Bitch about the 2009 Tony nominations here !- Page 8

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 12:37am

I love how people are so upset about Billy Elliot's nominations and then go on to say that they haven't even seen the show. Can't win, can you?

I too am surprised about the scenic design category, but not only for 9 to 5's snub, but also Shrek's. Well, clearly Billy is winning that one! Which is fine anyway because I really like that set.

~Steven

[Calvin]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 12:38am

Also why "The American Plan" (gay character) got all the play nominations instead of "God of Carnage" (no gay character) this year.

[bwaybabe2]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 5:51am

"Equus was *almost* completely forgotten (Daniel Radcliffe deserved one...) The Seagull *was* completely forgotten."
...totally agree!
And, wow! Where do I start this...? It is totally an outrage (besides the point of absurd maybe...=I...?), that James Barbour, after a trail of nominations--Drama Desk, Outer Critics, Drama League, and one award--Sarasota Magazine Best Actor, is totally left out! WHAT???!!! :O And what was that "eligibility" thing for...?
Honestly, the Tonys nominations are all a farce to me at this point, and that is why I'm boycotting the Tonys this year!
I like Constantine, but there's NO way he deserves a nom over Barbour's thrilling Tale performance. Man, even the critics who wrote negatively about ATOTC praised his brilliance in the role!

[houselightsout]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 8:46am

I did see Billy Elliot and what bothers me a great deal about how everyone fawns over it is that it could have been the great show I keep reading it is but the director never trusted his initial work to get to that point.

Time after time in that show a poignant moment is hammered home, or a simple moment is made too big. Examples: Billy and Michael sing Express Yourself and do a nice dance together...then they have to bring down a mylar curtain and giant dancing outfits on clothes hangers (has the show suddenly become Beauty and the Beast?); Billy dances alone to a stirring rendition of the pas de deux from Swan Lake...then they bring on the fog and an "older version" of Billy, but not trusting that to land the ovations, they move on to a flying effect. In his big song Billy likens his love for dance to the feeling of electricity flowing through him, not a feeling of flight.

It's very frustrating for me that the same director of the emotionally satisfying film couldn't understand what made the story so touching in the first place. Also frustrating is the way everyone is praising this overproduced show, encouraging more directors to pander to the baser desires of an audience. Sure, people are leaping to their feet, but I felt many times in the show the reaction I had (a lump in the throat) was squashed under the feeling of being manipulated into feeling more excitement than I felt would be honest to express.

But I see I'm very alone in that reaction.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 10:04am

I didn't mind the dancing dresses and such in Michael's number as I really found it to be a whimsical extension of his imagination and creativity. The only moment in the show that really bugged me was the flying, which was not only unnecessary, but poorly executed when I saw it in London. It's gimmicky and adds nothing to the scene. But other than the flying, I found it to be a nearly perfect well-balanced musical and I'm looking forward to seeing it again.

[minicko88]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 10:33am

bwaybabe2 is 100% correct... To leave James Barbour (Arguably the best performance this past tony year) out of this category is a travesty!

[jamiekennywicked]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 3:57pm

I think they should get fans to nominate the shows. That way the right shows would be picked

[LadyDramaturg2]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 4:01pm

We have the Fans Nominating the Shows: look at the first entry on the Broadway World Message Board.

But you raise a good point: WHO are the nominators, and exactly WHAT is the legal nominating process?

Can someone point to a site where this is spelled out?

[jake6970]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 4:03pm

I think that the best musical nominations should have been

N2N
Billy Elliot
13
9-5/Title of Show

I think 13 really got unfair treatment here...definitely deserved at least a score nod imo.

[ZONEACE]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 4:07pm

I think they should get fans to nominate the shows. That way the right shows would be picked

thats the dumbest ****ing thing I've ever heard.

[mzk2004]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 4:12pm

It's all on the official Tony site. But that said some of them are still questionable as to why they are the best to properly judge. For example, one of the people on there listed as a "Producer" is not really a Broadway producer, unless you count failed attempts to bring in shows thus far.

[jamiekennywicked]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 4:23pm

Zoneace whats your problem! It my opinion not yours

[ZONEACE]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 4:25pm

It my opinion not yours

Thank god, if that was my opinion I'd have to kill myself.

[jamiekennywicked]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 4:29pm

To Zoneace Whatever! yOU'VE NUTIN BETTER TO DO BUT SAY NASTY THINGS

To anyone who cares 9 to 5 shud have got set design and best musical

[StephenSondheimWHOO]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 4:47pm

I loved Billy Elliot, but I thought I was really overnominated.
They seemed to give it as many noms as they could, and ended up taking places of more deserving performers,
Carole Shelley and David Bologna were good in their nothing roles, but people like Aaron Tveit and the [tos] girls were giving much better, nomination deserving performances.
Also, Guys and Dolls for set? Those projections were so gross. It was like they were trying to distract you from looking at the show so you wouldn't realize how bad it was

[blaxx]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 4:57pm

It was like they were trying to distract you from looking at the show so you wouldn't realize how bad it was

Maybe that's what made the lights so good!

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 5:04pm

I'm sure this has been brought up previously, but what ticks me off the most is that the nominators seem to have totally forgotten the worthy shows that opened before January 1 (Billy Elliot excepted). I can't help asking myself, what if All My Sons, The Sea Gull, Speed-the-Plow and Equus opened in say, late March or during April and Waiting for Godot, Joe Turner, The Norman Conquests and Mary Stuart had opened in September or October? The latter would be gone by now (as they were in for limited runs anyway) and the former would be very much with us. I'm not getting into which was better, but you can't tell me that it's just a coincidence that all the nominated play revivals came late in the season. Something is rotten in the state of Tonyland.

