Follies - Tony Failure
Follies - Tony Failure
#1Follies - Tony Failure
Posted: 6/11/12 at 7:03am
I don't want to harp on about Follies should of won the Tony over Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, that is history now and cannot be changed and has been mentioned in the main Tony thread.
Instead I want to ask the question, would have Follies won the Tony if it was still running today? as would Bonnie and Clyde and Lysistrata Jones either one would of been nominated for best musical if it was running today?
#2Follies - Tony Failure
Posted: 6/11/12 at 7:07am
It doesn't matter or wouldn't have mattered if the show(s) were running or not running now. That is not a factor in whether a show wins or not.
And as you yourself pointed out: It's history now.
Let it go.
#2Follies - Tony Failure
Posted: 6/11/12 at 7:11amYou don't think it matters at all? I completely agree that FOLLIES would have won best revival and B&C would have been nominated for best musical if it were still running.
#3Follies - Tony Failure
Posted: 6/11/12 at 7:12am
It doesn't matter.
Updated On: 6/11/12 at 07:12 AM
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#4Follies - Tony Failure
Posted: 6/11/12 at 7:59amThe point is: it's the road not taken. We can never KNOW if things would have been different, but Carlos' point is right: it doesn't matter.
#5Follies - Tony Failure
Posted: 6/11/12 at 8:04am
To love Follies is to understand that others do not love Follies.
This has been true since 1971.
#6Follies - Tony Failure
Posted: 6/11/12 at 8:06amI blame the widow Goldman
henrikegerman
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/29/05
#7Follies - Tony Failure
Posted: 6/11/12 at 8:15amI'd like to think it wouldn't make a difference but it could have. The fact is that Porgy and Bess is a much better work and a much better production (not that you want to rehash that).
WicaS
Chorus Member Joined: 11/3/11
#8Follies - Tony Failure
Posted: 6/11/12 at 8:37amI love Follies, but I thnik P&B deserves a win as well. Both musicals are phenomenal.
#9Follies - Tony Failure
Posted: 6/11/12 at 8:51am
I will say that it was the biggest shock of the evening for me.
Putting both show's artistic merits aside (and they are both fantastic productions) I felt like Follies had the momentum going in.
Like i said it was a big shock to me.
#10Follies - Tony Failure
Posted: 6/11/12 at 9:09amI doubt anyone took those roles for Tony Awards...and I don't even pretend to know what I'm talking about for Tony Award politics...but I thought it was obvious that Porgy and Bess would win.
Oldschool
Stand-by Joined: 3/3/09
#11Follies - Tony Failure
Posted: 6/11/12 at 9:11am
The fact is that the Tonys, more so than the Oscars is a closed group that defines the eligibility of the nominees by whether they are in a limited number of Broadway houses. The question is whether historically, shows that were reviewed well, but had runs that ended before the Tony's voting period, didn't do well given the relative level of nominations.
"Once" is a late entry darling that folks see as a general longer term draw to Broadway, and so garnered a lot of attention. Follies was well received, but had a limited run and isn't the kind of show with the potential for a broader audience.
I believe that Follies was denied in several categories and I do believe that the fact that it closed played into that dynamic. By the same token, the winners were not undeserving. There is a political edge to the interior dynamics of the Tonys and other award shows, and sometimes you just can't get past that.
#12Follies - Tony Failure
Posted: 6/11/12 at 9:16amWhile judging artistry is never truly objective, I am of the opinion that the Tonys are actually more merit-based than most other awards. Of course, there is a natural human tendency that a more recently opened show could be fresher in the minds of voters, but I don't think there are all the conscious external factors that many folks here seem to project onto voters. For the most part, I don't think they vote for a person because 'they're due', or they're Hollywood or they're not Hollywood.
#13Follies - Tony Failure
Posted: 6/11/12 at 9:25amI would say there is some truth...but with the Academy Awards you can be a small, independent film and win the whole thing. Not really possible for the Tony Awards since small theaters aren't even eligible.
#14Follies - Tony Failure
Posted: 6/11/12 at 10:11am
I'll jump in my spaceship, go to Bizzaro World and find out. Be back in a milisecond.
Let it go. Please.
#15Follies - Tony Failure
Posted: 6/11/12 at 10:12amSurprising, but I much preferred Porgy and Bess. I think it was a deserved win.
#16Follies - Tony Failure
Posted: 6/11/12 at 10:12amSurprising, but I much preferred Porgy and Bess. I think it was a deserved win.
#17Follies - Tony Failure
Posted: 6/11/12 at 12:00pm
I thought Follies was leagues better than Porgy and Bess. Did we all see the same show? Porgy and Bess succeeded because of the performances only. I hated many of the musical and orchestration changes and was confused about the set. Whereas Follies was as close to perfect as you can get that show.
And I will say it: If Follies were still running (or at least closed more recently), it would have won. May Danny and Jan too. But we'll never know I guess.
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