Tony Awards to Add New Category for Best Performance by an Actor/Actress Recreating a Role- Page 4

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 9/23/05 at 2:17pm

Originating it. THREE DAYS OF RAIN has never been on Broadway and she is creating the role in this production.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 9/23/05 at 2:21pm

Roberts is originating a role in a new production of a revived show, so she (along with every other actor is a revival) will be up for the main categories. This "re-create" category is for replacements in long runs.

Updated On: 9/23/05 at 02:21 PM

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 9/23/05 at 2:23pm

I'm assuming THREE DAYS OF RAIN will fall under the Tony "classics" rule and be placed in the revival category. Even though it's never played Broadway, it's been a staple of regional and amateur theatre for 15 years and has had hundreds of productions.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 9/23/05 at 2:23pm

Updated On: 9/23/05 at 02:23 PM

[bjivie2]

Posted: 9/23/05 at 3:15pm

I just think it will be interesting to see what happens to these long-running shows now that replacements will be eligible for Tonys. Maybe we'll see big-name stars taking over roles. Like maybe Patti LuPone or Betty Buckley would have won for Gypsy after Bernadette Peters. It's shows like Gypsy that NEED a star turn to run, and has lots of people that I would love to see play the role. I still want to see Barbra Streisand and Liza Minelli take on that role.

[mikem]

Posted: 9/23/05 at 5:38pm

Does anyone understand what the intent is behind "Those actors eligible must be playing in roles that were eligible in the Best Performance category in the season the show first opened"? The only people whom I can think of who aren't eligible in a Best Performance category are the Special Theatrical Event folks, and I think it is unlikely that any replacements in such a show would get nominated anyway (especially since there are no currently running shows that were Special Theatrical Events). Can someone shed some light as to why they would feel the need to mention this?

And I agree the whole six-months of public performances rule, while necessary, is going to be very hard to interpret. Does the person have to start the six-month contract during the eligibility year, but be on for six months prior to the nominations? That would rule out most replacements for shows that opened the previous spring. If they don't have to be on for six months already, what happens if the show unexpectedly closes or the person unexpectedly is unable to continue performing (as has happened to Joel Grey and James Earl Jones in recent years)? Does the winner have to give back the Tony? If the person has to have completed the six months already (and could very well be done by the time nominations come around), then how many of the voters will have bothered to see a potentially eligible replacement performance in a show that is otherwise ineligible? The only such performances I can imagine most voters bothering to see would be the "celebrity" performances. It is also ironic that someone like Michael Ball (who is performing from Oct to March in WiW) can win a Tony for a performance contract that would make him ineligible as a replacement.

[lna]

Posted: 9/24/05 at 2:40am

Does anyone understand what the intent is behind "Those actors eligible must be playing in roles that were eligible in the Best Performance category in the season the show first opened"?

I'm not sure. Maybe it means that a supporting category won't be recategorized as a lead for the purposes of the award? Or that a supporting role can't be rewritten to get it reclassified?