Follies - Tony Failure

[Phantom of London]

Follies - Tony Failure#1

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?

[CarlosAlberto]

Follies - Tony Failure#2

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.

[binau]

Follies - Tony Failure#2

Posted: 6/11/12 at 7:11am

You 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.

Give me claws and a hunch, just away from this bunch.

[CarlosAlberto]

Follies - Tony Failure#3

Posted: 6/11/12 at 7:12am

It doesn't matter.



Updated On: 6/11/12 at 07:12 AM

[dramamama611]

Follies - Tony Failure#4

Posted: 6/11/12 at 7:59am

The 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.

If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it? These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.

[PalJoey]

Follies - Tony Failure#5

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.

[The8re phan]

Follies - Tony Failure#6

Posted: 6/11/12 at 8:06am

I blame the widow Goldman

Slotted spoons don't hold much soup

[henrikegerman]

Follies - Tony Failure#7

Posted: 6/11/12 at 8:15am

I'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]

Follies - Tony Failure#8

Posted: 6/11/12 at 8:37am

I love Follies, but I thnik P&B deserves a win as well. Both musicals are phenomenal.

[tazber]

Follies - Tony Failure#9

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.

....but the world goes 'round

[MTVMANN]

Follies - Tony Failure#10

Posted: 6/11/12 at 9:09am

I 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]

Follies - Tony Failure#11

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.

[madbrian]

Follies - Tony Failure#12

Posted: 6/11/12 at 9:16am

While 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.

"It does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are 20 gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg." -- Thomas Jefferson

[MTVMANN]

Follies - Tony Failure#13

Posted: 6/11/12 at 9:25am

I 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.

[Playbilly]

Follies - Tony Failure#14

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.

"Through The Sacrifice You Made, We Can't Believe The Price You Paid..For Love!"

[GlindatheGood22]

Follies - Tony Failure#15

Posted: 6/11/12 at 10:12am

Surprising, but I much preferred Porgy and Bess. I think it was a deserved win.

I know you. I know you. I know you.

[GlindatheGood22]

Follies - Tony Failure#16

Posted: 6/11/12 at 10:12am

Surprising, but I much preferred Porgy and Bess. I think it was a deserved win.

I know you. I know you. I know you.

[HeyMrMusic]

Follies - Tony Failure#17

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.