I can't see the Best Score category being eliminated. That's only been done once in its 63-year history. As in many Tony categories, some years are stronger than others. In the year of 'Big River' (1985), only 3 scores were Tony-eligible. (Does anyone even remember the others? They were 'Grind' and 'Quilters.' Interestingly enough, they could've filled out the category with the score to 'Harrigan N' Hart,' but they didn't. And yet, they nominated 'Harrigan's' book.) And then there's the season of 1995, where only 'Sunset Blvd.' was declared Tony-eligible, so it won Score and Book outright.
Both 'Addams Family' and 'Memphis' are legit contenders. I also think cancelling this category would not only be a slap in the face of those creators, but the Dramatists Guild and the musical organizations they represent.
As for 'Starmites,' I always thought that its writers, Barry Keating and Stuart Ross, got a raw deal when the Tonys cancelled their categories of Book and Score (in 1989). If the Tonys thought 'Starmites' was worthy enough of being nominated for 5 Tonys, including Best Musical, Keating & Ross deserved some recognition for that. It's not their fault that their season was especially weak. As you can see, the Tonys were not about to cancel Book and Score when only Lloyd-Webber's 'Sunset Blvd.' was the only entry.
Updated On: 4/12/10 at 10:31 PM