Here's why the touring shows WERE NEEDED at the Tony's

[bwaybri2]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 7:42pm

It seems as if in every thread re: the Tony's, someone is bashing the tours. Asking, "why were they there"?

I'll tell you why.

There are many of us Theatre Fans who rarely get to NYC; once a year if we are lucky. But we do take in regional theatre all the time. Case in point:

A few months ago we took 2 school busses of HS english students to see Legally Blonde in Des Moines. Kids had a great time; had a talk back with the talented Becky Gulsvig after the show, etc.

Last week one of honor's english students comes into class and says, "OMG Becky Gulsvig going to be singing on the Tony's!" So we had a big Tony party in the high school choir room etc. Kids/parents/siblings etc. The parents got a kick out of Rock of Ages, others loved the Liza/Judy Garland story, the three Billys, etc.

Later this week the juniors have to vote on where they want to go for their senior trip next March. After last night, I guarantee we will be bringing about 52 seniors to your mecca to see Spiderman, the Adam's Family, etc.

If Becky Gulsvig hadn't been singing on the Tonys last night there is no way in hell any people in this little cow town would have been watching the Tonys.

I love live theatre, but it doesn't it just happen in NYC.

[sgv123]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 7:47pm

I agree with what you said above. It is nice for people who live far away( who don't see Broadway performers/shows) to see performers that they actually saw live.

[bwaybri2]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 7:51pm

SGV:

Thanks for validating my comments - a rarity on this board!

[toddlisatyriem]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 8:00pm

Cow town Basehor, Kansas here and I couldn't agree with you more!

In my case it was the Legally Blonde MTV show that grabbed my attention. It wasn't so much the girls, as it was seeing Seth Rudusky, Jerry, Orphe etc that lighted my fire enough to put me on a plane for the first time to NYC and to Broadway. Been back 3 times since I caught the bug.

Say what you will, but those of us out of the cities enjoy theater, but don't normally get the chance or make the chance to see what Broadway has to offer.

Showcasing these touring shows on the Tonys brings attention to a larger audience.... I'm now booking my next trip because of the Next to Normal, Hair and Rock of Ages performances last night.

[LadyDramaturg2]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 8:09pm

It doesn't matter where you live, there are some of us everywhere in the country who keep current with every detail about every Broadway show, and everything that's out-of-town, and everything in development...

But most people specialize in other things, and their lives don't revolve around theater. I supported the decision to "market" touring shows with musical numbers on the broadcast, because most people haven't memorized all the words and choreography to those songs like many of us have.

There was a possibility those people might be intrigued by what they saw and chance buying a ticket to a show on tour.

Bwaybri, I support your point, and I love your story -- it's a great example of how people who have little exposure to theater get sucked in.

But YiKeSaroonies! The quality of the performances, especially Mamma Mia -- was teeth shattering. Ouch.

[Eris0303]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 8:14pm

The singing on the Mamma Mia bit made me shudder but I loved the Legally Blonde (mad props to Kate Rockwell and the rest of the cast for getting to be on the Tonys!) and the Jersey Boys numbers.

[singingbackup]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 8:31pm

Great story, but I am not 100% sure about the whole tour inclusion. Since the Tony Awards sadly are drawing less and less of a TV viewers it seems that the audience make up would be largely theater fans, who would know and seek out tours regardless. I would much rather have seen regional theater productions or something new. And, I think the main argument is that it took time away from things like a bigger 9 to 5 presence, or a better salute to Jerry Herman.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 8:35pm

If National Tours are going to be featured on the Tony broadcast, perhaps they should select better quality performers. The MAMMA MIA segment was so incredibly bad that it may have done more harm than good. The LEGALLY BLONDE number wasn't much better but it made me realize why Burke Moses dropped out of the cast so quickly.

Updated On: 6/8/09 at 08:35 PM

[Shawk]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 8:37pm

Actually, I believe the reports are that the Tonys had better ratings than they have had since 2003?

Unlike movies, which anyone with under $20 can see around the country and thus have some investment in the Oscars, new musicals are not that accessible. I thought it was nice that they were reaching out to the legions of viewers not in New York. If it gets people interested in seeing a show coming through their area, it's all for the good.

I don't think everything that people wanted to be included would have been, regardless if the touring shows hadn't been shown. I'm sure it wasn't an exact either/or situation.

Updated On: 6/8/09 at 08:37 PM

[Elphaba3]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 8:43pm

"The MAMMA MIA segment was so incredibly bad that it may have done more harm than good."

I have tickets to see the tour this Sunday and after that performance, I'm not going.

[Shawk]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 8:45pm

The Mamma Mia performance was really unfortunate, but honestly, I don't think it could possibly do any serious damage to the ABBA juggernaut.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 8:45pm

Burke Moses would have made a terrible Elle Woods.

[Shawk]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 8:47pm

I dunno, I think he could have brought some sorely needed depth to the role.

