Why would Cinderella be considered a Revival?

[Knowitall]

Posted: 3/11/13 at 12:03pm

It has never played on Broadway before. Isn't that the criteria for Best Musical?

Updated On: 3/11/13 at 12:03 PM

[Wynbish]

Posted: 3/11/13 at 12:04pm

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?thread=1057396#4386774

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 3/11/13 at 12:05pm

Because it's as old as the hills!

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 3/11/13 at 12:17pm

Classics and established works are often - though not always - considered revivals even when they haven't been on Bdwy before. At least when they haven't arrived on Bdwy during or immediately after their first incarnation elsewhere. Most recently, for instance, Wit, was considered a revival. In my opinion this only makes sense as to use a clear cut example, a 500 year old play whiich has never been on Broadway is not a new work and it makes a great deal more sense ofr it compete as a revival or classic, at least when it's a play that has been performed before (as opposed to a newly discovered play that was hiding in Richard III's crypt).

There is also the separate issue of whether this Cinderella has been substantially altered from its standard form to perhaps qualify as a knew work. For instance, Nice Work was considered a new musical even though it's a reworked Oh, Kay (same characters, same story more or less, much of the same score) with a brand new title.

In other words, the rule will be whatever the Committee decides - "legal realism" aka it is whatever it's determined to be.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 3/11/13 at 12:45pm

Too bad knowing it all doesn't mean knowing to check an existing thread.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 3/11/13 at 1:44pm

Phyllis, if that was for me, I didn't start the thread. I was just trying to provide an answer. I understand why it might be advisable to check to see if there is a thread before starting a new one. Once the replicated thread is started, however, I don't see anything wrong with tryiing to answer a question someone has asked.

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 3/11/13 at 1:57pm

Henrik, I'm sure Phyllis was referring to the OP, whose screen name is Knowitall.

From the official Tony Eligibility rules (which are posted online for anyone to read):

2.g. Classics. A play or musical that is determined by the Tony Awards Administration Committee (in its sole discretion) to be a “classic” or in the historical or popular repertoire shall not be eligible for an Award in the Best Play or Best Musical category but may be eligible in the appropriate Best Revival category, if any, provided it meets all other eligibility requirements set forth in these Rules.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 3/11/13 at 2:13pm

Henrik, I'm sure Phyllis was referring to the OP, whose screen name is Knowitall.

Seriously.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 3/11/13 at 3:34pm

Ah, sorry, I didn't pay attention to OP's avatar name and having gone on and on in my post, thought I was being called out on being pedantic.

Nevermind.

[PatrickDennis92]

Posted: 3/11/13 at 5:22pm

I don't want to start a fight; I'm genuinely curious-- if a work is substantially altered in the way Cinderella was, even if it had previously played Broadway, would it have a shot at being considered a new work?

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 3/11/13 at 7:34pm

It really depends. A lot of posters here like to point out how Crazy for You is just a reworked Girl Crazy and was dubbed a new musical. However, if you actually go and read a synopsis of Girl Crazy then you would see that they went beyond just reworking/updating the script. For Crazy for You many songs were dropped, many more added in. Characters were dropped, added in, and renamed, and the story really retained only the faintest resemblance to the story of Girl Crazy.

On the other hand you had Flower Drum Song. It had an entirely new script, but retained pretty much all of the original score (I think it was only one song that was dropped) and restored one song that had been cut from the original production and one song from Pipe Dream, but hardly the massive cutting/interpolation that had been done for Crazy for You. It also followed along the same themes of the original production, but attempted to avoid the caricatures/racism that were part of the original script.

So basically, it's a crap shoot and all we can do is guess how the nominating committee will rule (though my money is on Cinderella being ruled a revival, with its new script being eligible for Best Book, like David Henry Hwang's was for Flower Drum Song).

[Jonwo]

Posted: 3/11/13 at 7:52pm

Wasn't Me and My Girl considered a new musical back in the 80s even though the show itself was 50 years old? Both Wit and Little Shop of Horrors were revivals for their Broadway productions even neither of them had run on Broadway.

[chewy5000]

Posted: 3/11/13 at 11:23pm

The current rules only really came into place following the controversy over shows like Tommy and State Fair being considered as new in the 90s