| re: 1985: The year they didn't give Tonys for Best Actor and Actress in a Musical | |
| Posted by: tmdonahue (tmdonahue@yahoo.com) 05:49 pm EDT 04/06/18 | |
| In reply to: re: 1985: The year they didn't give Tonys for Best Actor and Actress in a Musical - WaymanWong 09:41 am EDT 04/06/18 | |
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| The only written source I have is the Rules and Regulations for the Tony Awards from the 2015-2016 season. Those rules may not have been used before and may not apply this season. At that time, the rules described an original musical, instead of a revival, as "substantially" new material. "La Plume de Ma Tante" was all new. So was "Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope." Jerome Robbins' Dancin'" was all revived dances, old material. There is not book credit; the cast has no character names; the music is all existing before the show began. The producer's of "Dancin'" may have been aware of the issue, as they ostentatiously subtitled the show, "A New Musical Entertainment." "Ain't Misbehavin'" is somewhere in between. The music is all old as is most of the lyrics. Maybe 30 percent of the lyrics are new, to be generous. There is no book, per se, although there is a broadly-characterized relationship among the five "characters" on stage. I think people would disagree, but the benefit of the doubt is that "Ain't Misbehavin'" was a new musical. In 1995, "Smokey Joe's Cafe" was ruled by the Administration Committee, although all the songs are pre-existing and there is no book. SJC was nominated for best musical. Otherwise "Sunset Blvd," the only original musical on Broadway that season, could not have been voted on by the Nominating Committee nor the Tony Voters. Remember there is a part, a BIG part, of the Tonys that is for marketing Broadway, the road, and NYC. In sum, I think I was wrong: a revue can be a new musical. But a revue that is made-up of old material shouldn't qualify. But the Administration Committee of the Tony Awards is the real power behind the awards. The power of the Nomination Committee and the Tony Voters pale in comparison. And folks can grouse, but the Administration Committee makes the meaningful decisions. |
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