New Tony Awards Category is crap... — Page 2

"Congratulations Brooke Shields and Rosie O'Donnell. Now maybe you'll get the 'recognition' you 'deserve'?"

Rosie will not be eligible, according to the article, because she won't be staying with the show long enough.

It's really one of those things that is harder to explain than to see in your own mind...

The second chance offered is for the CHARACTER not the actor. It's kinda like saying, "Well we didn't like how ______ played the role, she/he wasn't good enough to win a Tony, but your performance, _______________, was much better. So, we'd like to give you a Tony for stepping in and doing much better than they did."

What they're trying to do now is what happens over a period of years or decades...Someone plays a role, say...Tyne Daly for Rose...lets say she doesn't win the award...next time Bernadette Peters plays the role "stepping in" for the last Rose and getting a chance to be nominated...over a period of years, that's okay..to do it on back to back seasons...No

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Simple, I don't believe in a TONY for replacements, regardless of if the originator won or for that fact, was even nominated.

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I agree, and especially since the tech side of the awards aren't even shown on CBS...would it really kill the american theatre wing to add a category for sound?

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I dunno... it might be fun to see Patti LuPone on stage accepting an award again (she'll totally win the first one - lend it credence blah... blah... blah...). Give one to Christina Applegate or Glen Close and I'm coming after someone. Did you hear the rumor that she beat out Barbra Streisand for the movie Sunset Boulevard?!?

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Thanks for the clarification. I was way off on that one! So, that might make Cyndi Lauper eligible when Patti leaves. That'll be a weird evening of Tony's.

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My gay lover says Yes.. for Time After Time... and I don't doubt his weird knowledge of music awards!

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While sound designers certainly deserve to be honored, there's a problem with determining the proper winner for that category in most years -- unlike the other design awards where it's fairly easy to see the nature of the accomplishment (sets, costumes and lighting are easy to SEE and evaluate), oftentimes the best sound design is the least noticeable. Many times (ESPECIALLY for non-musical plays) if a sound designer has really done a fantastic job, it's not obvious that there's any amplification in theatre at all.

An acquaintance of mine has been the sound designer for a dozen Broadway shows and several dozen off-Broadway and regional productions and what's remarkable about the shows he designs is that you can rarely tell that the shows have any amplification at all and that the sound seems so natural and purely acoustic that most in the audience think that the actors are being heard unaided. There was actually on debate on BWW last season as to whether there was any amplification for one of the shows he designed -- I knew there was because I saw and spoke to him at a preview performance where he was there making subtle adjustments to levels of the floor mikes and directional mikes he'd hidden around the stage.

Also, he's told me that some theatres are a LOT more difficult to do sound for than others because of differences in acoustics. Should the awards reflect doing a great job in an acoustically challenged theatre? Would the 750 Tonys voters be able to fairly judge one sound design from another?

It reminds me of how for several years back in the 1950s and 1960s the Tonys had categories for Best Conductor and Best Stage Technician. Now, while both professions deserve to be honored, as a practical matter, the fact is most voters lack the skill to determine what makes one conductor better than another, and unless one is sitting backstage and/or in the lighting booth at every show on Broadway, I frankly have NO IDEA how one determines the "Best" stage technician.

Similarly, I don't think that most of the 750 voters are equipped to judge the best sound technician, when the sound at most shows is very professional, with none truly standing out from the others in a given year.

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Well, CCBB definitely SHOULD NOT win any sound design awards. It's so loud and static-y that you don't know if the actors are speaking (or singing) or if they are just lip-syncing to a recording! It was awful.

I have to admit, I like the New Tony category. I never thought it was fair that just because someone wasn't fortunate enough to create the role, doesn't mean that they aren't just as good as the original and they don't deserve the tony.

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I echo 'theatreboy33' thoughts about how producers will now (more than ever) have to keep shows in tip top shape. But with added categories how much longer will the evening go? Will they have to sell hampers in the foyer to help the audience quell their hunger pains? They may have to have have a separate ceremony luncheon or whatever like they do for the Oscars to cover all the awards.

I think their should be ensemble and also replacement stars...I mean yeah its great to honor those who originated the roles...but what about the stars who come take a new approach to a character replacing the lead? Its long overdue if you ask me.

Yeah it may be political but that's the nature of a lot of award shows. It doesn't keep me up at night though. Having said that, I for one think it's a great idea to finally have this category. Too many great performances have been passed over through the years.

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