Tonys 2013: Watch Neil Patrick Harris’ showstopping opener
Neil Patrick Harris is a busy man. When he’s not working on the CBS sitcom “How I Met Your Mother,” or indulging in his passion for magic tricks, or filming cameos for the “Harold & Kumar” movies, he is earning acclaim for his hosting skills.
On Sunday, Harris took to the stage at Radio City Music Hall to emcee Broadway’s the Tonys. The broadcast saw a 20% increase in viewers over last year, to 7.2 million viewers, according to preliminary numbers from Nielsen.
Tonys 2013: Red carpet arrivals | Show highlights | Best & Worst
Harris’ opening act seemed a head scratcher at first: the comic number channeled the musical “Once” — a curious choice given that the show opened last season.
But Harris then segued into a medley that parodied the season’s nominated musicals. The lyrics were written by Lin-Manuel Miranda with music by Tom Kitt, who had collaborated on the Tony-nominated musical “Bring It On.”
The Tonys audience loved it, greeting Harris with a prolonged standing ovation.
You can watch the entire opening number above, and judge for yourself whether the accolades are earned.
MORE TONYS COVERAGE:
Complete list: All the winners and nominees
Neil Patrick Harris: What did the critics think?
Cyndi Lauper: Tonys prove her night to have fun
PHOTOS: Best and worst of the 2013 Tony Awards
Neil Patrick Harris gets largest audience since 2009
Incomparable host Neil Patrick Harris sells Broadway
Big year for women as Lauper, MacKinnon, Paulus win
The biggest entertainment stories
Get our big stories about Hollywood, film, television, music, arts, culture and more right in your inbox as soon as they publish.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
