Tony Nominee Omissions- Page 3

[Ruffian]

Posted: 5/10/04 at 6:01pm

I kept my comments to performers being snubbed but have sobbed all say that TABOO shoulda got a Best Musical Nod

[CapnHook]

Posted: 5/10/04 at 6:19pm

WHERE THE HECK IS THE NOMINATION FOR LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS AS BEST REVIVAL???

[BillyLawlor]

Posted: 5/10/04 at 7:44pm

I was actually in the theater this morning(read below), and I completely agree about Little Shop. I loved the show, and I really thought it deserved a nod. I also thought Doug Sills and Joel Grey would be nominated. I was also suprised that Bombay Dreams wasn't nominated for Best Musical. I'm also surprised Taboo got so many nominations.

My Tony Award Nomintations Review:
I was there this morning---one of the women announced the schools in the audience, and I was in the mezzanine, cheering for the Professional Performing Arts School, where I attend as a musical theatre major. It was funny; Jane read all of the people who were with her to announce the nominees, and there was something wrong with the sound, so while they were fixing it she talked to the audience. One of the kids from my school yelled out something and she asked him his name, which was funny. Than she said "Would anyone like to hear my Tony Award winning number from Nine?", and when the audience cheered, she said "No, just kidding. It's way too early to belt a C"---hahaha. I had a wonderful time. It was amazing to be in the same theater as Jerry Stiller, Edie Falco, John Leguizamo, Jane Krakowski, etc.

[Hank]

Posted: 5/10/04 at 9:01pm

Best revival:

Little Shop Of Horrors. Assasins defineitely, and Wonderful Town and Fiddler on the Roof, maybe, but Big River?-the one I haven't seen, ok just a bit surprised about that one, but Little Shop is a great, fun show, with terrific perfomances. I'm glad to see Hunter Foster get the nom, but it seems like it's just a make-up for being dissed at Urinetown.

Best featured actor in a musical:

Joel Gray. And Mitchel David Federan as the young Peter Allen, the kid was phenominal! Best featured actor on a musical is a tough category, and especially since all the performers in Assasins were concidered featured. Whoever wins this one is the best of a great bunch.

Best costumes:

William Ivey Long (Never Gonna Dance). That dress on Penny was a knock out! As for the costumes in Taboo, they were one of the biggest turn-offs for that show, after Rosie O'Donnell's involvement.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 5/10/04 at 9:22pm

I'm in the minority here, I think BIG RIVER was deserved, LITTLE SHOP no, good as it was. RIVER was a brand new, fresh take, movingly reconceived with the National Theater of the Deaf, and had many wonderful moments. SHOP was in many ways a homage to the original production, no matter what the producers said about using Zaks. Had RIVER come later, rather than earlier, this would've all made more sense, I believe. RIVER had uniformaly strong reviews, stronger than NINE's. It's great McElroy -- so moving in the raft sequences, his hand grasping Huck's as they signed together -- was remembered.

It's a strange season. Overall weak on solid NEW material, strong on an infinite variety of performances. Each of the supporting categories could've been filled with 6-8 good people. That doesn't explain how, say, Fowler made it, and Shelly did not. Both women are NY vets, both beloved. But wasn't this a season in which featured roles stole much of the thunder? Everyone had a different idea about who had the best 15 minutes in a mediocre show.

My subjective feeling re omissions: young Chad in CAROLINE is underrated, because he's a child (and carries big chunks of that demanding score with great ease), and Veanne Cox. The most difficult role for an audience to warm to, and yet she makes us care.

Updated On: 5/10/04 at 09:22 PM

[leomaxfrank]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 12:32am

Auggie, you are not in the minority here at all. I can only assume many people on the board here did not see Big River, because it isn't discussed too often, but as you mentioned it's an absolutely beautiful show and if it weren't for Assassins, it should have been able to take the Tony (had it not closed 8 months ago!)

Hank: obviously IMO, but don't doubt Big River if you haven't seen it. It got overall very positive(some of the best of the season) reviews throughout NY. LSoH isn't even in the same ballpark - sorry possums.

[jo]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 8:07am

The Boy From Oz deserved nominations for Orchestrations and Choreography.

And it is a pity that Mitchel Federan was ignored for Featured Actor in a Musical.

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 9:07am

Jeffrey Carlson SHOULD have been nominated.

