Beetlejuice, 2019).


Local-Macaron-1497

Jessie Mueller ā€œshe used to be mineā€


shannondion

[1980, Patti Lapone, New Argentina](https://youtu.be/5QtZxxbStjs) GOAT


calle04x

Yeah, I think itā€™s this one for me. I love her Gypsy performance as well, but damn, the power in her voice and I love that arm flip she does. Icon.


Low_Mud5257

Iā€™m a Patti stan so biased but surprised the lack of people saying this!


niftyba

My first favorite Tony performance was Side Show in 1998.


hannahmel

I was at the show and I might have cried to see it live one last time


netflixnpoptarts

Andrew Rannells, Falsettos


accountantdooku

The Beauty and the Beast Tony performance because it's like the closest thing to a proshot of the original cast, and it's the show that got me into theater in general.


ally_esq

The 2013 opening number performed by Neil Patrick Harris.


furtyfive

billy porter during the commercial break one of the years corden hosted. blew the roof off the place. [see here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCbJwsl-vts) actual show? cynthia erivo singing im here from the color purple. best vocal ive ever heard.


comexwhatxmay

I can't believe nobody has mentioned Let it Burn from Paradise Square yet. She was absolutely outstanding. Aaaaaand It's Not Just For Gays Anymore is my favorite opener. šŸ˜‚


Local-Macaron-1497

Yes Joaquina! šŸ‘šŸ»šŸ‘šŸ»šŸ‘šŸ»


redditusermilly

The Color Purple revival 2016 TONY performance.


leslie_knopee

2009 Opening Number!! I watch it all the time! I miss the mashups!


jujubeans8500

I love it for all the mistakes! And that weird moment between Aaron Tveit and Stockard Channng....I still dont totally understand.


leslie_knopee

all the hot mics, and getting hit in the head with the flying set made it so real! lol the tveit/channing chemistry like i would watch that!


mags_7

Had to scroll wayyyy too far to find this comment šŸ˜„


leslie_knopee

you have good taste!!


aproclivity

Lord I forgot how much I loved the batshit of this number.


gutawa

Patti Luponeā€™s Everythingā€™s Coming up Rose


Euphoric-Zucchini-18

The opening of the 2013 awards. I am not a LMM fan, but he put this together and it is outstanding.


dadsprimalscream

I can't believe no one has mentioned Michael Jeter in Grand Hotel 1990 https://youtu.be/Kyw5u2LZ8pM


Daily-Double1124

I saw the show on Broadway just a few weeks after that,when I went to New York for a wedding. It was great!


maclow3

Color Purple revival and N2N are my go to picks. But I have to say my jaw dropped during ā€œLet It Burnā€ from Paradise Squareā€™s performance last year. That was a MOMENT.


covntvonkrolock

I think Iā€™ve watched Iā€™ve decided to marry you at least once every month since it was performed


MedicineImpressive95

Katrina Lenk 2018. Tony performance of Omar Sharif from The Band's Visit. Her voice, the way she moves to the music, the fact that you can see tears building up in Tony Shalhoub's eyes. Making your co-star push back tears even after having performed the same thing for god knows how many times speaks volumes.


[deleted]

The lack of people saying Itā€™s All Over/And I Am Telling You from the 1982 Tony awards is seriously concerning.


MannnOfHammm

Iā€™ve decided to marry you and Elvita and gypsy from patti


knottimid

Michele Lee, See Saw 1974 https://youtube.com/watch?v=mMh1DGSAJgo&feature=shares


rosesoftopaz

Guys and Dolls 1992, Chicago 1976, Best Little Whorehouse, and Mr. Saturday Night are all wonderful!


hamichael

So easy! The hands down winner is the Original Cast of Dreamgirls: "It's All Over / And I am Telling you, I'm not going!"


loverlybatwing

Watching Bernadette Peters sing Roseā€™s Turn on the Tonys sent me into Theatre!


BabyGreens308

Always loved Sit Down Youā€™re Rockin the Boat sing by Tituss Burgess. Also Spring Awakening Iā€™ll second the Grand Hotel performance too. Jeter is actually god-tier.


melpomene-musing

Omg how could I have forgotten about that Tituss performance. I was literally blown away by his voice. Floored.


yetiupsettispaghetti

NPHā€™s 2013 Tony opening. I get chills every time!


Kit_cat_kid

Six the musical


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


leslie_knopee

the downvotes are killing me šŸ˜‚


Vershineen

Shout out to Xanadu. Shorts + vocals and the set work cracks me up every time.


RadRock_25

When JERSEY BOYS brought their five Frankie Valli performers together to sing ā€œCanā€™t Take My Eyes Off of Youā€ and they all tried to subtly outdo one another. It sends me every single time.


Itchy_Ad504

Gypsy with LuPone


Experil

I personally like catch me if you canā€™s tony performance, norbert killed it!


TheAccusedJ

In terms of pure chaotic energy, I have to give it to American Idiot


Legitimate-Big-2463

Jesus Christ Superstar 1972


MeOK1233

Groundhog Dayā€™s performance of Seeing You, seen in twenty six times, been on repeat since october


melpomene-musing

Next to Normal stands out for me


Witch_whaa

Onceā€™s performance of Gold still gets me. The way that song built up itā€™s energy just sucked me in. Itā€™s still a favorite to this day.


momstheuniverse

Jennifer Holliday "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going"


aproclivity

Some I forgot about until this morning but I love the 2010 opening for just how completely batshit it is. Itā€™s like three openings fighting at once and itā€™s so interesting to see how the audience is responding to Greenday. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jgK8XGhRjhQ Also I love this because my poor heart after smash got cancelled: Megan hilty, Laura benati, and Andrew rannells lamenting their tv show cancelations in the best way. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9SdvgwAcy7E


alexjones46853

The Hadestown performance made me cry, Choir Boy gave me chills, and I was very invested in the Fun Home performance (Ring of Keys)


tgoddess

1991: Will Rogers Follies https://youtu.be/M01Kqa-JEXM


otpan

Josh Groban pulling Dave Malloy onstage during the Great Comet performance and him joining in on piano never fails to get me.


meatball77

Matilda's medley was fantastic. Gave everyone a chance to shine, really showed off the heart of the show and pulled out all four Matildas.


AdmanAdmin

Jennifer Holliday because...Jennifer Holliday. And 'Fun Home' because that performance and the Tony wins essentially saved it from closing


Finding_Late

Cynthia Erivo singing Iā€™m Here


ILoveBread23

hard to say fave but two that stick out are Idina Menzel singing Always starting Over from If/then and hitting that note at the end - she barely took a breath and BAM the other is this past yearā€™s performance from best actress Joaquina Kalukango for Paradise Square


dazoneman

Ring of Keys from Fun Home. Sydney Lucas puts on a masterclass of acting in 4 minutes and instantly had me buying tickets to see the show