We may not have had Broadway shows this year thanks to COVID, but that didn’t stop Jimmy Fallon and Andrew Rannells from finding theatrical ways to explain 2020.
Playing on famous songs from “West Side Story,” “Little Shop of Horrors,” “Hamilton,” “Sound of Music,” and more, the two sang their way through the past 12 months. It’s a stark reminder of how much (and how little) actually happened over the course of the year. And if you don’t feel seen during the eight-minute segment, which starts with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s move to America and ends with a proclamation that “2021 will be our year”…well, I don’t know what to say.
Fallon and Rannells cheekily took us through the most significant parts of 2020, which included the disappointment of canceled weddings/family events, Zoom becoming a vital part of everyday life, quarantine mainstays like bread baking and “Animal Crossing,” and of course, the recent November election. It’s fun to see Rannells return to his roots with two “Book of Mormon” songs — which Fallon rightfully let him have the spotlight for — but it also makes us wish we could turn back time and see Rannells (or anyone for that matter) belting on a Broadway stage.
The entire medley is Tony Award-worthy and the best parts, in our opinion, are Fallon and Rannells singing about “losing my sanity” to the tune of “Defying Gravity” from “Wicked” and a riff on “Memory” from “Cats.” But it really all comes together in an intense exchange using the “Dreamgirls” song “And I Am Telling You” when Fallon asked if Rannells wanted to join him and 10 of his friends and there’s a misunderstanding that the party is inside instead of outside.
Basically, as brilliant as this whole video was, it really made us miss Broadway. And normal life. Two things that we hope will return in 2021.
Watch the full video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjbLY46Vaq8