How Do You Solve a Problem Like the Tonys

The Hollywood Reporter talked to insiders and laid out 3 scenarios for the Tonys - each with pros and cons.

1) Hold a virtual Tonys to honor the partial season

2) Combine seasons

3) Cancel them

I know all have been debated here before... Personally I would vote for #1 - ideally timed to celebrate Broadway this Fall, tickets going back on sale (hopefully) and with special awards aplenty.

first of all, the article could have been written by someone with at least a slight familiarity with expressing themselves in the English language...

regarding #1, it seems that ship has sailed. beyond that, it seems impossible to solve the "problem" until it has manifested. If there are no shows in 20-21, as some predict, then there is nothing to combine or cancel. If there are some shows but they do not constitute a critical mass, then maybe they go back and combine. If there are a decent number of shows, as others predict, then 19-20 will likely just be "lost" (maybe with some time reserved to acknowledge the highlights. One other idea I heard mentioned was to go to an Obies style ceremony for whatever there is, with the nomination committee choosing shows, performances, designs, etc worthy of acknowledgement.

But no one can solve anything right now, no matter how often they meet.

I know this is the incredibly unpopular opinion, but my feeling is that whenever Broadway returns, it's time to just start a new season as far as awards are concerned and that everything that opened May 2019-March 2020 is simply not eligible for the Tonys. It would be completely unfair to give out awards right now for them since not all the voters had a chance to see them yet, it would be completely unfair to invite back folks to watch the shows when they resume since not all of them are still running, and it would be completely unfair to ask voters to consider in the same light shows that they saw last night and shows that they saw likely 2-3 years ago by the time the Tonys would return to recognize shows opening after the pandemic. So the only solution in my opinion is that due to unfortunate circumstances, shows that had opened pre-pandemic are simply never going to be eligible for the Tonys.

Now, what I would love to see, is instead of a Tony ceremony recognizing those shows, whenever Broadway resumes they put together a CBS special "welcome back, Broadway" type of thing where just like the Tonys, those shows still running could perform (and their clips could then be uploaded to YouTube which, let's be real, is what's really driving in ticket sales after the Tonys) and use that to boost their marketing image just like they would use the Tonys to do so. Basically the Tonys, just without the awards. I feel that's the fairest thing for all.

Sutton Ross said: "I know this is the incredibly unpopular opinion, but my feeling is that whenever Broadway returns, it's time to just start a new season as far as awards are concerned and that everything that opened May 2019-March 2020 is simply not eligible for the Tonys.

It may not be as unpopular as you think, I completely agree. This year is a wash, it doesn't and shouldn't count."

Imagine the (justified) industry outcry when Slave Play is deemed ineligible for any Tony Awards. This is one of the very real reasons the Tony Awards is in a bind.


CBS and the League have held off having any official ceremony due to the fact mentioned above there is no reason to have a commercial for Broadway when there is no Broadway. I agree with the thought there should be some sort of virtual awards and then a major “commercial” for broadway on CBS when theatre is back.

I am unfamiliar with the Obie’s nominating process, so I may be misinterpreting HogansHero. If I am interpreting him correctly, I.e., have a panel select a list of nominees (winners?) and give awards only to those who the panel considers worthy of a Tony.

While awards are not the most important things right now, it would nevertheless be a real shame if at least the MR design team was not recognized, or Danny Burstein, ML Parker, Slave Play, apparently The Inheritance (I did not see it), Johanna K from Slave Play, perhaps Adrienne Warren and Mare Winningham and possibly others...with a nomination, and for some an award. If a category is not adequately represented, pass it over; if there is only one viable option and it would be a serious contender in a full season, recognize it.

Decades ago, the Emmy’s did this for one season; there were say 30-40 nominees in total, with no categories identified; all were acknowledged during the show, with individual winners announced periodically. There were some historically standard categories which were not even represented by any of the nominees selected, e.g., there may not have been a single comedy actor nominated, whereas some winners would have completed in a single category in all other seasons, e.g., two lead actresses both won.

