SPOTLIGHT ON THE 2011 TONY AWARDS: DAY 6 - All That Ad

As a super-special Spring extension of BroadwayWorld's SOUND OFF column, every day until the Tony Awards on June 12 we will be presenting a spectacular new entry in the SPOTLIGHT ON THE 2011 TONY AWARDS series featuring a particularly entertaining, interesting, relevant and exciting Tony Awards-related clip from the last sixty-three years of the ceremonies (and subsequent seasons on Broadway) with a rundown and commentary on the sights, sounds and showmanship on display in each carefully chosen selection - all, of course, coming in anticipation of Broadway's biggest night, which will be broadcast on CBS this year, as always. Once again this year, BroadwayWorld is the official home of the 2011 Tony Awards and we will also be featuring exclusive interviews, articles, photos, video content, interactive features and more in the coming days and weeks leading up to the event so be sure to check back daily for your theatre fix!

Taking a couple steps off the beaten path - while always, of course, staying with the bopping beat - today we are taking a look at perhaps the best advertisement for the Tony Awards to date - literally. Perhaps you remember a little Visa commercial in the late-90s/early-00s that was filmed on 44th St. and featured, among others, the casts of CATS, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER and CHICAGO? Plus, Bebe Neuwirth? Well, if you didn't see it then - we have a significant number of Broadway babies with the emphasis on the latter at BroadwayWorld, thankfully, so that may be the case for many of you - or, if you have simply forgotten it: we can all now relive the magic… now and forever, as it were.

Broadcast Brought To You By…

How do you distill the experience of live theatre on Broadway in New York City into a thirty second commercial that also effectively displays, markets and boasts of the brand the advertisement is addressing - and do it all with precision and panache? Ask Visa - they did it around the turn of the century with this sharp, sexy, nearly-single-take-of-the-camera bite of Broadway that manages to impart the excitement, razzmatazz, sultriness and unmistakable style, class, grace and elegance that is so associated with and exemplifies the best of the best on the Great White Way.

Exiting a taxi cab in a barely-there pitch-black miniskirt and legs to make even Bob Fosse himself drool, Bebe Neuwirth persuasively presents George and Ira Gershwin's ode to gypsies everywhere, "I Got Rhythm", and the night is alight with the allure, presence and star power only a true Broadway diva on the level of this Tony-winning triple-threat could command. Then, she brings it up another notch and even takes a twist and a turn with Tony Manero! Such are the joys of this ad - nay; entertainment event! Building even more, adeptly aided by a chorus of cohorts coming from the then-currently-running CATS, CHICAGO and SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER, as well as a marching band out of THE MUSIC MAN and sailors and girls ala ON THE TOWN - it is all topped off by the man in the mask from THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA himself joining in on all the fabulous fun. Heck, even the punch-line scores. I wonder how many tickets to Broadway shows this commercial alone sold across America and the world? A lot. There can be no doubt whatsoever - it's a hit!

To be perfectly frank (Loesser & Wildhorn), this thirty seconds of Broadway heaven comes off better than even some performances on the Tony Awards itself (Aretha and Hugh, I'm talkin' to you!), so it certainly deserves a place in this countdown as much as any other Tony Awards-related clip does. See why right here if you already have not - and, even if you have!

So, let the memory live again… and again… and again… now and forever.

That's all for today. Be sure to stay tuned to BroadwayWorld for all things Tony Awards and subscribe to this column to be the very first to check out the clips, commentary and take part in the conversation in our deluxe toast to the one and only Antoinette Perry every day until June 12 - and, especially, on that day! Until then…