One of the many things that impressed me about that opening number at the Tony Awards last night was the sheer bravery of it all. They did the whole thing live…and I counted at least two dozen points in eight minutes where something (the vanishing act, N.P.H.'s leap through the hoop, etc.) could easily have gone wrong. I didn't see more than a few minor missteps by the dancers — not even the many children — and there were a lot of them on that stage. With a whole three-hour show to plan and prep and with so many people involved in the opening, I'm wondering how much rehearsal they could have gotten. Neil Patrick Harris's Twitter feed says he arrived in New York on June 2, one week before the telecast.
So in front of America — with much of Show Business right there in the hall with them — Neil Patrick Harris and his crew attempted this one-time-to-get-it-right performance. I'm going to guess that about 90% of the people in television who call themselves professional entertainers would never have risked it. That was one of the things the pros in that audience were applauding last night: The sheer guts of it. And, of course, the fact that everyone was so good at what they did that everything worked.
The willingness to take chances…we don't see that a lot on TV these days, least of all on so-called "reality" shows. Most are taped and heavily-edited…and when reality fails, not above a bit of staging and second (or third or fourth…) takes. The few that go live have every possible option scripted and what's left to chance is whether they'll go with Prepared Scenario A or Prepared Scenario B. This is because the networks and producers want control but it's also because today's stars are terrified of winging it and of not knowing exactly what's going to happen.
Often on this here blog, I've lamented the lack of spontaneity on the late night talk shows. Craig Ferguson is the only host who seems to me to ever ask his guests that which they do not expect…which may explain why he rarely gets the biggies. It is not necessarily the fault of the others that they don't ad-lib more. Ratings have shown that what the viewing audience wants is not Witty Conversationalists but Hot Stars — people who have a hit movie, a hit TV show, etc. To book those people, a talk show has to practically guarantee them that they won't be in for any surprises. That can include questions for which they do not have planned replies. The revered Mr. Carson did rely on pre-interviews of most guests but he could and did stray from the notes on the cards at times.
A friend of mine suggests part of this is the YouTube generation in which we all now dwell. Once upon a time, if something went amiss on TV, it just aired once and was never seen again. Now, it's instantly uploaded all over with the word "fail" on it. Another friend of mine (a manager of talent) told me, "Everyone is aware of how one bad moment caught on video, like in the Michael Richards incident, can utterly destroy a soaring career." If Neil Patrick Harris's opening number last night had collapsed on him…well, it might not have destroyed his career but it could have been a turning point in one that has been heading only upwards. We need more of that on television.