Round 1 of Tony Eligibility 2019-2020

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Breaking-Tony-Awards-Administration-Committee-Determines-Eligibility-for-MOULIN-ROUGE-BETRAYAL-and-More-20191024

Really no surprises here at all, but I figured it was worth starting a thread in case there was some discussion to be had that I might have missed.

The only thing that could have been considered an unknown before now is how they would determine the eligibility of Sea Wall / A Life, given that its a double bill, one of which is arguable a revival. But given their lack of comment on the show, I think we can continue to assume that it will be jointly eligible as a new play. Which is what most of us had assumed already anyway.

EDIT: Also, while I realize this may be a controversial opinion, I think they could have made a case for Hiddleston being in supporting. There is only 1 scene that Charlie Cox isn’t in, yet there is something like 5 or 6 scenes that Hiddleston isn’t in. And IMO the show centers significantly more on Jerry and Emma than Robert. This also would have given Hiddleston a better chance at winning. But I guess since it will be long closed by Tony-time, that wouldn’t really matter to them.

Updated On: 10/24/19 at 04:02 PM

Miles2Go2 said: "I found it interesting that the productions discussed were Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune; Moulin Rouge! The Musical; Sea Wall/A Life; Betrayal; The Height of the Storm; and The Great Society. However, no announced decisions except for leading roles in Moulin Rouge!, Betrayal and The Height of the Storm. "



That’s pretty much how it always is. If there aren’t any announcements for a show, we are meant to assume that all of the eligibility decisions were in line with the default rules. The most significant of which being that any actor above the title is leading by default, and any actor below the title is supporting by default. They only make announcements if they go against the default, like Olivo and Tveit being leads despite not being above the title. For something like Frankie and Johnny, the 2 actors were already above the title, so there was no need to designate them as leads.

I am curious to why the Committee didn't discuss all the shows that opened already to include Slave Play, Linda Vista, and The Sound Inside, among others. It seems they only discussed shows that opened on or before October 1.

dianamorales said: "Does anyone know if Robyn Hurder's part is big enough to be considered supporting?"



There is technically no minimum role size to be eligible in the supporting categories. I actually asked a similar question on here a while back (link below), and apparently they send a list of the entire cast, including the ensemble, to the Tony committee, and only the leads gets separated out into a designated category. So everyone in the opening night cast is eligible for supporting unless they are a lead. The only question then is: is the role big enough to get NOTICED by the voters? And for most ensemble members, the answer is no.

So anyway, yes, Robyn Hurder is eligible in supporting.

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?thread=1109186

The Distinctive Baritone said: "JBroadway -

I agree that Robert is a supporting role, not a leading one. Jerry is a significantly larger and showier role, which is why I was surprised Hiddleston chose to do Robert (same with Daniel Craig in the last revival)."



I hadn’t looked at the program before the show started, and I completely assumed that Hiddleston would be playing Jerry. I continued to think that until the very moment that Charlie Cox stepped forward for the first scene. In retrospect, I think the actors suit the roles they’re in, but I definitely assumed Hiddleston would be in the bigger role.

Maybe the answer is obvious, but I'll ask anyway: Is the reason that certain shows don't put their leading actors' names above the title simply a matter of economics? Is there any rule that says actors who are billed above the title are expected to be paid more? For instance, why wouldn't ''Betrayal'' put Tom Hiddleston, Charlie Cox and Zawe Ashton above the title? They're obviously the stars. Ditto, for ''Moulin Rouge!'' and Aaron Tveit and Karen Olivo.

I've heard it said that if above-the-title star is out of the show, you're entitled to a refund. Is this legally binding or just a rule of thumb?

Updated On: 10/25/19 at 02:22 AM

Thanks, MayAudraBlessYou2. That makes sense.

Head's-up for Dianamorales: If you're a fan of Robyn Hurder, you might enjoy her recent interview with Paul Wontorek at Broadway.com. Robyn dishes about ''Moulin Rouge!,'' motherhood and her marriage (to Clyde Alves).

https://www.broadway.com/videos/159655/show-people-with-paul-wontorek-robyn-hurder-of-moulin-rouge/?page=1&sort=newest#play