How Do You Solve a Problem Like the Tonys — Page 2

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

lemiz3001 said: "Yes, thanks Islander_fan. I never said Jeremy “deserved” to win, please look back on my post. The optics of refusing to nominate Slave Play (in turn, a response to the idea of calling the 2019-2020 season a ‘wash’ and moving on as posted above) would create a major public affairs problem in a post George Floyd-BLM world.


I also never called Slave Play a commercial hit. It was, undoubtably, a critical darling and a major press moment for Broadway. I’m more than happy to criticize and debate it’s artistic merits, but we’re talking about the Tony Awards here."

lemiz3001, I completely agree there would be public outrage and accusations of racism if they cancel the Tonys and don't give Slave Play a chance to compete given the current political climate. But my point is, I'm afraid we're at a point where we're going to get various outrage and accusations from the public regardless. Let's say the Tonys happen and Slave Play doesn't win: There are going to be accusations of racism. Let's say The Inheritance doesn't win: There are going to be accusations of homophobia. Let's say West Side Story is nominated: There are going to be accusations of the Tonys supporting sexual assault. And on and on and on. So while I 100% see your point and there 100% would be outrage if the Tonys are cancelled, at the end of the day there's going to be outrage regardless, so I think holding an awards ceremony just so one show can be nominated and people won't protest doesn't make a lot of sense, in my opinion at least.

Kad said: "This discussion of theoretical potential outrage at the theoretical absence of Slave Play in a ceremony that would be taking place a year and a half after the production closed at the *earliest* (and quite possibly even later than that) and after an unprecedented industry shutdown spanning at least two seasons is... very silly."

I agree with you. I do not feel the Tonys have historically bowed to pressure to award a play because it was the politically correct thing to do. Whether I agree with every winner (as with everyone else on this board, I do not), I think the winners have reflected reasonable integrity, sometimes in hard years with stiff competition.

I personally think that the one time I saw Slave Play was for me one of the most exciting performances I have attended in at least the past decade. I also thought that The Sound Inside was an incredible play, gorgeously presented. I was unable to see The Inheritance. Those three plays alone would represent a stellar season for plays in most years, based on their reviews alone. Any one of them could win in many seasons.

Personally, I hope Slave Play wins if there is a attempt to recognize excellence in the aborted 2019 / 2020 season, but it wouldn't be criminal if either of the other two plays were to win; and, since Broadway represents perhaps the most inclusive industry that I can think of, its loss would not be due to racism...it would be due to some excellent competition. But, I still want it to win based on its sheer audacity and ability to entertain, make you uncomfortable, AND make you think.

Sutton Ross said [after accidentally dropping the previous attribution]: "If you are in one of those places, I hope someone tells you that it's called the TONYS. There is no dude named Tony who had an award show named after him. Although, that would be dope for him....."

Actually, there IS a dude (dudette if you insist) named Tony (Antoinette) who had an award show named after her. But the apostrophe is still wrong. It is the Tony Awards (abbreviated to the Tonys) just as it is the Academy Awards, not the Academy's Awards, etc etc etc.