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re: Tony Awards Administration Committee Meets to Determine Eligibility for 2021-2022 Season
Posted by: FrenchDip 05:08 pm EDT 03/18/22
In reply to: re: Tony Awards Administration Committee Meets to Determine Eligibility for 2021-2022 Season - Singapore/Fling 05:03 pm EDT 03/18/22

She is billed below the title.
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re: Tony Awards Administration Committee Meets to Determine Eligibility for 2021-2022 Season
Posted by: dreamawakening 05:20 pm EDT 03/18/22
In reply to: re: Tony Awards Administration Committee Meets to Determine Eligibility for 2021-2022 Season - FrenchDip 05:08 pm EDT 03/18/22

Hardly anyone is listed above the title these days.
Why didn't they "determine" Katerina Link would be in the leading category?
It never makes sense.
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re: Tony Awards Administration Committee Meets to Determine Eligibility for 2021-2022 Season
Posted by: sirpupnyc 05:25 pm EDT 03/18/22
In reply to: re: Tony Awards Administration Committee Meets to Determine Eligibility for 2021-2022 Season - dreamawakening 05:20 pm EDT 03/18/22

Because it's
KATRINA LENK
PATTI LUPONE
COMPANY

By billing, both would be leading.


The Music Man is
HUGH JACKMAN
in
THE MUSIC MAN
also starring
SUTTON FOSTER

So by billing Sutton would be supporting.
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Another famous example (also from a Meredith Willson show)
Posted by: carolinaguy 08:59 pm EDT 03/18/22
In reply to: re: Tony Awards Administration Committee Meets to Determine Eligibility for 2021-2022 Season - sirpupnyc 05:25 pm EDT 03/18/22

Tammy Grimes won as Featured Actress playing the title character in UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN due to billing.
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but also, look at 1961
Posted by: Chazwaza 11:08 pm EDT 03/18/22
In reply to: Another famous example (also from a Meredith Willson show) - carolinaguy 08:59 pm EDT 03/18/22

Chita Rivera wasn't nominated in leading actress either... in Bye Bye Birdie, Rosie is clearly the female lead with Kim as Featured ("Kim" wasn't nominated for either).

We can easily say Tammy won Featured "due" to billing... but would she have beaten Elizabeth Seal who won the award (for Irma La Douce)
and if not Seal, the other nominees...
Julie Andrews – Camelot
Carol Channing – Show Girl
Nancy Walker – Do Re Mi

I have no idea! In this case I bet she might have, which is too bad.

But in Featured her only other competition because Chita in BBB was Nancy Dussault in Do Re Mi.
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re: Tony Awards Administration Committee Meets to Determine Eligibility for 2021-2022 Season
Last Edit: Chazwaza 07:19 pm EDT 03/18/22
Posted by: Chazwaza 07:17 pm EDT 03/18/22
In reply to: re: Tony Awards Administration Committee Meets to Determine Eligibility for 2021-2022 Season - sirpupnyc 05:25 pm EDT 03/18/22

Does billing someone above the title mean they *must* be nominated in Leading?

/

Does billing someone "below" the title in the playbill (their advertising doesn't count as her below the title, if you're on the billboard and your name is as big as the "star" and as big as the title, just placed under the title for the visual of it... you are still the equivalent of "above the title" for all intents and purposes of what "above the title" means) ... mean they *must* be put in Featured? Or only that they don't have to automatically be put in Leading?
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re: Tony Awards Administration Committee Meets to Determine Eligibility for 2021-2022 Season
Posted by: Singapore/Fling 07:20 pm EDT 03/18/22
In reply to: re: Tony Awards Administration Committee Meets to Determine Eligibility for 2021-2022 Season - Chazwaza 07:17 pm EDT 03/18/22

Yes. Tony eligibility is entirely based on billing.
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re: Tony Awards Administration Committee Meets to Determine Eligibility for 2021-2022 Season
Posted by: twiceroyale 12:16 pm EDT 03/19/22
In reply to: re: Tony Awards Administration Committee Meets to Determine Eligibility for 2021-2022 Season - Singapore/Fling 07:20 pm EDT 03/18/22

with exceptions - Rita Moreno won supporting (though above the title) for THE RITZ
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re: Tony Awards Administration Committee Meets to Determine Eligibility for 2021-2022 Season
Last Edit: Chazwaza 07:34 pm EDT 03/18/22
Posted by: Chazwaza 07:24 pm EDT 03/18/22
In reply to: re: Tony Awards Administration Committee Meets to Determine Eligibility for 2021-2022 Season - Singapore/Fling 07:20 pm EDT 03/18/22

But what about all the stories of producers petitioning actors to be put in counter-intuitive categories to strength their chances of winning (or being nominated even)? Am I confusing the Tonys with other awards? I feel very sure there's a history of this with the Tonys... I mean the committee can rule against the producers' petition, but the producers don't always want the billing to dictate the categorizing, right? And sometimes they win that petition.

