Tony nom rants- Page 7

[NJ_BroadwayGirl]

Posted: 5/3/16 at 2:25pm

BroadwayConcierge said: "My fault with Bright Star getting a Book nom isn't necessarily in the quality of the writing or the ending—it's that it's structured in a way that you see the "twist" coming from 7,000 miles away. If you can see what's going to happen that early on in the show, you have a poorly structured book on your hands. Simple as that. It certainly wouldn't have received a nomination if it was written by somebody of lesser fame than Steve Martin."

Yup. 

[JudyDenmark]

Posted: 5/3/16 at 2:39pm

neonlightsxo said: "What does Long Day's Journey have to do with anything? What are you talking about?"

The first half of that quoted post got cut off - it was a reply to someone who was confused about the abbreviation "LDJ" in an earlier post.

[ChiTheaterFan]

Posted: 5/3/16 at 2:39pm

I adored Bright Star but I didn't expect a best book nomination. However there weren't a lot of strong books this season. I would've chosen American Psycho or Waitress over Bright Star in this department. I thought the Waitress boom was just ok as well though. Hamilton is clearly winning that one. 

 

I'm happy Groff got a nomination. But I do think it's the role in part. To be honest, I saw Rory O'Malley and I might've liked his King George even more. (Never thought I'd say that.)  

 

[Wilmingtom]

Posted: 5/3/16 at 2:58pm

The context for Hudson's tweet is that, on the Tony web site's list of nominees, they lead The Color Purple blurb with "Jennifer Hudson makes her broadway debut..."  So yes, they're using her name to promote the show and as Hudson says, no surprise there.

[aaaaaa15]

Posted: 5/3/16 at 2:59pm

tazber said: "No, it's an open discussion."

http://www.goldderby.com/article/2016/tony-awards-nominations-2016-nominating-committee-list-broadway-hamilton-135790864/

This link states that they meet and cast secret ballots. Clarification from anyone?

Yes, I agree that whoever played King George (Brian, Jonathan, Andrew or Rory) would have got the Tony nom. It's an easy role to do well with. I perhaps would have preferred his nomination to go to Adam Kantor and nominated Jasmine Cephas Jones who does a great job of playing two very distinct characters.

Updated On: 5/3/16 at 02:59 PM

[ChiTheaterFan]

Posted: 5/3/16 at 3:02pm

If you haven't yet read it, the chapter in the Hamiltome about Jasmine Cephas Jones is great. 

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 5/3/16 at 3:04pm

Gold Derby is never a good source for the Tonys.

[aaaaaa15]

Posted: 5/3/16 at 3:09pm

I found the answer on the Tony Awards website:

'The Nominating Committee shall be permitted to discuss the qualifications of the eligible candidates for all categories for up to a maximum of two hours immediately prior to voting to determine all nominations, but shall not, in any event, take any “straw” poll or otherwise informally determine or attempt to determine the likely voting results. At the conclusion of such two-hour open discussion period, each member of the Nominating Committee shall cast his/her secret ballot for the best candidates of the season in all categories (as provided herein) and such ballot shall be collected and tabulated by a representative of the Accounting Firm.'

So they discuss their opinions but the voting is done in secret.

And yes ChiTheaterFan, it is great!

Updated On: 5/3/16 at 03:09 PM

[MichelleCraig]

Posted: 5/3/16 at 3:25pm

JudyDenmark said: it was a reply to someone who was confused about the abbreviation "LDJ" in an earlier post.

I'm often confused by the plethora of abbreviations that end up here...I guess I must be in the minority, but I might get LDJIN...at first glance, LDJ indicated a former president to me; with the wrong middle initial.

Anybody else finding themselves stumped at times?

Here's to hoping 1965's "Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines; Or, How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes" is never turned into a musical...

Updated On: 5/3/16 at 03:25 PM

[Broadway Forever2]

Posted: 5/3/16 at 3:29pm

I love jonathan grofff but the king role is easy to play because of the writing. The nom could have gone to someone else. 

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 5/3/16 at 3:38pm

I find LDJ to be quite clear, but I guess if you're not familiar with the play it would be confusing.

[illiniparkie]

Posted: 5/3/16 at 3:39pm

MichelleCraig said: "JudyDenmark said: it was a reply to someone who was confused about the abbreviation "LDJ" in an earlier post.

I'm often confused by the plethora of abbreviations that end up here...I guess I must be in the minority, but I might get LDJIN...at first glance, LDJ indicated a former president to me; with the wrong middle initial.

Anybody else finding themselves stumped at times?

Here's to hoping 1965's "Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines; Or, How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes" is never turned into a musical...

"

Yeah, I get confused over the plethora of abbreviations used for shows and other things. The age of texting shorthand is upon us.

Not really a rant, but I am surprised that Audra was not nominated for "Shuffle Along...". She got great reviews for the show and is a regular Tony nominee and winner. It shows how strong the slate of female nominees was this season if she couldn't crack the top five. I was expecting Benjamin Walker to get a nod for "American Psycho" even though I believed the show wouldn't get other recognition except for its technical stagecraft.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 5/3/16 at 3:41pm

I agree that Bright Star's book is its weakest element, but I still think it's stronger than some of the other books mentioned on here.  Waitress? Really?  That book is terrible.  It turns what should be a musical containing serious subject matter (abuse, etc.) into a rom-com.  I wanted more darkness in the adaptation. Act 1 has far too much comedy, and every other line is a joke baiting the audience to laugh.  American Psycho's book is unfocused as are most of the books this season.  So yes, while you can predict the Bright Star twist from miles away, I think it's one of the best books of the season in terms of serving the show it is from.  It does what it's supposed to do.

