If they ended up not giving one in 1962-1963, when candidates included A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, She Loves Me, Oliver!. Stop the World, Little Me and Tovarich . . .
I think it's good for them to sometimes not give an award if the overall feeling is that nothing is especially deserving. Sometimes we may later look back in puzzlement, as we may at 1963-63, but so what? The world moves on.
In this case, I would think that part of the problem is that they would have had to move to a weighted ballot, and most of the critics could not come up with three musicals they felt merited any sort of vote. I still think it was a mistake for the Circle to switch to it being necessary for a play or musical to receive an outright majority on the first ballot, but that boat sailed 52 years ago.
Anyway, in 1963-63 a simple plurality was all that was needed. No one abstained in the voting for best musical. The voting ended up with six for Forum, five for Oliver!, four for She Loves Me, two for Stop the World, and one each for Little Me and Tovarich. They certainly could have just given it to Forum but they didn't.
Does anyone think this season's group of potential winners is comparable? |
