Best and Worst of the 2011 Tony Awards

The Oscars are usually condemned as deadly dull, ditto for the Emmy Awards. But only the Tony Awards and the Grammy Awards ask their nominees to show up and perform a bit. Every year, the casts of current-run Broadway shows head backstage, get in costume and sing their hearts out before they get a chance to go home with a Tony Award. This year, the casts of “The Book of Mormon,” “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” “The Scottsboro Boys” and “Catch Me If You Can” all sang and danced for their win. Would it be too hard to get the Oscar nominees to give us a little line reading on Oscar night? Just a thought...  (Andrew H. Walker / Getty Images)

One week ago, MTV Movie Awards host Jason Sudeikis was trying his darndest to score with Arnold Schwarzenegger love-child jokes. They bombed. This week, John Leguizamo tossed one off at the beginning of a lengthy monologue on his Broadway career and he nailed the laugh. “I am also Arnold Schwarzenegger’s love child,” he said. Simple, yet successful. Sudeikis, are you writing this stuff down?  (Andrew H. Walker / Getty Images)

Or perhaps she gets them excited by looking like their favorite Hogwarts professor? Or maybe she lost a bet. Or maybe Sunday is laundry day at the Goldberg house. Or (insert your own reason here).  (Jason Kempin / Getty Images)

Perhaps you could have put a little more effort into your awards night gear. The jean jacket isn’t a Whoopi-level disaster, but the Tonys isn’t exactly popping down to the corner store, either.  (Jeff Christensen / Associated Press)

It’s big, it’s expensive, it’s had more drama off-stage than on, so it’s only fitting that “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” would be the subject of a few jokes. But Neil Patrick Harris made it the subject of an entire bit, telling six Spider-Man jokes in 60 seconds. One highlight: “Julie Taymor found out it was over when she woke up to find the head of War Horse in her bed.” Later, two cast members from the musical attempted to make it all more enticing by performing a song that didn’t require heavy wire-work.  (Jeff Christensen / Associated Press)

“Driving Miss Daisy” stars Vanessa Redgrave and James Earl Jones, who received a standing ovation when they came on stage to present an award. Then soaked in their time out there by delivering their lines as slow as they wanted.  (Andrew H. Walker / Getty Images)

The musical by “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone picked up nine Tonys, including best musical. Presenter Chris Rock was so sure of “Mormon’s” success, he spent his time complaining about missing “the best basketball game ever” between the Mavericks and the Heat to hang with Nathan Lane. He said, “I can remember my first musical like it was yesterday. Because it was yesterday.”  (Jeff Christensen / Associated Press)

He didn’t need to outdo himself at the end of the show, but that’s exactly what Neil Patrick Harris did, with his wrap-up rap recapping the events of the award show just ended. In just a few minutes, he turned three hours of show into many lines of verse (with a huge assist from Tony winner Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote it.)  (Jeff Christensen / Associated Press)