What's with all the Allegiance votes?

[BrockMButler]

Posted: 5/15/16 at 10:59am

I can't help but notice that Allegiance is other winning or in second place for practically all the BWW Awards it's eligible for. What gives? Did Takei ask his millions of Facebook followers to vote for his show in all categories or is there really that much adoration for this show? If it's the latter, more power to them but It feels like a bit of a high school election. I mean best set design for this? In what world?



 

Updated On: 5/15/16 at 10:59 AM

[Drewski Vanderbilt]

Posted: 5/15/16 at 11:12am

I'm guessing they're winning because it is a great show. Not to mention there was more to the set than that. Also Mr. Takei did not put anything on his Facebook to vote specifically just for this show, he is very close to the show, and why wouldn't he be? He was in those interment camps during WW2. It's not that he's asking people to vote for his show, it Is that others (including myself) have recognized this wonderful and powerful piece of theatre and would like to use our freedom to vote for what we think is a great musical.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/15/16 at 11:14am

Saw it and found it to be competent and workmanlike. Was it a great show? No. It was enjoyable and obviously a labor of love for Takei. I am quite sure it will be seen all over the country. Succeeding on Broadway is not the be all and end all it used to be.

 

I agree the set is not Tony worthy but you can say that about other shows nominated this year.

Updated On: 5/15/16 at 11:14 AM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 5/15/16 at 11:29am

A great show?  Not even close.   

 

But this just proves what a joke the BWW awards are.  As I've said before, these are like the People's Choice or, worse, the Nickelodeon awards.   

[lightguy06222]

Posted: 5/15/16 at 11:36am

I thought it was better than DISASTER... But that's not saying much. 

 

Better set too

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/15/16 at 11:48am

Disaster was supposed to be camp & good fun. It succeeded on both counts. Agree the set for Allegiance set was better than Disaster but again that is not saying much.

[mpkie]

Posted: 5/15/16 at 12:51pm

I found this highly suspicious as well. The Allegiance actors (aside from Takei) have been posting for their fans to vote, as well as the Allegiance Twitter. My guess is all of Lea Salonga's fans from abroad have come out of the woodwork to vote for Allegiance (she has a lot of them!). It's not impossible that someone(s) may be manipulating the results either (through multiple IP/email addresses).

I only say this because if it was a fairer vote, it'd be a bit more distributed, across categories and within categories. It just seems kind of skewed right now.

I'm a fan of Allegiance but I'm not sure if I voted them for any category. I was glad there was a no nominee option for a lot of things (I picked it a lot). But it was fun to pretend my vote mattered!

[ebontoyan]

Posted: 5/15/16 at 1:21pm

This is a fan vote and I suppose Allegiance's fans are coming out.  In the Broadway.com poll when they were calling for nominees, I nominated Allegiance in a few categories. I didn't think it will really matter but voila there were more likeminded people and Allegiance made it to the nominee lists in some categories.  I think this is what's happening with the BWW poll.  Say what you will about being a joke, but this is a fan vote, the People's choice.  At least the fans are supporting this art form.  Anyways when all is said and done, the fans of Hamilton will wake up and vote for them in every category.

I'm a fan of Allegiance.  It was a heartwarming story with message to tell.  Of the 5 shows that opened this year and I've seen my faves are Hamilton and Allegiance. We'll see if Waitress, American Psycho and the Crucible will replace Allegiance when I see them end of May! (I am also seeing Hamilton  #3)

Updated On: 5/15/16 at 01:21 PM

[veronicamae]

Posted: 5/15/16 at 1:27pm

For the record, that's not the Broadway set, OP. The scenic design on the Broadway production was quite breathtaking with the projections and panels.

Also, it's an audience voted contest. Allegiance and its cast encouraging people to vote is no different than Hamilton's massive audience voting for that show. 

Seems a bit silly to get upset about, no?

[dramamama611]

Posted: 5/15/16 at 1:32pm

Well, it's not exactly the same thing: shilling for votes is entirely different than asking your individual fans to go to a sight they don't frequent and vote for a show they likely haven't seen.  So, no, it likely isn't an AUDIENCE voted result.

 

And I don't see anyone upset.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/15/16 at 1:35pm

Does not bother me in the slightest.

