Audra McDonald certainly deserved her Tony award (her fifth) for her performance as Bess in the revival of Porgy and Bess (which also won for Best Revival of a Musical). And no one can quarrel with showcasing her in the mashup of numbers from the show performed on the Tony telecast. But there was something shady about letting McDonald sing “Summertime” — one of the songs she doesn’t sing in the show. Nikki Renée Daniels, who does sing it (beautifully), had to stand by and watch — probably as peeved as Elena Roger.
(MORE: Porgy and Bess: A Rave Review for a Revival Some Dismissed)