Tony Awards 2013: Neil Patrick Harris Earns Raves As Host for Theater Prize Ceremony

Neil Patrick Harris, Broadway standout and star of "How I Met Your Mother" on CBS, hosted the Tony Awards for the third time Sunday night and again brought in rave reviews. 

The show is already renowned for its over-the-top musical numbers (this is a program based largely around Broadway musicals, mind you) and Harris brought his biting humor to the production, as evidenced by his sarcastic shout out to Shia LaBeouf, who left the cast of theater show "Orphans" earlier this year. 

"I wouldn't be here if someone else hadn't passed on hosting. So special thanks to Shia LaBeouf for this opportunity," Harris sniped. 

Humor ran throughout the program, largely thanks to Harris's contributions. At one point, the dog who plays Sandy in the play "Annie" shared a moment with the actor onstage. The actor and dog shared a quick smooch, which quickly devolved into an uncomfortable situation involving tongues from both species. Mike Tyson, who starred in a one-man performance directed by Spike Lee this year, also made a guest appearance to the delight of the crowd. 

Then, of course, were the musical numbers. Nearly a dozen Broadways casts took part, and Harris frequently joined in. The actor has a lengthy musical background, appearing previously in "Rent," Sweeney Todd" and "Assassins" among other shows. Harris, reflecting the disdain many in theater hold for Hollywood musical productions, took a shot at "Les Miserables." 

"Can I have my Tom Hooper 'Les Mis' close-up please?" he said, referencing the film's director. "On Broadway, we don't need extreme closeups to prove that we're singing live." 

Harris had predicted that this year's Tonys would be "pretty epic," and it seems he came through.