Aw, Theo will be missed. I wonder what he is moving on to. I always especially love him in Too Much Too Soon weariing his "Save the Drama For Your Mama" tee and crazy hair.
I've seen Tony sing the beginning part of LNOE more than a few times, but I think it became especially clear to me what the intended meaning of him singing it (as a love song to Johnny) was when I saw BJA sing it recently. Michael and Billie as much as said in the interview they were really going for that meaning with this go-round of BJA in the role. With Tony, I just thought of his part of it as an overview from above type of thing, not singing it to anyone in particular.
It's funny - with BJA in the role, Michael has been able to expand it a bit, fill the role out a little more than he could with Tony. Every part of St. Jimmy seems more intimate with Johnny now - physical interaction (he kissed Johnny full on the lips during the Saturday show last weekend) as well as the emotional ties. You get a much clearer sense that St. Jimmy is actually a part of Johnny that maybe was not so clear before, especially to first time viewers of the show. No digs against Tony - he is a supurb actor no question - but I do love what Billie Joe brings to the role.