Its not a different play. It’s a different version of the same play, just as many plays and musicals are subjected to drastic changes through their development process, or through revised versions over the years - or in the case of many of the classics, cutting re-cut, re-translated, and/or re-interpret with every iteration.
Is this a more extreme version of that? In some ways, yes. Most plays don’t get cut in half when they get edited (although that might happen with some of the more extreme cuts of Shakespeare plays). But also, it’s effectively the same production, in the sense that the direction, staging, and design are the same (albeit with some tweaks for logistics, I’m sure). And the production is what received most of the awards. Technically, Jack Thorne was awarded for his script when the production won “Best Play,” but we all know it didn’t really win for its script. So in that sense, it’s just as disingenuous to call it the “best play” of 2018 now as it was before.
Also, there’s precedent for shows making major script changes after Tony season is long past, including several of Disney’s shows. But they’re still allowed to advertise their awards because it the same production, just with changes. It’s not a new production. Again - is this a more extreme case? Yes. But it’s still the same category of change. |
