STORY OF MY LIFE Will Likely Be Ineligible For Tony Nominations

Such a shame. I enjoyed the show immensely and will remember it fondly. I wish the cast and crew the best of luck.

I went again tonight. I am so, so sad to see it go; this isn't at all how I saw it unfolding, and the ineligibility would definitely insult to injury at this point.

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Updated On: 2/21/09 at 11:08 PM

Emcee, this may be a longshot but I was there tonight as well and was talking to someone at the stagedoor for awhile who I'm now thinking may have been you.

Even if it is deemed "eligible" it is highly doubtful that enough people could have seen it to get anyone nominated.

(This does not mean that feel as if there SHOULD or should not be nominated.)

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This is really sad

I really wish Will Chase and Malcolm Gets were eligible for nomination.

But don't worry. They'll bounce back. Will Chase handled Lennon and Malcolm Gets lived through Amour. People carry on.

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This reminds me of A Catered Affair, I remember a lot of people who thought ACA was very touching and underrated.

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...and was infinitely better than STORY.

Please! Calm down, Alice Ripley.

I couldn't see it getting many nominations with those kind of reviews, anyway. Best Actor. Best Score. MAYBE Best Orchestrations.

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I'm sad I didn't get to see the show before it closed. Although I did see Will Chase in Rent twice and he is a very talented performer. We will definitely see him in the nearby future.

Updated On: 2/22/09 at 09:48 AM

I wonder why EVERY person who works in the Broadway Theatre doesn't have a vote in determining the shows that would be eligible and then ACTUALLY VOTING on each nominee? It seems an Academy of Theatre Arts and Sciences needs to come into existence now. Yes, The American Theatre Wing would be a part of it and The Broadway League as well, but every worker, be they a stagehand, usher, box office, wardrobe, actors, lighting, sets or any allied field that participates in making a play or musical. This would bring new voices into the process. I know, there are logistic issues of how would those working in the theatre be able to see all of the productions in order to vote on them. Simple. Film each production and distribute copies to every voting member. I know, copyright and intellectual property issues would be raised. Yes, but this too could be overcome if the ultimate survival of the theatre is at stake. I think it may be. Yes, the commercial producers would fight this idea of an academy because they would be losing a big share of their power and hence the very narrow categories they control that make for a slanted Tony Awards. I also think the Broadway theatre should have a Tony Award Theatre built on Broadway, similar to the Kodak Theatre built in Hollywood for the Oscars. Have a major corporation build it and then turn it over to the American Theatre Wing as a non-profit theatre to be used like the Roundabout and other non-profits.

I don't understand why the TONY committee would do this in the first place. The likelihood of them being nominated for anything is so slim, why just cut them out entirely? I just don't see the point.

It's not a matter of the Tony committee deciding they aren't worthy of nominations. The rules clearly state that, in order for a production to be eligible, there have to have been at least 8 performances that Tony voters were invited to. If a show runs for fewer than 8 performances, including previews, Tony voters must have been invited to at least half.

It's only fair. The Tony committee may not be able to ensure for certain that all of the voters have seen every show, but they can at least ensure that all of the voters have had ample opportunity to see every show.

AMERICAN BUFFALO and GLORY DAYS were deemed ineligible because they did not invite Tony voters to enough performances before they closed.

If THE STORY OF MY LIFE invited Tony voters to previews, maybe because they foresaw an early closing or maybe because they didn't want to get lost in the shuffle of everything opening next month, they should still be eligible. We won't know until the committee meets again.

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