All I can think about is how different this Tonys season would be in Caroline or Change was a spring show!- Page 2

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 8/15/22 at 10:15pm

Wayman_Wong said: "''It's so ironic reading some of these comments now. Most of the play categories at this year's Tony Awards were won by productions that ended their runs months beforehand. They all likely benefitted from the portal system voters must log.''

Jeffrey, that's a really interesting point. That certainly sounds better than the old days when it was all based on the honor system. But how foolproof is the Tony portal system? Is it possible for a Tony voter to pretend to have seen a show by punching in a likely date? Or does each Broadway show have someone going over the rolls of the Tony voters and double-checking the dates of their attendance?"

I don't know. I've only learned this from Sam Eckmann of Gold Derby. Although he also mentioned that the honor system comes into play with absent performers. Let’s say a voter saw Company in March and logs their date in the voter portal, but Patti LuPone was out with COVID. This particular voter didn’t reschedule their tickets and saw an understudy for Joanne. The portal would not automatically remove Featured Actress in a Musical from this voter’s ballot because it only reads if you saw the show or not (there is no data connected to this system about performer absences. Incorporating that would be a monumental task). Voters are simply asked to recuse themselves from voting in a category where they weren’t able to see a nominated performer. Some will follow that rule, but many will probably vote anyway if they’ve only missed one person because they want to have a say in the outcome.

Updated On: 8/15/22 at 10:15 PM

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 8/16/22 at 11:59am

jkcohen626 said: "Like seriously, Caissie Levy would have definitely been nominated, along with much more plausible paths for both Tamika Lawrence and Samantha Williams.

It also probably would have gotten more nominations in behind-the-scenes and technical categories.

There would be no debate about Sharon D. Clarke winning Best Actress in a Musical and it would have legitimate shots at a bunch of other awards.
 

Shows who literally put people to sleep, have people walk out at intermission and whose sales were soft throughout the entire run don't typically win anything. Except one time 18 years ago. Oh, and when it looks like a third grader created your set design....yeah no. It would have made zero difference. Good musicals and plays are recognized and remembered, regardless of when they close during that particular season.