The goal was to single out the best of the best. It made for a very unexciting viewing, and was abandoned quickly.. In a pinch, I think that process could work well given the current situation. Include it in the inevitable ‘Broadway has reopened’ telecast, which would focus on reminding audiences of the shows that are still playing or newly opening, and recognizing those artists whose work might have not otherwise been recognized.

Updated On: 8/8/20 at 02:34 PM

lemiz3001 said: "Imagine the (justified)industry outcry when Slave Play is deemed ineligiblefor any Tony Awards. This is one of the very real reasons the Tony Awards is in a bind."

There would absolutely be industry outcry if that happened, but there's unfortunately going to be industry outcry no matter what happens. There will be outcry from producers of shows that closed in the fall if shows still running from last fall are eligible. There will be outcry from producers of shows opening in 2022 if they have to compete against shows that opened in 2019 (and outcry from producers of shows that opened in 2019 if they have to compete against newer shows from 2022). I'm afraid there's really no way for this to end that doesn't include major outcry from many people in the industry.

For those suggesting that we just "call it a wash," because making the eligibility carry over would be "unfair"- I understand why this might seem on the surface like the most clean, elegant solution. But I feel like this suggestion fails to take into account the actual, real-life pros and cons for those involved.

Combining seasons (or extending eligibility - however you want to word it) seems to me like a superior option from virtually all angles:

1. For the shows that closed last fall: theoretically they already invited all of the voters. The only disadvantage to is the fact that they won’t be fresh in the voters’ minds. But I’m sure the producers would prefer that scenario over total disqualification. Also, shows that closed back in the fall aren’t really the ones that are benefiting from Tony wins, so if they get forgotten, it’s not as big of a loss for the industry. And it would also prevent any controversy over shows being considered ineligible, like Slave Play.

2. The shows that will benefit from Tony wins/nominations are the ones that still plan to run after theatres re-open. And by definition, that also means they will have the opportunity to invite the voters who haven’t seen it yet, or maybe even re-invite them, for the sake of giving them a refresher. And even if they already invited the voters and can’t invite them back, it’s still more beneficial to be eligible, because then at least there’s a CHANCE for the exposure. Disqualification eliminates that chance entirely. Asking the Tony Voters to keep in mind shows they saw 1-2 years earlier is a very minor inconvenience for them, and doesn't even remotely outweigh the potential inconvenience to the shows if they were disqualified completely.

3. The only casualties in this scenario are the shows that closed early due to COVID, and did NOT have the chance to invite all the voters. But disqualifying those shows won’t cause a controversy, because “the voters didn’t get to see it” is a perfectly legitimate excuse for disqualification, and it even has precedent in normal years. There's no reason all the other shows should be disqualified, just because these ones had to be. And once again, these shows wouldn’t benefit from Tony wins anyway.

4. Meanwhile, it's likely that when Broadway does re-open, it will be slim pickings when it comes to awards. So combining 2 abridged seasons means that the audience gets to see a more meaningful competition.

TL;DR - Nobody benefits from disqualifying this season's shows, and everyone benefits (comparatively) from allowing them to be eligible at the next Tony awards - whenever they happen.

Having said that, I think Hogan's suggestion of going the Obies' route also has merit; I think this route has drawbacks too, but it's the only proposed solution that MIGHT be better than combining seasons. Disqualifying these shows entirely has no advantages whatsoever, compared to the alternatives.

Updated On: 8/8/20 at 04:40 PM

I think this is a "problem" that requires a substantial number of greater problems to be solved first.

Refusing to nominate or award the biggest critical-hit play written by and directed by BIPOC in a long time would be a MAJOR public issue. A black person hasn't won the Tony Award for Best Play in over 30 years.

So because a black person has not won that award in 30 years, Jeremy deserves it? I don't think so. It was not a hit in any capacity and it failed to recoup. People are very scared to criticize Slave Play which I find really interesting.

With all that is going on in this country and the world, I don't care about the Tonys