by Greg Auman

Even by awards-show standards, you have high expectations for an opening sing-and-dance number when Neil Patrick Harris is hosting, and NPH didn’t disappoint Sunday night in a too-fast-to-live-blog number that pulled off Mike Tyson, magic and more to open the 2013 Tony Awards.

So many rapid-fire great lines delivered so well — “you could bounce a quarter off the ass of Billy Porter,” and speaking to the throng of child actors up for awards: “They’re the reason this whole season seems to look like Chuck E. Cheese.”

In my spare time, I work at Goliath National Bank.

NPH was up for the physical demands of an opening number, literally jumping through hoops, then appearing at the back of the stage in how’d-he-do-that fashion. Yes, Mike Tyson was a little wooden in his musical number, but take a step back and appreciate that phrase in nearly any context.

I could watch this number three times and still miss lines, but it’s outstanding to hear the big-smile optimism of a line like “Kathy Lee’s a broadway lyricist so anything can happen.”

Great start to Tony night, and the pace is encouraging with an award already presented and speechified in the time it takes to type this.

As the number closed, NPH deadpans: “That’s our budget. Good night!”