When Live Theater Is Televised

As I watch the Tony Awards, the celebration of the best of Broadway, I wonder how some of the live performances that are telecast actually come across to home viewers across the country. Having seen and loved the revival of Jesus Christ Superstar, for example, does the musical number performed for the awards ceremony do the show justice?

I remember seeing Wicked's big number "Defying Gravity" on TV, and even though Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel did a fine job, it didn't compare to seeing it live in person on stage.

Those of you who have recorded live productions and then watched them back on TV know what I'm talking about --it loses a little something (or a lot of something, depending on the quality of the recording.)

Film and television have developed a visual and aural language that transports the viewer into the stories being told on the screen. The experience of watching something live on stage becomes distanced when viewed through a camera lens.

What do you think?  Agree or disagree?