As comes as a surprise to no one...

...the Tony Awards did not do very well in the ratings last night. When Angela Lansbury referred early in the show to the millions of people that were watching, I cried out, "Optimist!" As usual, for a theater fan who is unlikely to get a chance to go to New York anytime soon, the best I can say is that the broadcast gave me a few things to add to the list of shows I'd like to see...if and when they ever come to Seattle.

The big musical hit of the night was "Spring Awakening," with score co-written by Duncan Sheik. The number performed from it made it look promising. And I've long admired Tom Stoppard, who won for his play "The Coast of Utopia."

BTW, here's another trivia question: What do the TV series "Saturday Night Live," "Soap," and the movie "Animal House" have in common with last night's Tonys?

And David Hyde Pierce won for his role in the last Kander and Ebb musical, "Curtains." I couldn't help noticing that in a neat coincidence, his TV "father," John Mahoney, was present.