Tony Awards Decides Eligibility for Billy Elliot Boys, Dividing the Estate, The American Plan, Liza, Shrek & More — Page 2

No, those are what I THINK they SHOULD get nominated for. I didn't say I wanted them to have ALL of those nods. I didn't mean three leading nominations. I meant that all three of them DESERVE to be nominated. Hence the term I SEE....

Other shows like In The Heights, Hairspray, Wicked, and Cats have had a ton of nods as well, more than half won, and I didn't hear anyone else complain. I obviously haven't seen these shows, but I have seen plenty of b-roll footage and heard demos and stuff on iTunes and the rest of the web; so I have a right to say what I THINK they should be nominated for.

Almost everybody's literal here!

Updated On: 2/12/09 at 09:45 PM

Oh, well, I apologize. That wasn't my original intention (obviously).

If the Billys win, do they have to share the Tonys?

Or does each one get a little Toinette of his own?

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I think the idea of all Billys being nominated in the Best Actor category stems from the fact that they're all just so good that the other two's being snubbed would be unfair. In this case, I don't really have a problem with it. I'd feel differently if one or two of them were mediocre in the role and one was exceptional. But they're all giving deserving performances.

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If the Billys do win, they each get their own award.

I don't see why 9 to 5 wouldn't get a nomination in almost every category. It's going to be one of the big contenders this year in a field of pretty weak original musicals. Things like [tos], 13, White Christmas, and Story of My Life aren't going to get nominated for design awards (maybe lighting for the Story). Maybe Tale of Two Cities will pull in a design nomination or two. Primarily design nominations will come down between Billy Elliot, Shrek, 9 to 5, and the revivals. I say 9 to 5 has each design nomination in the bag. As for acting, they might not get all 3 women, but they will surely get at least 2 leading, possibly 1 featured, and probably featured actor for Kudisch. They probs won't get director or orchestrations, but they will definitely get score, book, and choreography. Clearly they will get a Best Musical nod. I can see them easily walking away with 11 or 12 nominations.

Updated On: 2/13/09 at 01:49 AM

This also means that the fabulous Haydn Gwynne has been correctly placed in the Featured Actress category. I say she is the one to beat. She is simply wonderful in BILLY ELLIOT, and I think that the casting of non-dancer Karen Olivo might just be a bit too controversial to get her the win over Gwynne.

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While I do agree that Haydn Gwynne is the one to beat in the featured actress category, the Karen Olivo non-dancer argument is getting old. Was she formally trained? No. Does she work it and command the stage? Yes she does. She makes a great Anita, and everyone who hasn't even seen the show yet needs to refrain from judgements until you see her perform. I have seen Billy Elliot four times and West Side Story three times out of town, and like I said, while Ms. Gwynne is most definitely the one to beat (based on what I have seen this season), the whole non-dancing argument is trivial in my opinion.

"Or does each one get a little Toinette of his own?'
I love that 'Toinette' business.

the whole non-dancing argument is trivial in my opinion.

That's just what Arthur said!

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Updated On: 2/13/09 at 08:26 AM