No Special Tony Award for Aladdin?

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 4/30/14 at 5:01pm

Even though I knew it'd happen, I'm a little bit surprised that Aladdin got nominated for Best Score, despite the fact that 98% of the songs were written for the movie. If most of the score is ineligible, why not give Aladdin a Special Tony Award? They should do this, especially to honor the late Howard Ashman, who should be recognized for his amazing work for theatre and film. Not to mention that this is his last chance of getting a Tony (I could be wrong).

[PlayItAgain]

Posted: 4/30/14 at 5:19pm

^ your actually very wrong almost half of the songs while many originally intended for the movie, never were used so the score is technically over 60% new material which is the percentage needed to qualify as an original score.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 4/30/14 at 5:28pm

And even within the songs that WERE heard in the film, there is a significant amount of new material.

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 4/30/14 at 5:33pm

If it were 98% as you say, it would have been ineligible for Tony consideration... So, there's that.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 4/30/14 at 6:02pm

Personally, if it were up to me, the score would have been ineligible simply because the majority of the songs in the score have been recorded and released commercially. Even though a lot of the songs were not used in the movie "Proud of Your Boy" has been covered quite extensively on solo albums and demos of all the other cut songs have been released on CD and digital download to the point where a lot of the public and especially Disney and Aladdin fans were very aware of them. It's not the same as Newsies where more than half the score was new and written specifically for the show, but it wasn't my decision so who cares really?

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 4/30/14 at 6:13pm

Well then Jesus Christ Superstar, Tommy, Aida and many others would have been ineligible as well.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 4/30/14 at 6:22pm

^Wasn't it because of Tommy that the percentage rule was put into effect?

*** Also in the case of Superstar and Aida I think it's okay to release a concept album in advance of the premiere of the stage show. That's not really the same as say American Idiot where one could argue that the original Green Day record was a concept album, but the songs and album were out for public consumption and winning awards 5 years before the stage incarnation even came to be and that's a different matter, and (I believe) the reason why the score was deemed ineligible.

As far as I understand, the Tony voters are not considering the Aladdin songs that were actually in the film, but they are considering the four new songs and the songs that were cut from the film which is fine, it's just not what I would have decided, that's all. I also wouldn't have gone so far as to award them a special Tony as the OP suggested.



Updated On: 4/30/14 at 06:22 PM

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 4/30/14 at 6:32pm

No disagree that a special Tony should be given to Aladdin because of the contribution of the late Howard Ashman.

But that doesn't mean I disagree with Howard Ashman getting a special Tony award in his own right, for his immense contribution to Broadway theatre, which has employed thousands of people.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 4/30/14 at 6:35pm

No, TOMMY was allowed because the composers said they wrote TOMMY originally for the Stage.

The % rule goes back to David Merrick's STATE FAIR. But only the new songs were allowed to be considered by voters.

[daisyviolet]

Posted: 4/30/14 at 6:36pm

^ actually any song written for the film would be ineligible because it was not "written for the theater" which is a requirement for the Best Original Score Written For The Theater Award.

http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/about/rules.html

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 4/30/14 at 6:46pm

Was there a song written specifically for the film that wasn't on the original album, and was that requirement in place in 1993?

[hundredsofhats]

Posted: 4/30/14 at 7:35pm

By original album do you mean the movie soundtrack, or do you mean the Howard Ashman demos that were collected and put on The Music Behind the Magic album?

The Arabian Nights reprises, Babkak, Omar, etc., Call Me A Princess, How Quick They Forget, Count on Me, Why Me, and Humiliate the Boy are on The Music Behind the Magic Album.

Master of the Lamp and My Finest Hour aren't on any album and are not in the film.