[NJ_BroadwayGirl]

Posted: 5/3/16 at 3:57pm

I almost couldn't forgive Bright Star (Steve Martin) for

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

Taking me out of the moment when Alice finds out that Billy is her son with that stupid bit about the frog giggin that wasn't funny but the audience apparently thought it was. They made the whole scene of finding the baby too silly and it was hard to get back to what should have been one of the most dramatic parts of the story. 

 

[devonian.t]

Posted: 5/3/16 at 4:00pm

I sympathize with Jennifer Hudson, but her timing was unfortunate- it muddled her meaning

[MyLife]

Posted: 5/3/16 at 4:01pm

ChiTheaterFan said: "I'm happy Groff got a nomination. But I do think it's the role in part. To be honest, I saw Rory O'Malley and I might've liked his King George even more. (Never thought I'd say that.)  "

I agree with you here. Groff grew on me since the Public when he got to Broadway but I still prefer BDJ and Rory.

 

[ChildofEarth]

Posted: 5/3/16 at 4:03pm

A lot of Spring Awakening fans seem to be unhappy. Did I miss the part where it was expected to get a lot of nominations?

[a-mad]

Posted: 5/3/16 at 4:17pm

I didn't expect Waitress to get more than 4-5 nods... so it's nomination haul is not surprising.  It had a chance for book (the only nomination that was somewhat expected but not a lock), but little chance for direction or any of the tech nominations as there were so many great revivals this year.  

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 5/3/16 at 4:26pm

ChildofEarth said: "A lot of Spring Awakening fans seem to be unhappy. Did I miss the part where it was expected to get a lot of nominations?"

 

No, it got more than I was expecting. If people are upset, they are very confused about how the Tonys work. I'm shocked they got three nominations.

 

[lujoc]

Posted: 5/3/16 at 4:41pm

Not to derail this thread, but can people who say they prefer BDJ or O'Malley to Groff say more about why?

[JudyDenmark]

Posted: 5/3/16 at 4:43pm

ChildofEarth said: "A lot of Spring Awakening fans seem to be unhappy. Did I miss the part where it was expected to get a lot of nominations?

"

For what it's worth, Spring Awakening was easily one of my favorite shows last year (...maybe ever), and I was pretty ecstatic at its three nods because I wasn't hoping for much. I think it deserved choreography too, but that was a tough race, so it's all good. I'm mostly just happy that it'll get to perform!! (I know a nomination isn't a guarantee, but I believe Spencer Liff said they'd perform if the show got nominated.)

[ChiTheaterFan]

Posted: 5/3/16 at 5:19pm

lujoc said: "Not to derail this thread, but can people who say they prefer BDJ or O'Malley to Groff say more about why?

 

"

It's certainly not a strong preference. I had seen Groff so many times that this last time seeing O'Malley I found myself laughing harder at his little nuances.  May have just been that I was so used to Groff's portrayal that it caught me off guard in a good way.  Still love Groff and thought he was hilarious.  I'm happy for him that he received a nomination. 

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 5/3/16 at 10:51pm

I didn't think much of the 2/4 Best Play nominees I saw but it's hard to argue anything "snubbed" was much more competitive. Maybe Therese Raquin or An Act of God.

I think the right shows are up for Best Musical and the other two spots could have been negotiated. It depends on your own perspective on the remaining shows' strengths and weaknesses. It would have been nice to see Allegiance get recognition.

No complaints with Best Revival of a Play and though the comedy probably isn't competitive, it'd be nice to see Noises Off take it.

Dames at Sea was fun but I'm not broken up about it missing Best Revival of a Musical. All the nominated shows are strong but I'm pulling for The Color Purple.

I guess there were some good jokes keeping the premise afloat but Best Book of a Musical for Bright Star feels like a stretch. Tuck Everlasting and Allegiance weren't perfect but there's something unsatisfying about the ALW/Glenn Slater score getting the nomination.

No complaints about the acting categories though it would have been nice to see someone from Allegiance or Spring Awakening. Still, it's a pretty competitive year.

Nice to see Therese Raquin at least get in there for Scenic Design. Scenic Design of a Musical is where I would have seen room to recognize Tuck Everlasting.

Of course, it makes sense to see Gregg Barnes get the nom for Tuck's costumes, especially with all the time the show spans.

Nice to see Dames at Sea at least remembered for choreography.

So yeah... not much of a rant.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 5/3/16 at 10:54pm

Why did they have all seven monitors at the announcement when they only used two the entire time?

[dramamama611]

Posted: 5/4/16 at 6:03am

Broadway Forever2 said: "I love jonathan grofff but the king role is easy to play because of the writing. The nom could have gone to someone else. 

 

"

You can say that about a lot of roles...and equally about wins.  

I have to admit, though, I felt the same after my initial viewing, too.  When I caught the show again, I noticed lots of layers/nuances in high-performance which made me reconsider.

 

Jorge, in the past they've shown the entire category...one in each screen. I think it would first pop up on the monitors (as it did) and then go to o be of the others, each nom filling one screen.  I'm guessing technical difficulties.