Final Tony Eligibility Rulings?
Final Tony Eligibility Rulings?
BwayFan832
Understudy Joined: 12/27/05
#1Final Tony Eligibility Rulings?
Posted: 4/22/09 at 10:11pm
Does anyone know when these are set to come out? It's hard to predict much without knowing how the performers from Hair, West Side Story, and 9 to 5 will be ruled. They're really getting down to the wire- less than two weeks till nominations come out!
Updated On: 4/22/09 at 10:11 PM
CurtainPullDowner
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/4/04
#2re: Final Tony Eligibility Rulings?
Posted: 4/22/09 at 10:13pmI think all the shows need to open before they rule.
#2re: Final Tony Eligibility Rulings?
Posted: 4/22/09 at 10:27pmI believe they have till April 30th/May 1st to be officially open.
"Anybody that goes to the theater, I think we’re all misfits, so we ended up on stage or in the audience.” --- Patti LuPone.
Byron Abens
Broadway Star Joined: 7/17/08
#3re: Final Tony Eligibility Rulings?
Posted: 4/22/09 at 10:30pmMy guess would be that if there has been no ruling on West Side Story by now, then there were no petitions by the producers to move people around, since there has been at least one committee meeting since it opened.
Yankeefan007
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/20/04
#4re: Final Tony Eligibility Rulings?
Posted: 4/22/09 at 10:31pmThe final meeting(which will be for every show that wasn't covered in the last meeting) will take place on April 30.
#5re: Final Tony Eligibility Rulings?
Posted: 4/22/09 at 10:32pmI am sure they petitioned Matt and Josefina for lead.
Byron Abens
Broadway Star Joined: 7/17/08
#6re: Final Tony Eligibility Rulings?
Posted: 4/22/09 at 10:40pm
With Carol Lawrence and Josie de Guzman both being nominated as a featured actress the odds of the committee deciding that Josefina can be considered as a lead are considerably lessened, since precedence does play a part in the consideration when dealing with revivals.
And quite honestly, I just don't see Mr. Cavenaugh getting nominated, no matter which category he is considered in.
PiraguaGuy2
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/10/08
#7re: Final Tony Eligibility Rulings?
Posted: 4/22/09 at 10:47pmI'm currently predicting him. Best Actor is so weak this year, he or Bierko is making it in.
Formerly SirNotAppearing - Joined 3/08
#8re: Final Tony Eligibility Rulings?
Posted: 4/22/09 at 11:06pm
If TSOML was still open, I would say Will Chase and Malcolm Gets would be major Best Actor contenders.
But who knows now...
My blog- http://okayentertainment.blogspot.com/
#9re: Final Tony Eligibility Rulings?
Posted: 4/22/09 at 11:35pm
My guess would be that if there has been no ruling on West Side Story by now, then there were no petitions by the producers to move people around, since there has been at least one committee meeting since it opened.
In the most recent meeting, WSS was not on the agenda.
"If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we've got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition and then admit that we just don't want to do it." -Stephen Colbert
#10re: Final Tony Eligibility Rulings?
Posted: 4/23/09 at 3:36amConcerning 9 to 5, is everyone thinking Block and Janney will be lead and Hilty featured? Yes, no?
[title of show] on Broadway. it's time. believe.
#11re: Final Tony Eligibility Rulings?
Posted: 4/23/09 at 5:23am
The reason why WEST SIDE STORY and HAIR were not considered at the last meeting was because two weeks hadn't passed yet following their openings. Producers have a two week window following their opening to petition their actors to be placed in different categories. So those shows will be discussed at the final meeting.
And STORY OF MY LIFE was ruled ineligible for nominations at the last meeting because it only played five performances.
With Carol Lawrence and Josie de Guzman both being nominated as a featured actress the odds of the committee deciding that Josefina can be considered as a lead are considerably lessened, since precedence does play a part in the consideration when dealing with revivals.
