Regarding the Broadway Awards

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 8/26/07 at 3:42am

Someone had just posted a thread suggesting that for fun we have a "Broadway's Worst" Awards, similar to Hollywood's Razzies, and asked if we thought it was a good idea. The thread was deleted, but I just want to give some thoughts on it.

Personally, I think it's a bad idea. The Broadway community -- as opposed to mass-media infused Hollywood -- is a small, tight knit community, and putting people down when they were just doing their best to create something different for audiences to enjoy can be very hurtful to the recipient. It's like being mean to someone who you feel is very close to you.

While the saying "bad press is good press" may apply to Hollywood, it can really damage ones hope and credibility in the Broadway community. We don't have TV entertainment shows and trashy magazines helping keep us going no matter what like Hollywood does. Keeping Broadway alive at this point in time is a struggle, and the last thing we should be doing is pointing fingers and putting people down by saying they were the "Worst ________" that season.

As far as I'm concerned, ANYBODY who invests their time in creating theatre, no matter how good or bad we may think it is, deserves encouragement and respect. Unlike Hollywood, people don't do Broadway for the money. They do it because they love it. Let's keep audiences coming and enjoying, and keep new artists feeling inspired and welcomed in this community.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 8/26/07 at 3:49am

I wholeheartedly agree. We're all here to either have a good time or create something magical. If we fail, o well, the show goes on. No bashing necessary.

~Steven

[dramarama2]

Posted: 8/26/07 at 3:57am

I posted the thread. That's what I thought people would think about it, so that's why I asked what people thought.
However, I didn't post anything which might have been hurtful to anyone. Why was it deleted? I just wanted peoples opinions on the idea...

[Fosse76]

Posted: 8/26/07 at 1:04pm

"Personally, I think it's a bad idea. The Broadway community -- as opposed to mass-media infused Hollywood -- is a small, tight knit community, and putting people down when they were just doing their best to create something different for audiences to enjoy can be very hurtful to the recipient."

That's a ridiculous statement at best. While many of Hollywood's elite are in fact spoiled, self-centered and lazy, it doesn't mean that even the worst of the movies produced were slapped together without care, or that the actor didn't think he or she was serving the character with his or her performance. Just because Broadway is a smaller community doesn't make a bad product or performance good. If I had a small hamburger stand, but served the worst food imagineable, does that exempt me from criticsm merely because I am not McDonald's? No. If it's bad, it is bad.

The Razzies are mean-spirited for sure (and of course, very subjective), but Broadway is no less deserving at times (Lestat, In My Life, Good Vibrations, All Shook Up...I can go on and on). I mean, the actors involved didn't all phonein their performances, but some were still bad. That doesn't mean they shouldn't be called on it. They are in the fifth grade play here. This is show business, and if they can't take criticism then they should quit the business and find a job where people don't judge their work (good luck with that).

Posted: 8/26/07 at 1:23pm

I think it's incredibly self-centered to think that one "Art" form is inherently superior. Don't you think that screenwriters, TV actors etc. are hurt when their projects are labeled as stinky? Why is only Boradway exempt from criticism?

[tazber]

Posted: 8/26/07 at 1:34pm

There are absolutely some shows and perfs worthy of a braodway razzie.

Who could deny Michael Crawford a worst acting award for Dance of The Vampires?

[dramarama2]

Posted: 8/26/07 at 5:03pm

See! Now there are people agreeing with me! Still, why was my post deleted?

[dramarama2]

Posted: 8/26/07 at 5:07pm

Also, i'd hope that most the people who received the awards (if they ever find out..i'm not gonna have enough money to televise it) would accept it with good humor. When Hale Berry found that she had won an razzie for worst actress, she personally collected her trophy!

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 8/26/07 at 5:09pm

There is a small, private thing that encompasses the Best and Worst of Broadway.

The Yankeefan007 Awards for Excellence in Theater.

Don't let the title scare you.



Shows elligible include everything that opened between January 1, 2007 and December 6, 2007*. Expect nomination-voting to commence on December 7.

*(Dec. 6 is when Little Mermaid opens. November, the new Nathan Lane comedy, starts previews on the 20th and will be considered in the 2008 awards.)
Updated On: 8/26/07 at 05:09 PM

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 8/26/07 at 5:34pm

Threads pertaining to Broadway's "worst" or who was your "least favorite" whatever are often deleted by the mods. It's just considered uncool.

[dramarama2]

Posted: 8/27/07 at 2:12am

So as long as I don't post "least favorite" or "worst" in the thread name, it won't be deleted? As long as they don't find out what the "Fony"...