Will LuPone GYPSY be eligible for any awards?

[JBSinger]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 11:39am

Does anyone know if the LuPone/Encores GYPSY will be eligible for any of the NYC awards? It is a fully staged production, but I wasn't sure about the theatre's eligibility for anything.
Drama Desk?
Off-Bway awards?

please advise.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 12:11pm

The Tonys have recognized City Center as a Broadway house before (that was a long time ago), but I can't see them changing their rules this time around JUST for LuPone.

I imagine that the show would be up for Drama Desks, etc. - but there are other people on here that, I'm sure, know more about it than I.

[kissmycookie]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 12:17pm

The Tonys haven't recognized any of the Encores! productions, nor have the Drama Desk or the Obies. 'Gypsy' is being produced under the auspices of Encores!

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 12:29pm

Barring an unprecedented ruling on behalf of the Tony Administration Committee I doubt that this GYPSY production will be eligible for consideration for any of the Tonys. For the Tonys, only shows in Broadway eligible houses can be nominated and City Center isn't an eligible house (and has rarely been ruled on in the past -- the last time was a couple of decades ago). Also, the Tonys have never recognized Encores! shows in the past and this is simply a longer running Encores show. Now, I suppose City Center could petition the Administration Committee to make a special exception for this production and make it eligible (and remember that if they do that, they have to also be willing to hand out 1500 comps for the show -- a pair for each of the 750 Tony voters -- which frankly I'm not sure would in their budget for such a limited engagement) and see what happens. Somehow I doubt the committee would go for it, but you never know.

I suppose the various critics awards could do what they want to (as critics, they're all going to be comped and see the show anyway, so it wouldn't be a big deal for them to make the show eligible for consideration). We'll see.

Updated On: 4/13/07 at 12:29 PM

[LuPonatic]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 1:12pm

Why did they make an acception two decades ago?

[sally1112]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 1:29pm

The more important question is will she be robbed again??!!

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 1:32pm

They made EXCEPTIONS for:

THE MUSIC MAN, 1980
GUYS AND DOLLS, 1965
WEST SIDE STORY, 1964
PAL JOEY, 1963
BRIGADOON, 1963
THE MOST HAPPY FELLA, 1959
CAROUSEL, 1957
FINIAN'S RAINBOW, 1955

Updated On: 4/13/07 at 01:32 PM

[GYPSY1527]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 2:24pm

The "I'm F$%*ing Patti LuPone" award. No, I highly doubt it.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 2:32pm

I honestly don't get all the hype over her doing this role. I saw her do it and the most entertaining part of the entire night was seeing 500 Queens wet themselves every time she opened her mouth.
To me the show was "A Patti LuPone production of a Patti LuPone show starring Patti LuPone as Patti LuPone in GYPSY".

I'm just waiting for the day when Donna Murphy can sink her teeth into that role.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 2:39pm

What was so great about it was that it was BARELY a staged production, she didn't have much rehearsal, and the whole thing came together flawlessly - and LuPone proved, finally, that this is a role she needs to play.

[Luckydave14]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 2:41pm

I doubt they would care about being eligible for awards as they run is ending at the end of July and come Tony time almost a year later, it won't make a difference to sales if it wins a few awards or not as the show will be long gone.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 2:44pm

Right, which is why the whole question is kind of pointless.

Though, it would be nice for them to give her a special Tony for adding "lustre to the season." They gave it to Liza for that reason.

And this could be her Tony in lieu of last year's homocide.

[JBSinger]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 2:52pm

Thanks everybody. I realize that it is an Encore's production, but I was under the impression that this would be fully staged, non-concert version of the show. Which, to me, would make it separate from the Encores Concert series (which I knew was ineligible).

I was just thinking that Elaine Paige was given a nod for her Mrs. Lovett up at NYCO (Drama Desk, I think) and I would think that Patti could get one too.
I just love some LuPone and was just wondering.
ciao.

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 3:23pm

It seems to me that if this is produced on a standard Broadway production contract, it may be deemed eligible for the Tonys. I'm pretty sure it's going to have to be on a different contract than the regular Encores shows are. While City Center is not considered a Broadway house, I don't know of any reason for it not to be considered one if a show is produced there under a Broadway contract.

The truth is that Variety and the Best Plays annuals always considered City Center productions in the old days to be Broadway productions. The people who run ibdb seem to believe that they weren't considered Broadway productions, but I question their reasoning. In any case, City Center productions did sometimes get nominated for Tonys, as has been noted.

And I think there really would be no reason at all for the production not to be considered for the Drama Desks.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 3:32pm

And as for them losing money by having to comp all the Tony voters "and guest", I have a feeling Patti would take out her check book and take care of that in one little swipe of her pen if it came down to it.

Also, just to reiterate what I said at the time to all the people who marveled at how Patti was able to pull off Rose at Ravinia with so little rehearsal...SHE HAS BEEN REHEARSING THIS ROLE HER ENTIRE LIFE! (And she was brilliant!)

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 4:11pm

Well, IBDB is actually RUN by the League of American Theatres and Producers which also co-founded and co-produces the Tony Awards every year (with the American Theatre Wing), so one would think they would know which shows and theaters were considered eligible for Tony consideration throughout the years. City Center revivals have only been deemed eligible for the Tonys those 8 times that Munk listed above. Whether it is found eligible again for this revival remains to be seen.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 4:37pm

I honestly don't get all the hype over her doing this role. I saw her do it and the most entertaining part of the entire night was seeing 500 Queens

Jordan Catalano is a homophobe--and a Patti-phobe!

I demand he be FIRED from BroadwayWorld.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 4:39pm

Don't be so judgemental, PJ - perhaps it was a Royal Gala at the Ravinia the night Jordan attended.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 4:45pm

:) You crack me up, PalJoey.

Unlike most gay men, I just don't salivate over LuPone.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 4:51pm

I don't know where you make these things up.

"Most" gay men do NOT salivate over Patti LuPone.

Gay men salivate over other gay men.

Patti LuPone fans salivate over Patti LuPone.

If you did a survey of self-identified gay men across the United States, relatively few of them would even know the names of Patti Lupone...or Bernadette Peters...or even Donna Murphy.

All that said, you couldn't be more wrong about Patti's performance as Rose.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 4:53pm

Hey, I was just stating my opinion which I know is wrong. Sometimes I forget where I am...

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 5:02pm

Yeah, but there are mistakes on ibdb. (Though at least a few less since I e-mailed them about a few.) I really don't buy their reasoning about the City Center productions, sorry. I think they were under Broadway contracts, and it seems to me that that's what counts. Clearly, it did for Variety.

And when you consider that they include plenty of productions that weren't under Broadway contracts, well, their reasoning makes no sense to me.

Basically, ibdb says that the old City Center productions weren't eligible . . . except when they were. Even though they were under the same contract in the same theatre.


Updated On: 4/13/07 at 05:02 PM

[Dollypop]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 5:45pm

Didn't Melissa Errico get nominated for her performance in Encores! ONE TOUCH OF VENUS?

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 4/13/07 at 6:00pm

Not for a Tony. Encores productions have definitely not been eligible for Tonys.

But I'm guessing (perhaps wrongly) that Gypsy will be under a different contract than past Encores productions have been, and that might create an issue where one did not exist before. I think the Tony committee may have to rule on this (presuming Gypsy is on a Broadway contract).

[Producer2]

Posted: 4/15/07 at 11:12pm

If you make an exception for Patti at Encores, than what about Annie at MSG?