How in the world was Jack Gilford considered Leading in the original production of Cabaret?

[E.Davis]

Posted: 1/28/12 at 4:34am

Was it his status in the industry, there is not enough stage time to be considered leading. Anyone have any info on this?

[best12bars]

Posted: 1/28/12 at 6:33am

Because he had star billing.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/28/12 at 6:37am

Because he had gotten through it, without getting stinko and not by a pool.

[Musicaldudepeter]

Posted: 1/28/12 at 8:12am

And Lotte Lenya was considered leading as Schneider. It was ridiculous. But you should read The Making of Cabaret it's a good read. In it, they describe how Gilford and Lenya were the first choices for both roles and the work that went into both characters. The characters were written for these actors and they were considered stalwarts of the theater at the time, and were given star billing.. therefore they were put in leading categories. It would've been almost insulting to put them in Featured..

[Musicaldudepeter]

Posted: 1/28/12 at 8:13am

And Lotte Lenya was considered leading as Schneider. It was ridiculous. But you should read The Making of Cabaret it's a good read. In it, they describe how Gilford and Lenya were the first choices for both roles and the work that went into both characters. The characters were written for these actors and they were considered stalwarts of the theater at the time, and were given star billing.. therefore they were put in leading categories. It would've been almost insulting to put them in Featured..

[Dollypop]

Posted: 1/28/12 at 8:36am

In those days an actor's eligibility for Tony Awards was based on their billing. If their names were above the title they were considered leading actors. This changed when William Daniels caused a stink when he was nominated as a Supporting Actor in the original 1776. His name was below the title. I believe he refused the award. Similarly, Rita Moreno received the Best Supporting Actress award for THE RITZ and made it clear in the acceptance speech that she was the show's leading lady.

I do think the whole nominating process has changed since.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 1/28/12 at 8:58am

>I do think the whole nominating process has changed since.<

It really hasn't. If an actor's name is above the title, they are still put in leading categories, If below, supporting. If a show wants to move an actor from leading to a supporting category or supporting to leading, they write a letter to Tony Administration to request the change and in most cases, it is accepted.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 1/28/12 at 11:23am

What smaxie said -- it is the starting point, and then it's up to the producer's to straighten things out.

Its silly really, and I wish they would change the determining factor.

[best12bars]

Posted: 1/28/12 at 11:27am

"Featured" has come to mean "supporting" over the years, but it used to mean "featured billing," as in non-starring. That's why the categories aren't Best Supporting Actor/Actress. It really has nothing to do with the size of the role.

The ability to petition a change in category occurred after Cabaret and 1776, but other than that, the rules are basically the same. You're automatically considered for the category by your billing. If you leave it alone, that's how it will stay. Petitioning the Tony nomination committee is the only way to change it.

Updated On: 1/28/12 at 11:27 AM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 1/28/12 at 11:32am

Besty -- I was totally unaware of that. The way you worded it makes perfect sense. (I still think they should change it, however -- its a bit archaic.)

[best12bars]

Posted: 1/28/12 at 11:59am

It's totally archaic, I agree. Like it or not, "featured" has come to mean "supporting." The connotation is there.

On the other hand, you have Oscars with all these heavy ads, trying to "force" certain actors into specific categories that may or may not be appropriate in order to sway votes and win awards.

At least this way, leaving it alone stops a long and costly campaign to woo Tony support. Because, with or without the change, there will always be some "spinning" to manipulate the categories.

The way it stands now, it's archaic, but cut and dry.

Updated On: 1/28/12 at 11:59 AM

[SondheimFan5]

Posted: 1/28/12 at 12:18pm

Same with Barbara Cook in the original Music Man - she won for Best Featured Actress.

[best12bars]

Posted: 1/28/12 at 12:22pm

Barbara Cook, Yul Brynner, Isabel Bigley, and others have won Tonys in the "featured" categories because they didn't have star billing and there was no petitioning back then.

In Bigley's case, I think it might have been a decision to keep her out of the running against Vivian Blaine. Blaine didn't win a leading actress Tony, however, but Bigley still won for playing Sarah Brown in "featured." Blaine was also a film star, along with Robert Alda and Sam Levene. So among the four leads in Guys and Dolls, Bigley was the only one (rather conspicuously) without star billing.

EDIT: Frankly, I don't know why Isabel Bigley didn't have a film career of any kind. She was certainly pretty enough and had a lovely soprano voice. I'm assuming she came along a tad too late for movie musicals. By the early 1950s, after Guys and Dolls, the studio system was falling apart. Or maybe she just didn't screen-test well. Or maybe she didn't want a film career. Who knows?

Updated On: 1/28/12 at 12:22 PM

[SondheimFan5]

Posted: 1/28/12 at 1:47pm

And the opposite -- Gene Nelson was the 2nd name billed over the title for the original FOLLIES (between Alexis and Dorothy). Alexis & Dorothy got Best Actress noms (with Alexis winning), and Gene got a Best Featured Actor nom. Was that Hal's choice? Anyone know about this?

[gogogreg]

Posted: 1/28/12 at 1:52pm

Same as when Tammy Grimes won the Tony in 1961 for Featured Actress for the role of Molly Brown in "The Unsinkable Molly Brown". Seriously, Featured Actress? She is the Whole Show!!
Same as Carlin Glynn and Henderson Forsythe for Miss Mona and the Sheriff in "Whorehouse" in 1979. They both won for Featured Actor and Actress, as well.

[Jon]

Posted: 1/28/12 at 1:55pm

BTW - in the original Cabaret, before "Meeskite" was cut, Herr Schultz had three songs. Cliff had one solo and a duet.

Sally had three songs. Schneider had four.

[theatreguy]

Posted: 1/28/12 at 2:02pm

Even now the Tony Committee can take it upon themselves to switch a performer's category if they want to. In 2010, Roundabout didn't petition for any changes for the cast of Sondheim on Sondheim and were very surprised when it was ruled that Barbara Cook, Vanessa Williams and Tom Wopat would be competing in the Featured categories.

[jayinchelsea]

Posted: 1/28/12 at 8:32pm

First of all, Jack Gilford was absolutely brilliant in the role, and while one could argue that "Meeskite" was a wonderful number, which is now gone from the score, I doubt that most of the other actors who have played the part could perform it nearly as well (Ron Rifkin? please).

As to Isabel Bigley, while she was pretty, her singing was often flat (both she and Robert Alda were guilty of that in GUYS AND DOLLS), and according to her ME AND JULIET co-star, Bill Hayes, she was not the most pleasant person (her quotes in the Joan McCracken bio about Joan were pretty mean-spirited too).

[SondheimFan5]

Posted: 1/29/12 at 3:18am

I'm always puzzled as to why the Emcee was featured for the OBC and film. Though Grey won so I'm not complaining.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 1/29/12 at 4:36am

Gilford and Lenya were very big stars. They sold the show to the theater parties, certainly not Joel Grey ("Who?") or Bert Convey ("Who?") or Jill Hayworth, who had a slight film career. I saw the original production and talk about well-oiled performances. Lotte Lenya wasn't Mrs. Kurt Weill for nothing, folks. That was one amazing cast.