[ebontoyan]

Posted: 5/15/16 at 1:43pm

Me neither!  How can it be a fan vote if people cannot encourage their fans to vote for their show??!  Just because you didn't think the show met your (dramamama) requirements doesn't mean you are the authority on the topic! lol lol Now if this were the Tony's or other award giving bodies that will be a different story!  And even there this board disagree on what got nominated etc!@

Updated On: 5/15/16 at 01:43 PM

[veronicamae]

Posted: 5/15/16 at 1:50pm

dramamama611 said: "Well, it's not exactly the same thing: shilling for votes is entirely different than asking your individual fans to go to a sight they don't frequent and vote for a show they likely haven't seen.  So, no, it likely isn't an AUDIENCE voted result."

How is Allegiance and its stars asking its fans to go to a site to vote entirely different than asking your individual fans to go to a sight they don't frequent and vote for a show they likely haven't seen.  ??

I haven't seen George tweet about it, but even if he did - he was in the show, it's based on his experience; why can't he leverage his social audience to the benefit of this essentially meaningless award? Any actor in any show can do this.

This is a straight-up popularity contest, and the fact that anything is even close to beating Hamilton, especially a little show like Allegiance, is refreshing. 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 5/15/16 at 1:58pm

I didn't say anything was wrong with it: just that its different than fans of a show choosing to vote because they are moved to do so.  I'm not the one that said there is a social media presence asking fans to vote, someone else did.   It just points to the fact that these awards are meaningless, as already mentioned.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/15/16 at 2:00pm

I agree with the sentiment in your last paragraph. The Musical part of the Tony's this year are going to be so boring this year as it will be like seeing the winners name in the envelope before it is even opened. Suspense factor will be zero.

[BrockMButler]

Posted: 5/15/16 at 2:17pm

VeronicaMae said:
This is a straight-up popularity contest, and the fact that anything is even close to beating Hamilton, especially a little show like Allegiance, is refreshing.

It definitely is that. To be fair, I've not seen Allegiance. I've only listened to the OBCR and musically I wasn't blown away by it. Nice score but nothing groundbreaking or new was brought to the table IMO. I'm not mad about the results or trying to start a bicker fest. In fact I find it refreshing to see smaller shows celebrated amongst a year where there is one behemoth. Look no further than my avatar for proof of that. I just find it a little disheartening that so many are clearly voting "straight ticket" for one show. It's definitely a dialogue worth having for us theatre lovers. I don't even think most Hamilton fans are voting for it in all categories. (I think I chose it for Best Musical, Score and Acting for Odom & Goldsberry but I definitely spread the wealth) But like you said it's a vote and people are free to vote as they will. I think it really just speaks to how silly these awards have become. In my city, for example, we have a BWW branch that gives audience awards annually. This year, all but one award was given by a large margin to one high school (with an arguably meh program) against all four local community theatres. It was obvious to all that the students had just pimped out the vote. It cheapens the process but if that's how people want to play, it's their right to do so. 

 

Updated On: 5/15/16 at 02:17 PM

[backwoodsbarbie]

Posted: 5/15/16 at 2:58pm

Call it sap if you want, but probably more people than you think like shows that pull at the heartstrings and this one certainly did. Bright Star does the same. Many audience members like emotional stories about families because they can relate to them more than some of the more cerebral shows. 

[gypsy101]

Posted: 5/15/16 at 2:59pm

let's all go vote for something else to overthrow the imbalance!

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/15/16 at 3:03pm

It was the classic David vs Goliath. David (allegiance) did not even have a rock to throw so it was less than a fair fight.

[Margo319]

Posted: 5/15/16 at 3:16pm

I adored this show and kinda resent the title of this thread! :)

[BrockMButler]

Posted: 5/15/16 at 3:19pm

Margo319 said: "I adored this show and kinda resent the title of this thread! :)

 

"

Do you feel better now? :)

[After Eight]

Posted: 5/15/16 at 3:22pm

I found it by far the best musical of the season, and am glad it's getting support in the BWW voting.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/15/16 at 3:26pm

It was a labor of love for Takei & bravo for him getting it on . Having said that, the subject matter was always going to be a hard sell. . Takei's name alone could not bring in people to the box office. They like him on the small screen but many cannot or will not spend money for a Broadway show with him in it. Thankfully ,he only had one song but he was game and got thru it.

[Hariku]

Posted: 5/15/16 at 6:00pm

To see one show obviously stuffing the ballot box invalidates what is already a pretty silly poll.