[Mactor327]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 5:36pm

Thank You Calvin
and uhhh I don't think I'm totally wrong.
Look at all the musicals that have won over the last few years (Minus IN THE HEIGHTS)
but its true Gay theme= in the words of Carmen Ghia "TONY TONY TONY"

[TIGGOSAURUS]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 6:07pm

In the spirit of the thread: can't believe Shrek did so well (didn't hate it, just found it very 'blah'). I wouldn't have been surprised to see Megan Hilty nominated and Sutton Foster left out.

Disappointed for Aaron Tveit after all his co-stars got nods - no way does he deserve that, esp if he lost out to David Bologna... (no offence intended).

My honest reaction to CRock of Ages & the AI loser being nominated is WTF?? (I haven't seen the show and I know it fared quite well with the critics - it's just not my kind of thing at all and I don't know what exactly about it makes it so Tony-worthy compared to, say, Ace Young in Grease)?? I expect to be put right on that score / roundly denounced in this thread / receiving abusive PMs for quite a while* delete as appropriate!

Other reactions: sad for Daniel Radcliffe & Kristen Scott Thomas being overlooked; hope N2N 'steals' Best Musical as at least (IMHO) it's a superior production of an original American piece rather than an inferior copy of long-running UK musical (does that constitute treason? ) and have to add to the Allison Janney appreciation: LOVED Alice Ripley in N2N, but AJ is such a class act and I would love for her to be on Broadway for years to come, so if she won there's no way I could be upset!

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 7:31pm

Look at all the musicals that have won over the last few years (Minus IN THE HEIGHTS)
but its true Gay theme= in the words of Carmen Ghia "TONY TONY TONY"

Except that it's not true. We already provided far more examples than yours. And having a token gay character is not a "gay theme". That's like saying Annie is a show about a dog. Billy Elliot is not a gay show or a gay-themed show. It is a show with one gay character.

Past Best Musicals over the last 33 years:

1976 - A Chorus Line (two gay characters)
1977 - Annie (no gays)
1978 - Ain't Misbehavin' (no gays)
1979 - Sweeney Todd (no gays)
1980 - Evita (no gays)
1981 - 42nd Street (no gays)
1982 - Nine (no gays)
1983 - Cats (no gays)
1984 - La Cage aux Folles (gay theme)
1985 - Big River (no gays)
1986 - The Mystery of Edwin Drood (no gays)
1987 - Les Miserables (no gays)
1988 - The Phantom of the Opera (no gays)
1989 - Jerome Robbins Broadway (no gays)
1990 - City of Angels (no gays)
1991 - The Will Rogers Follies (no gays)
1992 - Crazy For You (no gays)
1993 - Kiss of the Spider Woman (gay theme)
1994 - Passion (no gays)
1995 - Sunset Boulevard (no gays)
1996 - Rent (gay characters; gay theme debatable)
1997 - Titanic (no gays)
1998 - The Lion King (no gays)
1999 - Fosse (gay characters in "Take Off With Us")
2000 - Contact (no gays)
2001 - The Producers (gay characters)
2002 - Thoroughly Modern Millie (no gays)
2003 - Hairspray (no gays)
2004 - Avenue Q (two gay characters)
2005 - Spamalot (two gay characters)
2006 - Jersey Boys (no gays)
2007 - Spring Awakening (two gay characters)
2008 - In the Heights (no gays)

Nine shows in 33 years with gay characters won Best Musical. Only three with gay themes. A "gay-themed" show has won in over ten years. Unless you believe the inclusion of any minority is the theme of a show? In that case, any show with an African American in the cast MUST be an African American musical, right?

You are totally wrong.

My honest reaction to CRock of Ages & the AI loser being nominated is WTF?? (I haven't seen the show and I know it fared quite well with the critics - it's just not my kind of thing at all and I don't know what exactly about it makes it so Tony-worthy compared to, say, Ace Young in Grease)??

Perhaps you were thinking "WTF" because you haven't seen it? Just a hunch.

[TIGGOSAURUS]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 7:59pm

Mister Matt: how intuitive of you... NOT! Especially as I've already plainly stated I haven't seen ROA and don't intend to because it's not my cup of tea. Guess I live a 'sheltered' life!

But I would be interested to hear if anyone else sees any parallels between Constantine Maroulis and other American Idol contestants who have appeared on Broadway (apart from the fact that there are probably far more deserving auditionees for their particular roles)? I don't understand all the fuss about him or the show he's appearing in AT ALL!

What am I 'missing'?

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 8:21pm

I'm not commenting on Constantine's talent or performance in Rock of Ages because I haven't seen it yet, but at least he does have musical theatre training and experience. He's not just an Idol has-been. Clearly, the production team thought it was a good idea to have him create a role in a musical on Broadway, and clearly it was a good idea because he got a Tony nomination out of it. Then again, you said it yourself that it's not your kind of show, so what's to complain about? It's the nominating committee's kind of show and their opinion counts in this case.

~Steven

[Jersey Girl2]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 9:12pm

>>>I can't wait to see the Rock of Ages bitchfest. The countless posts about how there was NO WAY it could possibly get nominated for anything

I love it!
I love this show.
I adore Constantine.

Oh wait- I'm in the wrong thread- I have nothing to bitch about.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 9:41pm

No nomination for Carla Gugino in Elms

A travesty

[dramamama611]

Posted: 5/6/09 at 9:52pm

Calvin : Perhaps I read your post wrong; but didn't ALL FOUR actors from God of Carnage get noms? I don't get your thought on that one.