No, it doesn't. Donna McKechnie won the Tony Award for creating the role of Cassie as Best Leading Actress in a Musical. Charlotte d'Amboise played the same role in the revival and was nominated as Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
"Winning a Tony this year is like winning Best Attendance in third grade: no one will care but the winner and their mom."
-Kad
"I have also met him in person, and I find him to be quite funny actually. Arrogant and often misinformed, but still funny."
-bjh2114 (on Michael Riedel)
-Kad
"I have also met him in person, and I find him to be quite funny actually. Arrogant and often misinformed, but still funny."
-bjh2114 (on Michael Riedel)
Byron Abens
Broadway Star Joined: 7/17/08
#12re: Final Tony Eligibility Rulings?
Posted: 4/23/09 at 9:45amThe committee met on April 2, exactly two weeks after opening night of West Side Story. I guess it's possible that the producers waited until the very last minute to submit any petitions that they may have had, and thus missed that morning's meeting, but it wouldn't be a bet I would be willing to lay money on.
#13re: Final Tony Eligibility Rulings?
Posted: 4/23/09 at 10:01amI also feel that this production of WEST SIDE STORY prominently focuses on the love story which I think will also make a case for Cavenaugh and Scaglione to be considered lead actors. I can't imagine the producers would want Scaglione and Olivo going to head to head on the featured actress race.
"Some people can thrive and bloom living life in a living room, that's perfect for some people of one hundred and five. But I at least gotta try, when I think of all the sights that I gotta see, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at"
#14re: Final Tony Eligibility Rulings?
Posted: 4/23/09 at 10:17am
InfiniteTheaterFrenzy, I disagree.
Really, all three of them should go in Lead. They all split the final bow, all appear on the cover art for the show, and all have equal significance to the storyline.
That being said, if there is going to be any division amongst them, the only thing that makes sense to me is to put Janney in Lead and Block and Hilty in Featured (alongside Kathy Fitzgerald.)
Janney's character is the veteran of the office, the leader of the trio, has the big monologue at the end, has the most direct plot significance, and seems to anchor any scene and situation she is involved in. For those reasons, I could see a semi-plausible reason to argue that her role goes above the other two women in size.
Outside of that scenario, I see no justification to split them up in any other way. While Block is terrific, her character is not on-par by a long shot with Janney's in terms of stature, regardless of her big eleven o'clock number.
Tonya Pinkins: Then we had a "Lot's Wife" last June that was my personal favorite. I'm still trying to get them to let me sing it at some performance where we get to sing an excerpt that's gone.
Tony Kushner: You can sing it at my funeral.
Updated On: 4/23/09 at 10:17 AM
Tony Kushner: You can sing it at my funeral.
#15re: Final Tony Eligibility Rulings?
Posted: 4/23/09 at 11:03amI think Tony and Maria will be petitioned by the producers as leads especially since Olivia got such great reviews. I doubt they would want to put the two of them head to head. Also I figured Megan would be the producers vote for leading actress since she is recreating Dolly's part but I could be wrong. I could see any of them being any of them. As for leading men, I think we might be seeing BE winning this one.
Genius lasts longer than beauty.
#16re: Final Tony Eligibility Rulings?
Posted: 4/23/09 at 11:34am
No, it doesn't. Donna McKechnie won the Tony Award for creating the role of Cassie as Best Leading Actress in a Musical. Charlotte d'Amboise played the same role in the revival and was nominated as Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
wasn't there some resentment among cast members of the OBC because Donna won for Leading Actress as opposed to Featured?
When I see the phrase "the ____ estate", I imagine a vast mansion in the country full of monocled men and high-collared women receiving letters about productions across the country and doing spit-takes at whatever they contain.
-Kad
#17re: Final Tony Eligibility Rulings?
