PalJoey said: "These cold-hearted decisions are hers and hers alone."
Ok, don't shoot me, but I'm going to offer a controversial opinion:
I know everyone here loved Jan Maxwell, and see her as completely deserving of this honor - myself included! But let's not be so hasty as to condemn the league, and call St. Martin "heartless." Many of you say that if Jan doesn't deserve it, no-one does. But that's pretty debatable. I'm sure it wouldn't be unreasonable for me to say there are many, many members of the Broadway community who are far more obvious candidates for a light-dimming than Jan Maxwell. I would argue than Jan Maxwell is right on the cusp in terms of her notoriety - a statement which I know will anger some here given the situation, but unfortunately there is no way to avoid being a bit insensitive when having these conversations.
The problem with the light-dimming, which we have faced time and time again, is how to determine who deserves it and who doesn't without coming across as disrespectful in such a delicate situation, when passions are high. Nobody wants to be the person who says "this recently-deceased person doesn't deserve this honor," but someone has to make that call if the practice is to remain a powerful gesture. Much like the standing ovation has lost all meaning through overuse, the light-dimming is at risk of going the same way.
We can cite examples of people who were honored for equal or lesser contributions to Broadway, and we can praise Jan Maxwell until the cows come home. But at the end of the day, it's all subjective, and someone has to make the final call.
I loved Jan Maxwell. I hope they dim the lights for her. And I'm glad to see some theatre doing it already. But I understand why there is hesitation on the part of the Broadway league.