[chauvelin128]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 11:57am

I agree with the Big River fans here. It was a beautiful show. I thought incorporating sign language was not only a wonderful gesture (no pun intended) to the deaf and hard of hearing community, but also a uniquely beautiful form of choreography. The ways in which it was incorporated were, for the most part, creative and appropriate (with the notable exception of Huck's two dads. No need.) Also, Michael McElroy's performance was amazing, and his nomination greatly deserved. He is captivating onstage and has a marvelous voice that he knows how to use.
Little Shop, on the other hand, was one of the greatest disappointments of the year for me. I think the direction and performances (with the possible exception of Doug Sills) were a joke. And if I wanted to see a big animatronic puppet coming out at me over the audience with neon green lazer lights and smoke, I would have gone to Universal Studios and seen the T Rex on the Jurassic Park ride. To me this was the producers' desperate apology for making us sit through the first two hours of a lame attempt at mounting LSoH for a "family" audience. Again, no need. Isn't that what they're keeping Beauty and the Beast around for?

[Ruffian]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 12:20pm

BIG RIVER was OUTSTANDING

[Jamie Hat]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 1:07pm

People shouldn't judge shows they haven't seen, this is especially true with Big River. Everyone I have talked to who saw it said it was amazing and incredibly moving.

Whereas I have only talked to one person who thought LSOH was anything but a crap production of an otherwise good show. Congrats to Hunter though, he was due.

[wickedrawbrt]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 1:29pm

I totally agree about Big River, it was more than a beautiful production, it was an experience. Glad it wasn't forgotten. LSOH wasn't great, but it's almost impossible to screw up. Kerry Butler is possibly the worst Audry, however (and I really like her).

[NathanielR]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 1:50pm

My first post. Hello

I really am not pleased with their choices in the featured actor in a musical category.

Cerveris I can sorta get behind for Assassins but O'Hare? Particularly when the two best perfomances in the show (in which they're all "featured") were from Neil Patrick Harris and Marc Kudisch. But I guess with Kudisch the show is its own reward... he got to escape "The Thing About Men"

And where is Jeffrey Carlson from Taboo?

But I can't agree with the love herein for Douglas Sills who I was glad to see omitted. I just felt he was doing a poor Steve Martin imitation and I just wanted him to tone it down most of the time.

one last thing: I agree with the love for Veanne Cox --a thankless type of role but she is pitch perfect (I don't mean musically --just all around "right" for what the role needs)

[Ruffian]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 1:53pm

Hey Nathaniel

The Featured Actor is a Tough Crowd...lots of good choices..it woulda been GREAT if Jeffrey made the noms along with Raul

I was THRILLED Cerveris got a call, I thought he was the best thing about Assassins as far as the performers go

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 8:04pm

I think I was most surprised by Little Shop not getting nominated for best revival - not because I think it's of Tony caliber, because (while I did enjoy it, don't get me wrong) I don't - but because of all the hype surrounding the show *finally* coming to Broadway. I think this makes an even stronger case for the probability that Little Shop will be lucky to make it past the summer.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 8:16pm

I have seen clips and TV performances of BIG RIVER, and it looked really good. I had wanted to see it, but it closed.

Can they only nominate four shows? If so, it was probably by a low percentage that LITTLE SHOP was not included. It is SUCH a GREAT production, though.

[My Fair Lady]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 8:47pm

Best Revival-Little Shop of Horrors
Best Leading Actress-Kerry Butler
Best Supporting Actress-Ann Harada

[Belter]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 8:47pm

Boy From Oz should not have been nominated for Best Musical or Best Book. I think Hugh Jackman should WIN for Best Actor. I think the kid who played young Peter should not have been nominated. That nomination would have been about "look how young he is, and he can dance!" rather than "wow, what a characterization." .... the kid IS a young Peter Allen. No stretch. BUT I thought he was great fun to watch.

Whether they are or not, I want the Tonys to be about "above and beyond" performances. Carole Shelley did not go above and beyond, therefore I don't think she deserved a nomination. Jeffrey Carlson DID go above and beyond and to me that is the most heartbreaking omission this year.

I also thought the set from 16 Wounded was incredible. But the Tonys always concentrate on a few shows, rather than what was really outstanding in a season's shows.

Who exactly are the nominating committee?

I disagee with Michael Cervaris' nomination, but wholeheartedly agree with Denis O'Hare's nomination. But I never saw Take Me Out and I hear DO did the same character in Assassins that he did in that production.

And I didn't see Big River, so uninformed opinion time -- it got the nod as the "differently abled" vote of the year. For the Oscars that means a win. For the Tonys it means "the nomination is the award."

