Time to bring back the Tony for Special Theatrical Event?

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 9/27/19 at 5:55pm

GoldDerby.com raises the question, in light of ''Derren Brown: Secret,'' ''Freestyle Love Supreme,'' ''American Utopia,'' etc.

https://www.goldderby.com/article/2019/tony-awards-best-special-theatrical-event-category-news/

Updated On: 9/27/19 at 05:55 PM

[JBroadway]

Posted: 9/27/19 at 7:40pm

I agree! It would be great if they could have it this year. But wouldn’t they have to have made that decision already?

[Valentina3]

Posted: 9/27/19 at 8:15pm

Only if they retroactively award one to Bernadette for inventing stairs.

[VotePeron]

Posted: 9/27/19 at 8:54pm

I’d much rather the Tonys add an award for outstanding NYC theatre event, so shows like Yerma at the Armory or KPOP at Ars Nova could be recognized at a large scale.

John Leguizamo’s Latin History for Morons was nominated for Best Play, is Derren Brown’s not eligible?

[UncleCharlie]

Posted: 9/27/19 at 9:53pm

Nope, don't need it. The typical use of the word "event" normally implies a special, one time occurrence, not a 3 or 4 month long commercial run playing 7 or 8 times a week. The Tony Awards is an "event". Darren Brown, doing a show 130 or so times over a 4 month period, eh, not so much. If the shows can get a nomination under best play or musical, so be it. If not, not.

I might however be persuaded to revise my view if they bring back Home For The Holidays with Danny Aiello. That's when they should have considered reviving this if they were going to do it at all.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 9/27/19 at 10:01pm

I wish it existed for the purpose of awarding things like Oh Hello and The New One and Springsteen. And I'm glad it previously existed so Elaine Stritch could finally win a Tony.

That said, my problems are...

– There are rarely enough candidates to properly fill out a category without nominating everything. Taking into account shows that ran 3+ weeks in recent years, last year had 2 candidates, 2017-18 had 6, 2016-17 had 1, 2015-16 had 2. In the 11 years that the category existed, only 3 years had 4 nominees, 4 years had 2 or less, and 3 years they didn't give out an award.

– The Tony voters have a hard enough time attending things as it is. And if a show only runs a couple weeks, voter attendance is going to be low. (For votig purposes, they'd have to disqualify the one-week stints like Chenoweth and all the "In Residence" shows...probably a 3-4-week minimum)

– It could be viewed as an encouragement to bring "entertainments" to Broadway that take away houses from actual plays. Not saying that's right or wrong, but some people have a problem with that (and some shows are more "artful" that others).

Updated On: 9/27/19 at 10:01 PM

[HogansHero]

Posted: 9/27/19 at 10:20pm

good points Ermengarde. Let me add one more: it's not a category. How do you evaluate a magic show, a concert, and an improv in an intellectually meaningful way? You can't. But all of this is just silliness. The owners of the Tonys have no interest.

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 9/28/19 at 12:06am

I mean the award does nothing for the Tonys or the award itself.

I like the idea of a NY Production Tony but the Tonys have always been about Broadway.

[Islander_fan]

Posted: 9/28/19 at 12:56am

The idea of the category coming back is just silly. We know that theatres can house more than a traditional play or musical. There were a series of concerts at The Lunt between Summer closing and Tina coming in. And yes, there have been other things of this nature in the past like Springsteen on Broadway or even the weekly series of shows Lewis Black did at the Marquis during the run of On Your Feet. But, that said, just because something plays in a Broadway house doesn't mean it needs an award for it.  

[WayTooBroadway]

Posted: 9/28/19 at 1:08am

NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
HELL NO

[devonian.t]

Posted: 9/28/19 at 5:08pm

There's a Tony for director.

There's a Tony for choreographer.

That there is no Tony for musical director/ supervisor is just plain insulting and ignorant.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 9/28/19 at 6:14pm

devonian.t said: "There's a Tony for director.

There's a Tony for choreographer.

That there is no Tony for musical director/ supervisor is just plain insulting and ignorant."

Aside from the sem-snarky observation that if you think they deserve an award you can start your own show, I have no problem giving them awards, but by that logic everyone should be eligible for an award. Where do you draw the line?