1984 deemed ineligable for all Tony categories

The Tony committee ruled today that the recent production of 1984 is ineligable in all categories due to a failure to complete all necessary requirements. Um what? when has this ever happened? Did they not invite voters in to see it?

The Hudson is now 0 for 2 on potentially Tony nominated shows.

Legitimate theatrical production-check
Officially opens-check
Eligible Broadway theatre-check
Eligible date-check
Reasonably conventional schedule-check
Invitations to all voters and admin committee to at least eight performances-dunno
Compliance certificate within 16 weeks of opening-dunno

I do not recall hearing that voters were not invited (and I feel like we would have heard) so unless I am forgetting my money is on the last one. A major faux pas for which someone will surely be fired.

^the said faux pas would be the fault of someone from the production company on the admin/logistics side so ... yes they will can/will be fired even if this was for a closed show.

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The Distinctive Baritone said: "Well, it seems that everyone hated 1984, and especially given that it had a limited run in the fall it probably would have gotten shut out anyway."

That's not even remotely true.

My out there theory is that since it's the same theatre owner/producers as Cursed Child, they don't want the hint of competition with 1984?

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UncleCharlie said: "The Distinctive Baritone said: "Well, it seems that everyone hated 1984, and especially given that it had a limited run in the fall it probably would have gotten shut out anyway."

That's not even remotely true."

Agreed. I found it deeply disturbing, but certainly did not "hate" it.

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Deadline's story about this has the most concrete information.

http://deadline.com/2017/11/tony-awards-shocker-1984-not-eligible-for-prizes-1202205516/

"A person with knowledge of the Administration Committee meeting, who spoke with Deadline anonymously because permission to discuss the meeting had not been authorized, said that a dispute had arisen concerning one of the 51 nominators, who had not seen the production, thus technically making the show ineligible. Deadline has not been able to confirm from either St. Martin or Theatre Wing president Heather A. Hitchens whether that was the sole reason the entire production was deemed ineligible."

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The Distinctive Baritone said: "Well, it seems that everyone hated 1984, and especially given that it had a limited run in the fall it probably would have gotten shut out anyway."

I actually really liked it - I thought it was very interesting and exciting.

The show will have opened an entire, full year before nominations come out in April. Historically, that is a SIGNIFICANT disadvantage to their chances. I really don’t see that this show would have posed competition in any way, considering how many other plays are opening this season.

They did in fact invite the Tony voters. Because it opened so early in the new season, at a time when new-in-2018 voters and nominators were unknown, this may have to do with the fact (more or less in line with the Deadline gossip) that all (or any) of the new crop were never looped in to the invite. Or it may be something else entirely, having to do with the certification which is almost without doubt the culprit.

Based on the Tony Rulebook on their website: If a nominator misses a show (which happens, since most are actors/directors/writers/designers with other commitments), they have to recuse themselves from voting in those categories. Same goes for people working on a show — I.E., if Celia Keenan Bolger is cast as the lead in a Bway play this year, she’s not voting in the Best Actress category. (And probably not in play categories at all? That I’m not sure of.)

MAYBE some administration committee members or some nominators weren’t actually invited by the producers? But I feel like they would have reached out to Rudin or Friedman’s office and been like “hey I need to see 1984.”


Rules + list of nominators/admin committee: https://www.tonyawards.com/pdf/2018_Tony_Rules.pdf

I'm sure Riedel will make something up about this.

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