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30 Rock‘s Jenna Maroney Pulls a Kanye in Broadway Themed Series Finale

Maroney swipes a fictitious 2014 Tony Award from Broadway favorite Alice Ripley in the very last episode of NBC’s 30 Rock.

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Jane Krakowski and Alice Ripley on <i>30 Rock</i>
Jane Krakowski and Alice Ripley on 30 Rock

And the 2014 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical goes to…Jenna Maroney?

Well, no. Apparently not. Even though the (fictional) 30 Rock musical The Rural Juror, based on the acclaimed (and also fictional) film and novel by Kevin Grishom, was expected to sweep the (still fictional) awards, Maroney, who delivers a fiery rendition of “I Will Never Forget You, Rural Juror” lost the Best Actress race. Of course, she found her way to the stage anyway. Until Broadway favorite Alice Ripley (Next to Normal) showed up and the world realized Maroney was just stealing the spotlight, as usual.

The only person better at stealing scenes than Tony winner Alice Ripley is Jenna Maroney. And the only person better at being Jenna Maroney than Jenna Maroney is Tony Award winner Jane Krakowski, who, for seven seasons, delighted audiences on 30 Rock with her daffy portrayal of TGS’ favorite narcissistic blonde.

Krakowski and Ripley are just two in a long line of Broadway favorites who’ve graced the stages of 30 Rock, a long list that also includes Elaine Stritch (Company), Cheyenne Jackson (Finian’s Rainbow), Nathan Lane (The Producers), Cristin Milioti (Once), Nina Arianda (Venus in Fur), and Julia Murney (The Wild Party).

Though 30 Rock is now officially off the air, it will continue to live on in our mind grapes. And, as the Broadway spring season heats up, we’d like everyone to keep in mind that both the St. James and the Richard Rodgers still haven’t announced tenants yet, in case The Rural Juror, the musical, wants to sneak in.

There’s only one question remaining: when will Jenna and Alice do their revival of Side Show?