CBS cut the In Memoriam segment last night from the Tony Awards. Dead People don’t get ratings! There was rapt applause in Radio City for all of these people, especially Philip Seymour Hoffman. I am particularly sad about him, and about Kathleen Raitt, a wonderful, elegant woman who worked with the Nederlander Organization was a sparkling presence at opening nights. She was married to John Raitt, and was Bonnie Raitt’s stepmother. Everyone here will be missed, except at CBS:

There were lots of performances last night on the Tony Awards, all live, none lip synched. Everyone sang songs from the shows they’re in for 8 shows a week. Some people sang songs they’d never sung before, like Jennifer Hudson introducing a number from the still cooking “Finding Neverland.”

Only one performer used a TelePrompter, however. Idina Menzel read the words to the turgid “Always Starting Over” as they scrolled by in HUGE letters. I know, because I was sitting just to the side of the TelePrompter, which was otherwise used to cue presenters and remind them of what they were doing.

Of course, the screechy “Always Starting Over” isn’t a song as much as it’s a filibuster, a speech, a declamation, and a bore in my opinion. Maybe Idina can’t remember all those words. Maybe she’s too busy getting ready for her one woman show next Monday at Radio City, which she’s fitting in between performances of the dreadful “If/Then” to capitalize on her “Frozen” success.

What a night for the Tony Awards! Audra McDonald won her sixth statue, this time for Best Actress in a Play even though it was a Musical but it’s okay because everyone loves her.

“I’m a little out of it,” Audra said at the Plaza Hotel, where the big fancy Tony after party was hotter than ever this year. “If my daughter asked for keys to the car I’d say yes,” Audra said, laughing. Is she old enough to drive? “No, she’s only 13. But that’s the way I feel right now.” Husband Will Swenson, nominated for playing a very dark and intense Javert in “Les Miz” this season, took it all in stride.

And Audra? No more “Private Practice” type shows. “Hey I loved those people,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Tonys went pretty much as everyone thought, with “Gentleman’s Guide” winning Best Musical, “All the Way” getting Best Play, “Hedwig” receiving Revived Musical and “Raisin the Sun” earning best Revived Musical. All the actors except for McDonald were new to the winner’s circle if not Broadway itself: Jessie Mueller, Neil Patrick Harris, Bryan Cranston, Sophie Okonedo, James Monroe Iglehart, Lena Hall.

Not only were the winners talented but the runners up were all top notch too, like LaTanya Richardson, Tony Shalhoub, the guys from “Gentlemen’s”– Jefferson Mays and Bryce Pinkham, Nick Cordero, and so on.

Jessie Mueller won Best Actress in  Musical playing Carole King in “Beautiful.” Remember the whole story about Carole not coming to opening night, and saying she didn’t want to be involved? Uh, last night Carole got on stage and played the piano and sang with Jessie at Radio City. Now that the show’s a hit, she’s come around. Also on hand were the rarely mentioned ‘others’ from that show– Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. They wrote “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling.”

I ran into the Manns on the red carpet, along with Patty Clarkson, Candy Spelling, Sting and Trudie Styler, and Rosie O’Donnell. Sting wowed the audience later with the title song from his musical “The Last Ship,” which starts previews in Chicago on Tuesday. Watch for it next year at the Tonys.

More from the Tonys in the AM…