Neil Patrick Harris might be best known for his roles on “Doogie Howser, M.D.” and “How I Met Your Mother,” but did you know this sitcom legend is also a Broadway star? At the 2013 Tony Awards, Neil took to the stage for a surprise, original musical number entitled “Bigger!” that’s still racking up views on YouTube today—topping an incredible 1.6 million hits to be exact!
Even Neil’s opening skit is hilarious – standing awkwardly alone on the Tony Awards stage, telling the vast, laughing audience, “Hi… uh, I’m Neil… I wouldn’t be here if someone else hadn’t passed on hosting… so, special thanks to Shia LaBeouf for this opportunity.”
But after a suspense-building first verse strummed on acoustic guitar, Neil ditches his instrument to dive straight into his comedy-musical showpiece: a Broadway-styled tune packed with props and innuendo-infused lyrics bound to make any Music Man watcher giggle.
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Side-stepping arm-in-arm in procession with drag queens, cheekily name-dropping celebs in the Tony Awards audience amid hilarious lines like “I just learned this dance like half an hour ago,” Neil’s showpiece expands with every fresh verse; more backing dancers pour onto the stage and add to the hilarious mayhem.
But just as you think you’ve seen it all, Neil pulls off a stunt that could well have ended in the most epic fail of the night – leaping through a paper-covered hula hoop held in mid-air, landing on stage and slaying the next verse without missing a beat of his tune. And as the circus acts roll out across the stage, Neil plunges into the deep end, lifted by his ankles in a terrifying cheerleader pose and falling back to stage level whilst spitting fast-paced lyrics pitch-perfect and completely unfazed by the erratic choreo.
If all this wasn’t enough to convince you Neil’s set was “legend…ary,” the star even pulls Mike Tyson out on stage for a surprise song and dance routine! But that’s hardly the end of Neil’s show-stopping antics: a magic trick sees him teleport from the main stage to the very back of the theatre within seconds, Broadway actors from “Annie,” “The Lion King,” “Mamma Mia!” “Matilda,” “Spiderman” and more flutter across the stage and through the audience, while the outlandish finale has even the Tony’s celeb guests looking completely gobsmacked.
This clip holds the key to making internet history. As one viewer commented, “2025 and I’m back here for at least the hundredth time. I honestly think this is the best performance of anything I’ve ever seen,” another praised Neil’s incredible performance, writing, “Can we talk about the breath control he needs to have to pull off all these crazy jumps and dances while he sings? Not to mention that in the magic trick he had to run to get to where he reappears and he’s singing perfectly.”
But one viewer hit the nail on the head when they wrote: “This was legendary. The odds were against them. 200 people, a third of which were children. 3 days to rehearse and for some only 30 minutes like Neil said… The magic trick hadn’t gone right on ANY of the rehearsals. This was the ONLY TIME they got it right. It’s perfection in its purest form. All the things we love about Broadway both classical and modern. It’s magical, whimsical, and reminds us that it could really be ANYONE up there.”
Neil Patrick Harris continues to captivate audiences with his infectious charm and multifaceted talent, as evidenced by his iconic Tony Awards performance. His ability to blend comedy and music effortlessly reminds us why he remains a beloved figure in the entertainment industry. If you’re eager to explore more of Neil’s outstanding performances and comedic brilliance, be sure to check out the links provided below.