Posted: 4/23/09 at 11:54am
According to the books I have read on it the resentment started with Bennett's treatment of McKechnie as the leading lady, and his eventual pushing for her to be considered for that category. I think the resentment had more to do with how she was seem by Bennett and of course the fact that she was nominated in the leading category when the point of the show was that they were all "equals."
"Some people can thrive and bloom living life in a living room, that's perfect for some people of one hundred and five. But I at least gotta try, when I think of all the sights that I gotta see, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at"
husk_charmer
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/19/06
#18re: Final Tony Eligibility Rulings?
Posted: 4/23/09 at 11:55am
givesmevoice-
Actually, in that instance there wasn't. If they hadn't pushed Donna into Actress (Which, arguably, the role is the largest female role, and typically the most coveted), she would have been going head to head with Kelly Bishop and Priscila Lopez (who should have been declared a tie), which would a) have diminished their awards and b) probably caused more drama.
http://www.youtube.com/huskcharmer
#19re: Final Tony Eligibility Rulings?
Posted: 4/23/09 at 11:59amI know Kelly Bishop and Donna McKechnie tied for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Leading Actress in a Musical. I don't know if I think it diminishes an award to be nominated against, or tie, costars. I could imagine they'd cancel each other out, if that's what you meant to say.
When I see the phrase "the ____ estate", I imagine a vast mansion in the country full of monocled men and high-collared women receiving letters about productions across the country and doing spit-takes at whatever they contain.
-Kad
CurtainPullDowner
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/4/04
#20re: Final Tony Eligibility Rulings?
Posted: 4/23/09 at 12:23pm
There was also some talk at the time that Chita and Gwen were upset that Donna was in that category since her name was not above the title as theirs were for CHICAGO. I can't imagine Gwen Verdon who already had like what 4 TONYs by then, sitting around complaining, but the producers of CHICAGO on the other hand knew they were up against A CHORUS LINE and needed any award they could get that year.
I say stick with the rule, if you want a leading Man or Woman in that category when the TONYs come up, put their name above the title!
It's probably a $$$ thing anyway.
#21re: Final Tony Eligibility Rulings?
Posted: 4/23/09 at 2:31pmWere the lead/featured determinations still done strictly by the above the title/below the title distinction in 1980 (when Josie de Guzman was nominated for featured actress for playing Maria in West Side Story)? Because I'm having a really hard time understanding how one could argue that Maria is not a leading role. It seems pretty open-and-shut to me.
"What was the name of that cheese that I like?"
"you can't run away forever...but there's nothing wrong with getting a good head start"
"well I hope and I pray, that maybe someday, you'll walk in the room with my heart"
#22re: Final Tony Eligibility Rulings?
Posted: 4/23/09 at 2:46pm
I say stick with the rule, if you want a leading Man or Woman in that category when the TONYs come up, put their name above the title!
but then people would be entitled to a refund when that actor is out, and producers might not want to take that chance on an actor.
[although I definitely agree with your line of thinking]
When I see the phrase "the ____ estate", I imagine a vast mansion in the country full of monocled men and high-collared women receiving letters about productions across the country and doing spit-takes at whatever they contain.
-Kad
CurtainPullDowner
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/4/04
#23re: Final Tony Eligibility Rulings?
Posted: 4/23/09 at 7:32pm
You'd think so mikem, but this will probably be the first time in a Broadway WEST SIDE STORY that Maria is considered lead Actress, and it's not because Laurents has made the parts more important.
And Remember Yul Brynner and Mr. C..
Have the TONY people ever not accepted Producer's requests to move an actor?
Joel Grey does not count.
Byron Abens
Broadway Star Joined: 7/17/08
#24re: Final Tony Eligibility Rulings?
Posted: 4/24/09 at 1:05amGood question. Obviously you hear about the successful petitions, but I don't think I've ever seen them release a "so and so was denied." They just throw out the blanket "all other nominations will be consistent with opening night billing" statement. So who knows how many petitions are received and denied.
Videos