I see both sides of this argument...a joint nomination negates the whole message of SIDE SHOW, which is that these are two separate characters with their own needs and dreams, etc, but I agree that it would have been tough to separate the performances since Ripley and Skinner were constantly working in tandem.
But I wonder if the nominators that season decided to be practical about it and nominate Ripley and Skinner together to save a slot for another actress (who turned out to be Betty Buckley) because, together or separately, Ripley and Skinner were not going to win anyway. SIDE SHOW was long gone by Tony season and two of that season's 3 big hits (CABARET and RAGTIME) yielded incredible performances from their leading ladies and it was almost certain that either Natasha Richardson or Marin Mazzie would win. It was a way to honor their incredible feat, without actually changing the outcome of the awards and without denying a nomination to another deserving actress who was also not going to win. So...Yay!...everybody wins, including the actual winner, Natasha Richardson. |
