All night long, I kept waiting for the Tonys ceremony to let its charming if sometimes breathless host, Neil Patrick Harris, do his thing—or as the Shrek cast would sing, let his freak flag fly. So I second Bruce Fretts’ Jeer to the producers for letting the show run on so long (thanks to a few unnecessary and intrusive numbers from long-running musicals) that the host’s hilarious closing-number recap (a smart idea) was delayed past the 11 pm/ET cut-off. This is the first time in years that the show has gone long. Who did they think they were, American Idol?

Well, maybe they did think that. Understandable, given the amount of time given to showcasing the jukebox musical of 80s hair-band covers, Rock of Ages (whose nomination really was a slap in the face to the 9 to 5 musical). Speaking of long, flowing manes, the night (with all due respect to the terrific Billy Elliott and its three adorable stars) belonged to the revival of Hair, which closed the spectacular (if glitch-filled) opening number with superstars (Dolly Parton, Liza Minnelli, Elton John) and the assembled casts of the season’s musicals joining in on a jubilant Let the Sunshine In. The Hair cast later spilled out into the aisles and climbed on seats (no reprise of a Bruno-Eminem moment, though) in their second production number, performed just before being declared the best musical-revival winner. I saw that terrific production in Central Park several summers ago and still can’t get it out of my head. Nicely done.

Back to the glitches. The opening number had so many sound problems you couldn’t help wondering if they’d even had a tech rehearsal. And then Bret Michaels, milking his star cameo with Poison during the opening medley, got smacked by a descending backdrop as he tried to exit the stage. (Harris quipped this gave new meaning to head-banging.) That’s live TV for you, or in this case, live theater. Still, what a curtain-raiser, starting with all three nominated Billy Elliotts performing the high-flying Electricity number, with an assist from show composer Elton John. West Side Story and Guys & Dolls clashed styles, while Pal Joey’s Stockard Channing vamped Next to Normal’s dynamic hunk Aaron Tveit. Dolly! Liza! And Hair!

NPH declared it was the most expensive opening number in Tony history, and the money was on the stage, for sure. The announcer promised “more music than ever before,” but a better use of resources would have been to orchestrate a live musical tribute to lifetime-achievement winner Jerry Herman than to shoehorn numbers from Mamma Mia and Legally Blonde into the telecast. (The idea was to honor shows on the road, but the numbers were performed at Radio City, feeling like a woefully generic infomercial.) At least the Jersey Boys number was elevated by cleverly presenting five crooning Frankies side by side (from Toronto, Vegas, Chicago, the national tour and Broadway).

Best bits: NPH’s “scratch-and-sniff” gag. He liked how Mary Poppins smelled, but declined to sample Billy Elliott. Neil eating sushi, an inside-joke slam at Jeremy Piven leaving the Speed the Plow revival early for alleged health reasons. Carrie Fisher appreciating the delicious irony of being chosen to introduce the searing number from Next to Normal (with Alice Ripley proving why she was a slam-dunk for musical actress as the tormented bipolar mother). Frank Langella razzing the Tony nominators for ignoring his work in A Man for All Seasons and pulling out the Oscar acceptance speech he never got to give for Frost/Nixon (for which he did win a Tony). The three Billy Elliott actors sweetly accepting their award together. The guy playing Billy’s dad, Gregory Jbara, bringing his wife onstage to honor her for his win. Honestly, the acceptance speeches at the Tonys are almost always among the most gracious and impassioned in all of show biz, which is why it’s such a shame when so many are inevitably given the bum’s rush to try to get the show off in time (which didn’t even work this year).

The show would have hit its mark if only they’d focused on this year’s productions. Better luck next year, and should they bring NPH back to host (why not?), they’d be wise to give him something to do in the opening number next time.