Breaking: Tony Committee Decides Eligibility on Slew of Shows, Matilda Girls NOT Up for Best Actress But Recognized — Page 4

They HAD to do something to recognize the efforts of the Matilda's or run the risk of being run out of town! Can you imagine what these boards would have looked like if the announcement was simply that they weren't eligible at all! come on people! I think the competition is between Matilda and it's universally praising reviews and Kinky Boots, with it's kind reviews- lots of star power on that creative team that has been long respected and recognized by Tony voters in the past. I'm not saying I am pulling for one over the other, but it would be foolish not to examine the possibility. We'll see what the nominations look like!

So is Bette eligible for a nomination for BEST ACTRESS IN A PLAY?

Who would be her toughest competition in that category?

Bette was always eligible for Best Leading Actress. She's the only woman in the show, haha.

She's got competition from Shaw, Hecht, Nielsen, Tyson, Taylor, Morton, Metcalf, and dark horses like Weaver and Chastain...

It's quite a crowded category. Probably the most exciting of the year.

Updated On: 4/26/13 at 04:11 PM

"We're a message board. Not an angry mob."

It's precious you think the Tony voters read our posts or even care what we think. I wasn't impying we BWW posters we're going to personally run them out of town! I think the ruling would have been vigoriously met with disdain by the theatre community as a whole and it was smart of them to reward their efforts. P.S. have you seen comments people post on here, they are pretty angry and rude most times. I'm sure there are those out there that view this as a hostile place at times.

I understand that the conventional wisdom is now that "The Matildas" are not eligible, Patina Miller has the Tony in the bag. To which I say, watch out for Laura Osnes. The NYT review won't help Patina, Laura is wonderful in the role, her story is really a "Cinderella" story, and she is absolultely adored in the industry.

I'm not predicting that she'll win, I'm just saying that I won't be suprised if she does.

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^^Agreed, Patina has to compete with Ben Vereen's legendary performance as well, just to point out. If she's not better or comparable to him, it could be an issue for her. Laura is, in a sense, creating her own Cinderella, as the show hasn't been seen on the Broadway stage before.

Carvel in Leading is just patently absurd. I think it's a hideous decision in spite of his mesmerizing turn. And that's considering I don't think any of the other Leading Actors eligible delivered a particularly noteworthy performance.

Leading Actress in a Musical just became a category filled with people I wouldn't give Tony's to. Osnes has a lovely voice but isn't much of an actress. Crawford is also just a voice. Miller, I've made my thoughts on known elsewhere. Lord, I'm going to start rooting for Carolee Carmello even without having seen the performance.

Leading Actress in a play, on the other hand... Jeez, it's gonna be fight to the end. My vote would go to Nielsen, rightly placed in this category. But defeating award-worthy performances by Tyson, Morton, Hecht, and Metcalfe (and a loved diva like Midler) is gonna be a tough road to hoe.

I really doubt Osnes could win it. Yes, she's an industry darling and she'll probably be nominated, but I really don't see Cinderella getting many awards. Ate there any it could conceivably win?

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I agree, I think without the Matildas eligible Stephanie J. Block has a nom. I also think that Shalita Grant may slip in there and get a nomination for featured.

I wish we had gotten some more specific answers about “Hardbody” – will all roles be considered featured (not that I necessarily think any will score a nom)?

“How can the commitee give an award to 4 children without giving another award to or at least nominating another child who works harder than all 4 of the other kids. It's only way they can justify it”

I disagree. As I said in the Patina/Matildas thread, awards aren’t given out to those who work the “hardest,” but rather on the merit of their performance. The Matilda girls could each be giving “better” performances 2 days a week than Crawford is giving 6 days a week. Just because Crawford goes on more doesn’t mean that if the committee recognizes the Matildas, they must automatically recognize Crawford. (I definitely think Crawford will get a nom, but I think it will be based on her performance, not her attendance schedule.) I am not saying that the Matildas ARE giving better performances than Crawford is (I have seen neither show, so I have no opinion), just pointing out that just because they are all children and Crawford performs more frequently than any Matilda doesn’t mean she MUST be recognized if the Matilda girls are.

WickedRocks are you kidding?! I directly commented on you "angry mob" comment! Moving on...I'm bored with this already!

I can see Cinderella winning Best Costume Design and Best Orchestrations. Danny Troob doesn't have a Tony yet and his orchestrations for Cinderella are wonderful.

I think it's going to come down to Miller and Osnes.

I think you read a lot into my initial post. You're comment about 9yrs on the message board is moot as well. Doesn't mean you're opinions hold anymore weight then anyone else's.

Anyway...on with the show!