In Memoriam:

The Tony Awards. Here lies yet another awards show that prized sitcom humor over genuine emotion.

That gave us an inane skit in a toilet stall but cut off articulate and moving speeches that gave a hint of the struggle amid the joy of the spotlight.

That made us endure a tiresome prolonged skit about a cellphone (do we really need to be reminded of its ubiquitous presence?) but limited theater icons like Terrence McNally and Rosemary Harris to a blip on our screens.

We have more than our fill of stupid humor the rest of the week and tuned into the Tonys for these very moments of tears and appreciation.

When the producers see the dismal ratings, they should not go back to the drawing board and wonder what else James Corden could have done. Look elsewhere. Corden did far too much. Eileen Valentino Flaxman Claremont