Neil Patrick Harris Promises Broadway Is ‘Not Just For Gays Anymore’ In Tony’s Opening Number

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by Jon Bershad | 10:52 am, June 13th, 2011

» 20 comments

Sometimes it seems like half the goal of the Tonys every year is to trick “regular folks” into caring about the theater. And, when this year’s crop of shows included output from the South Park guys, Chris Rock, and Harry Potter, and the show itself was being broadcast on CBS (your parents’ network!), this year seemed like a perfect year to go for that mainstream audience. So, last night’s Tony’s opened with host Neil Patrick Harris delightfully pointing out the effete, blue state elephant in the room with a hilarious song (as good or better than some of the actual show tunes performed that night!) entitled, “It’s Not Just For Gays Anymore!”

The song featured Harris strolling across the stage trumpeting the many elements straight people would enjoy on the Great White Way before heading into the audience to prove how many heterosexuals were there (including help from Stephen Colbert, Bobby Cannavale, and a teleprompter-adverse Brooke Shields). Here’s a favorite moment from the song:

“It’s not just for gays, the gays and the jews
And cousins in from out of town you have to amuse
And the sad, embittered malcontents who write the reviews
And also foreign tourists and the groups of senior citizens
And well-to-do suburbanites and liberal intellectuals
(Though that group is only really Jews and homosexuals)
I’ve lost my train of thought, oh yes
It’s not just for gays anymore!”

The whole bit was insanely clever, well-produced, gave a hint of who was going to win all the awards that night (just listen to the audience roar at the mere sight of those dancing Mormon missionaries!), and was infinitely more clever than one of those lazy videos that green screens the host into a bunch of movies from that year in which the only joke seems to be “Hey, look! Famous people!”

Ahem, I’m looking at you Oscars and Movie Awards.

UPDATE: For those curious, the great song was written by David Javerbaum, the former executive producer of The Daily Show.

Watch the Tony’s opening from CBS below:

(photo via Kevin Kane/the Tony Awards)

Bobby Cannavale, Book of Mormon, Brooke Shields, Chris Rock, Daniel Radcliffe, Matt Stone, Neil Patrick Harris, stephen colbert, Tony Awards, Trey Parker

tatboy

It’s not??? When did that start??? All I know is I have Family Sunday dinner at my house every week. The only one’s not there….. my brother and all his friends. They weere having a Tony party.

P.S. Their gay…….
writer

Those skin tight costumes the gals were wearing in Cats did much to draw the hetero crowd.
cjd ohio 1

stereotyping from the left is cool, and clever
writer

Rosemarie Ford had her costume screaming for mercy.
writer

Thumbs down for Cats? Did you see the show?
Cancon2

Ok, he really should be hosting the Oscars. This guy always delivers.
OxyCon

writer said:
Those skin tight costumes the gals were wearing in Cats did much to draw the hetero crowd.

Haha! That’s the only play I’ve seen on Broadway!
Paul G

Sorry Neil…Yes, it still is.
tatboy

Cancon2 said:
Ok, he really should be hosting the Oscars. This guy always delivers.

Him and Timberlake would be awesome……
writer

Cats is the only one I’ve seen. Although I did hear Kelsey Grammer doing some songs from H.M.S. Pinafore on The Simpsons.
Just4thefax

Fact: He can’t answer a question about non gays can he?
Nationman

should’ve hosted the oscars instead of james “i’m an arrogant hipster” franco.
TucsonTerpFan

I have never watched the “Tony’s”, but I must confess, my wife made me see “Cats” years ago. I feel asleep during the second act. But, my wife says, I did not snore!

To this day, i do not know what “Cats” is/was about. Did it even have a plot?
writer

Not a lot of plot. Each year the cats get together and the oldest one picks one out to gain an extra life or something. I was a little distracted by the gals’ costumes.
http://toobeautiful.org MarkPritchard

Hey, it’s the girls from Icelandic Airlines! (Speaking of “Tony.”)
Dem4Ever

“It’s not just for ‘gays’ anymore”, says the singing and dancing gay man…LOL
Republitarian

Broadway for gays or not, what is irrefutable is that Harris is a very, very talented guy. I’ve watched all the numbers on YouTube, and his performance pieces were just brilliant.

The quality of those bits also underscores how miserable the Oscars were this year, and have been for a couple several years.
MerryMarjie

Neil Patrick Harris was just fabulous. He can act, dance, sing, plus he has great timing as a comedian, and he is charming. He is truly an Entertainer, and having seen the Oscars and Emmys, I think we we need more Entertainers in show business. Most of the so-called singers mumble the words and keep on key only with the help of technology, the actors fumble around and are unable to speak without a script, so it’s refreshing to have someone who is so talented and charismatic. He deserves the praise he’s garnering for his hosting performances.
http://justplaythegame.us JustPlayTheGame

Neil Patrick Harris can be as gay as he wants, as long as he continues to show all the talent he has inside! Outstanding host …. Great job Neil! I still watch “How I meet your mother” reruns nightly!

Oh, no I am not gay(a phobia I had to clarify?) ..I just judge talent for talent.

I have only been to a few playhouses in my lifetime..
the best entertanment is watching the open gays in the audience! (to funny!)
But, in all honesty, probably why I only been to a few.
I know, I know..politicly incorrect..but hey, alot are but don’t want to admit it!
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