[bwaybri2]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 8:48pm

great point about everyone in America can go see Oscar nominees, but few can say the same about the Tony's -

does any one know the exact ratings for Oscars vs. Tonys

[toddlisatyriem]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 8:49pm

My 5 year old daughter LOVES the Mama Mia movie and watched the song on the Tonys and said she didn't want to go to the show when it comes through KC this summer.
She did however like the Legally Blonde and wants to see that tour show and even wants me to fly her to NYC to see Hair.... not going to happen.

But when 5 year olds can see that Mama Mia tour is bad... they should have been scrapped for touring Chorus Line or just added 9 to 5.
Updated On: 6/8/09 at 08:49 PM

[Eris0303]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 8:50pm

How were the tour shows chosen? I'd have passed over Mamma Mia and Jersey Boys for shows that aren't on Broadway anymore and can only be seen on tour.

[me2]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 8:53pm

The problem was that MAMMA MIA was present lamely (and LEGALLY BLONDE semi-lamley). But I agree--this draws in those of us who don't get to see the New York casts. I'd love to see more of this next year. It's certainly better than having Aretha Franklin sing . . .
Broadway Mouth: Legally Blonde: Omigod, That Music (Part 2)

[bwaybri2]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 8:54pm

I'm guessing Legally Blonde was chosen because of its numbers and because they have added another year to their tour.

Here's my thought. They chose Legally Blonde for the Teenagers. They chose Mama Mia for the middle agers. They chose Jersey Boys for the empty nestors from the 50's and 60's.

[BlueforBroadway]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 9:10pm

Cleveland is a big theater town. During the Tonys, on the half hour local break, commercials were shown for the Cleveland Playhouse Square Broadway Series.

I think it does a lot for local people to see these shows on tour.

um, maybe not that Mama Mia tour, though. yikes

We have Young Frankenstein, Chicago, In The Heights, Xanadu, August: Osage County, Grease, or Fiddler on the Roof coming this year.

I think seeing the Tonys does help these tours.

I'm planning on going to a number of these.

[Byron Abens]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 9:33pm

The Mamma Mia segment was sadly one of the many victims of the extremely poor sound mixing that plagued the first half of the program, and only improved marginally for the second half. I won't comment on the actual quality of the current tour, because I don't think that was a very fair representation.

The whole event, combined with the problems that also seemed to plague last year as well, just go to prove how vital having a great sound engineer mixing your show is to making a quality product.

[jejr]

Posted: 6/9/09 at 12:27am

MAMA MIA was a disaster. There was no energy in the number. The three ladies were worse than high school students (I don't mean to degrade high schools as many and excellent). After seeing that segment, I would not see the show again on tour.

[Plum]

Posted: 6/9/09 at 2:37am

Best Musical winners are already often chosen with touring profits in mind. Now we need to eliminate categories from the broadcast, rush acceptance speeches, and give plays one-line clips to accommodate shows that already have plenty of name recognition thanks to previous Tony exposure? No. Just no.

I'm cool with giving the occasional tribute to a show that's hit a milestone or a long-running and beloved production that's closing, but beyond that, you get your year in the sun and that's it.

Showing Jersey Boys again and again isn't promoting musical theater or theater in general; it's making the art form look like it's constantly stuck on the same old ideas, irrelevant and behind the times. And choking off plays is moronic on general principle.

[rgaywrites]

Posted: 6/9/09 at 2:49am

As someone who lives in BFE part of the year, I agree that the touring shows are important and deserve promotion. The Legally Blonde performance was fine (and the tour production itself is fantastic), but Mamma Mia was, as others have noted, a tragedy and how many years in a row do we need to see a performance from the Jersey Boys. We GET it, already.

I do hope that the Tonys continue to acknowledge that theatre takes place beyond NYC. I also think, though I know this will never happen, that it would be nice for the non eq tours to get some love or acknowledgment at the Tonys. Most of the tours we get up here in No Man's Land are non equity. This year we had Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Footloose, and Oliver and DRS in particular, was phenomenal. I support equity wholeheartedly, but communities like the one where I teach simply can't afford to bring in those tours.

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 6/9/09 at 3:13am

"I have tickets to see the tour this Sunday and after that performance, I'm not going."

You know, I can understand that the Tony performances can be important factors in helping people decide what shows to see, but seriously?

Mamma Mia has been out forever and has won critical acclaim internationally. I have seen it, and while it is not the best thing out there, it is a fun show. I would hope someone such as yourself, who has been an avid poster on here for the past few years, would understand that the show was not represented in the best of light on the Tonys. Think twice before completely rejecting the idea of seeing the show (especially since you already have tickets) based on a minute performance (versus the years of international success it has had).

ETA: And yes, I know it was a terrible performance, and I could understand if you did not have tickets and you did not want to buy them, but honestly all the numbers performed from the touring shows are better in the context of the show.

Updated On: 6/9/09 at 03:13 AM

[Elphaba3]

Posted: 6/9/09 at 4:15am

I'm not just basing it on that. I was having doubts about seeing it before the Tonys and I heard from people who saw the current tour cast and they all said it's not worth it. I'll probably give the tickets to some friends who aren't as picky as I am.