One more opinion: I love Idina Menzel's voice. But she wasn't enough for me as an actress. If they're going to just give Tony's for voice, then Liz McCarthy also deserved the nod.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 9:13pm

The Tony Nominating Committee this year (it changes every year) is:


Maureen Anderman, actor
Ira Bernstein, general manager
Stephen Bogardus, actor
Schuyler G. Chapin, cultural executive
Kirsten Childs, musical theatre writer
Veronica Claypool, managing director
Betty Corwin, theatre archivist
Gretchen Cryer, composer
Jacqueline Z. Davis, arts library executive/booking agent
Merle Debuskey, press agent
Edgar Dobie, managing director
Nancy Ford, lyricist
Micki Grant, composer
David Marshall Grant, actor/playwright
Julie Hughes, casting director
Betty Jacobs, script consultant
Geoffrey Johnson, casting director
David Lindsay-Abaire, playwright
Enid Nemy, journalist
Gilbert Parker, agent
Shirley Rich, casting director
Judith O. Rubin, arts executive
Bill Schelble, press representative
Rosemarie Tichler, producer/casting director
William Tynan, journalist
Jon Wilner, producer

[Songsstresss]

Posted: 5/11/04 at 10:24pm

And how are all those people chosen, Margo? What makes them special enough to figure out the nominations?

[Belter]

Posted: 5/12/04 at 2:09am

Also, Margo, who leads the group? I mean, the fact that the picks always follow criteria that is the same (open shows, one that can tour, successful blockbusters regardless of being good, etc.) seems to indicate that a few of the committee must be repeat offenders ...??

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 5/12/04 at 1:11pm

From the Tony Award website:

The American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards® are presented by Tony Award Productions, a joint venture of The League of American Theatres and Producers, Inc. and the American Theatre Wing. The two organizations have jointly administered the Tonys since 1967, the year of the first Tony telecast. Responsibility for the governance and administration of the awards is vested in two committees:

The Tony Awards Management Committee is made up of representatives of the League and the Wing. It oversees the Tony Awards, with emphasis on the television broadcast.

The Tony Awards Administration Committee is comprised of 24 members, of whom 10 are designated by the Wing, 10 by the League, and one each by the Dramatists Guild, Actors' Equity Association, United Scenic Artists, and the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers. This committee determines eligibility for nominations in all awards categories, reviews the rules governing the awards, and appoints the Nominating Committee. It may, at its discretion, give special Tony Awards, the Regional Theatre Tony Award, and Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre.

* * * *

Nominations are determined by the Tony Awards Nominating Committee. This rotating group of up to 30 theatre professionals is selected by the Tony Awards Administration Committee. Nominators serve for overlapping three-year terms. They are asked to see every new Broadway production and then meet on the Sunday evening following the Tony eligibility deadline. They determine the nominations based on secret ballots supervised by an accounting firm. The results are announced early the following morning.
----------------------------------------------------------------

If I remember correctly, in the closed door sessions, each member of the nominating committee submits their own list of 4 or 5 nominees for each category (depending on the category) ranked in order of preference. A point system assigns I believe 5 points for each first place vote, four points for each second place vote and so on......... The top four(or five) vote getters get nominations -- it's as simple as that. Given that there are 30 people voting (I recognize about half the names -- it's a very respectable group of folks), anyone who gets a nod had to pretty much be a consensus pick of the group -- so yes, Beth Fowler must have shown up on (and/or been ranked higher on) more people's ballots that Ann Harada, Stephanie Block, Randy Graff, Carole Shelley or whomever else you think was egregiously overlooked.

All in all, I frankly have almost no complaint about this year's list of nominations. You've got the big budget commercial show (Wicked), the edgy transfers from downtown (Ave Q, Caroline, Frozen, IAMOW), the artful challenging work (Assassins, Caroline, Jumpers), the dumb crowd-pleaser (Boy From Oz), the long closed but not forgotten entries (Big River, Taboo, Retreat from Moscow, Anna) ..... I think the committee did a great job overall. And you know what? If there are several worthy and talented contenders that got overlooked, well, good for us.

Thank god, we had a season that had an overabundance of distinctive work rather than an underabundance. I can remember several times in the past where it was truly a struggle to even find enough nominees to fill out some of the categories. Remember 1995 when there only TWO shows nominated for Best Musical (Sunset Boulevard and Smokey Joe's Cafe)? Or 1989 when Jerome Robbins' Broadway (a revue -- a great revue, but still just a revue) won over Black and Blue (another revue) and Starmites (ugh....not a revue.... and not very good either)? Be happy that we have enough good theatre in this city to argue incessantly about and create endless and repetitive threads (like this one)over.....

[Plum]

Posted: 5/12/04 at 7:14pm

*cheers Margo*

[jo]

Posted: 5/12/04 at 7:27pm

More cheers, Margo!

[broadwaysweetheart]

Posted: 5/12/04 at 10:45pm

KERRY BUTLER! SHE'S THE BEST AUDREY EVER!!! she is!!! DOUGLAS SILLS AND ROB BARTLETT too! when I saw the show I thought the only one who didn't really deserve a nomination was Hunter! Guess I was wrong