2020 Tony Awards

So far, all that's been announced is that they've been postponed. Last post I could find was in regards to eligibility back in January early February. Fast forward to now, which shows would even be nominated considering Broadway will be dark until June (most likely longer)? Which leads me to my next question:

Will 2020 have a Tony Awards at all?

This saddens me on a number of levels (one obviously being the sickness, death, and stress everyone's fighting through). On a smaller level, it's sad that such an iconic year from a numerical stand point (come on, "The 2020 Olympics" sounds bad ass) will appear as if it's been erased from all forms of human time keeping (ie yearly award ceremonies) other than the death and destruction that has occurred/still occurring. ...le sigh...

With that said, I hope you're all okay. Stay safe out there.

why would you combine seasons, why not take what there is and go on off that, the shows that opened followed all the rule.....and almost every other major nyc award ceremony is proceeding

LightsOut90 said: "almost every other major nyc award ceremony is proceeding"



The other awards include Off-Broadway, meaning they have dozens, if not hundreds of eligible productions stretching back all the way to last April. Compared to the Tonys, which by my count would have only 19 eligible productions if they were to proceed with them now.

If Broadway doesn't re-open until January, as some have predicted, then I think it makes sense to combine seasons. Because we will have missed the 2nd half of this season, and the first half of next season, which might roughly equate to one full season's worth of shows. However, if Broadway re-opens in the fall, and we have a full fall season, then adding in this season's shows might make things a bit too crowded.

AEA AGMA SM said: "Just remember that even though some shows opened and were deemed eligible it doesn't mean that a significant enough number of the voters themselves actually saw them, especially for those that opened after New Year's."



Jordan Catlano said: "Even if by some miracle, Broadway does open this Fall, we’ll have far from a “full” season."



Good points, both of you. All the more reason for combining seasons.

The big drawback from the producers' perspectives, I'd imagine, is that musicals like Six, Sing Street, and North Country, are really banking on the potential exposure from Tony noms, and Tony performances and (they hope) Tony wins. And if finances aren't good -- and they even less likely to be good now -- they may not be able to hobble along to next year's Tony awards.

From Variety:

Will the Tonys Be Canceled? Broadway’s Biggest Night Might Not Happen in 2020 (EXCLUSIVE)

For the past seven decades, the show has always gone on for the Tony Awards, which honor the best Broadway performances and productions. But with the 74th edition being postponed from its planned June 7 date due to the coronavirus, there’s a real chance that the ceremony will be scrapped altogether this year, multiple sources tell Variety.

As the future of Broadway remains uncertain — with a deserted Times Square and tourists steering clear of Manhattan — insiders say that discussions by the committee that plans the Tonys have come to a “standstill.”

https://variety.com/2020/legit/news/will-the-tonys-be-canceled-in-2020-1234599091/

Updated On: 5/6/20 at 10:13 PM

I was in the camp of saying there would definitely be a Tonys in 2020. But with the way this virus and gov't's response is going, there isn't any way theatre is starting in 2020 obviously.

*If* next spring is possible, as is the current hope and tentative plan, then maybe we could have almost the close of this season in April & May 2021? That would almost feel like a giant pause.

Of course, no one knows anything and all I'm saying now will sound stupid soon.

Falsettolands said: "Dave13 said: "If there are 2020 Tony Awards, it will be very weak. Only a handful of shows deserve a nomination and very few, if any, deserve to win a Tony."

Eh, I'd argue against that line of thinking. We have quite a few strong contenders for the Playacting categories (Mary Louise Parker, Joaquina Kalukango, Annie McNamara, Eileen Atkins, Lois Smith, Ian Barford, Paul Hilton, Andrew Burnap, Jane Alexander etc) that all gave, in my book, Tony worthy performances. And the competition between Slave Play and The Inheritance, while both deeply flawed shows exploring very interesting topics, is definitely more enticing than some of the more recent seasons for new plays.

There's also Lauren Patten, who regularly brought the house to its feet, giving a performance that I'm quite confident would win themthe Tony Award even in the most packed of seasons.

There's Adrienne Warren, who would have given anyone a run for their money, making an abysmal and pedestrian musical not only an exhilarating experience- a must-see feat of raw ability.

The only category I'd say is depressing.in the Best Score award. I don't want to think about a world where Lightening Thief (especially that very boring score) is given that kind of recognition."

Six was most likely to win Best Score, which would have made Marlow and Moss the youngest winners ever for that category.

Would it be cost prohibitive to, instead of Grease, do a best of the Tony Awards telecast? Would contracts need to be negotiated in order to broadcast past musical numbers?

Some of my favorites:

Dreamgirls

Rags

Vodka

Broadway is not coming back until next year (we all know it) so why would they put on an awards show this year? The whole point of the Tonys is to sell tickets so obviously they're going to put it on after Broadway comes back in 2021. You can't celebrate live theatre with an awful Zoom telecast. Expect them to combine both seasons and have the Tonys next year.