-- I guess, now that I'm realizing i misread the Patti ruling, that what I said above does happen, as this is an example of her being default put in Leading due to billing, but the producers petitioning for her to be considered Featured?
OR did the Tony committee independently decide to take her out of the presumed Leading category?
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1999 article on producers’ petitions.
Posted by: kieran 08:26 pm EDT 03/18/22
In reply to: re: Tony Awards Administration Committee Meets to Determine Eligibility for 2021-2022 Season - Chazwaza 07:24 pm EDT 03/18/22

nm
Link NY Times
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re: Tony Awards Administration Committee Meets to Determine Eligibility for 2021-2022 Season
Posted by: dreamawakening 05:39 pm EDT 03/18/22
In reply to: re: Tony Awards Administration Committee Meets to Determine Eligibility for 2021-2022 Season - sirpupnyc 05:25 pm EDT 03/18/22

Sorry, I didn't realize Katrina was above the title.
A little shocked by that but ok!
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re: Tony Awards Administration Committee Meets to Determine Eligibility for 2021-2022 Season
Posted by: Chazwaza 07:22 pm EDT 03/18/22
In reply to: re: Tony Awards Administration Committee Meets to Determine Eligibility for 2021-2022 Season - dreamawakening 05:39 pm EDT 03/18/22

Me too. Katrina, whether you absolutely love her in this or not, is not the main attraction of the show for most people. And I'd think she is less than Patti even. But why would producers want to be obligated to give refunds if either is out that day, but especially if it's Katrina (because she isn't famous like Patti, I mean)?

I'd think they'd be selling it as
STEPHEN SONDEIM'S
Company
starring
Katrina Lenk and Patti Lupone
also starring:
(the cast)
with a book suggested by the work of George Furth

;)
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re: Tony Awards Administration Committee Meets to Determine Eligibility for 2021-2022 Season
Posted by: Thom915 04:30 pm EDT 03/20/22
In reply to: re: Tony Awards Administration Committee Meets to Determine Eligibility for 2021-2022 Season - Chazwaza 07:22 pm EDT 03/18/22

True though on the basis of what sells, I would put Patti's name first before Katrina (I think they were both wonderful) and yes, the "book suggested by George Furth" is spot on. I might add directed by Marianne Elliot. I think she is becoming a saleable name.
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re: Tony Awards Administration Committee Meets to Determine Eligibility for 2021-2022 Season
Posted by: Chazwaza 09:07 pm EDT 03/20/22
In reply to: re: Tony Awards Administration Committee Meets to Determine Eligibility for 2021-2022 Season - Thom915 04:30 pm EDT 03/20/22

"all blame to be directed to" makes more sense to me than "directed by", but I can't deny that she's become one of the star names of this production.
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re: Tony Awards Administration Committee Meets to Determine Eligibility for 2021-2022 Season
Posted by: MockingbirdGirl 05:09 pm EDT 03/18/22
In reply to: re: Tony Awards Administration Committee Meets to Determine Eligibility for 2021-2022 Season - FrenchDip 05:08 pm EDT 03/18/22

Indeed, as per the marquee:
Link Winter Garden marquee
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The marquee / advertising doesn’t count. Only the Playbill (nm).
Posted by: earlybird 05:26 pm EDT 03/18/22
In reply to: re: Tony Awards Administration Committee Meets to Determine Eligibility for 2021-2022 Season - MockingbirdGirl 05:09 pm EDT 03/18/22

Nm
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Sutton Foster is Below the Title in the Playbill (nmi)
Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 05:37 pm EDT 03/18/22
In reply to: The marquee / advertising doesn’t count. Only the Playbill (nm). - earlybird 05:26 pm EDT 03/18/22

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Barbara Cook also was below the title of 'The Music Man' (1957)
Posted by: WaymanWong 08:12 pm EDT 03/18/22
In reply to: Sutton Foster is Below the Title in the Playbill (nmi) - BroadwayTonyJ 05:37 pm EDT 03/18/22

And she won her Tony for Featured Actress for playing Marian in that show.

Above Cook, but also below the title was Robert Preston, but he won his Tony for Best Actor in a Musical.

And in the 2000 Broadway revival, both Craig Bierko and Rebecca Luker were billed above the title.
Link Playbill Vault: 'The Music Man' Playbill (1957)
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re: Barbara Cook also was below the title of 'The Music Man' (1957)
Last Edit: PlayWiz 09:02 pm EDT 03/18/22
Posted by: PlayWiz 09:01 pm EDT 03/18/22
In reply to: Barbara Cook also was below the title of 'The Music Man' (1957) - WaymanWong 08:12 pm EDT 03/18/22

It does say "Starring Robert Preston" though -- isn't that just about as good as being billed above the title for prestige and for Tony purposes? Maybe not as far as having to giving refunds for a no-show star, or has that been legally defined by now?
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That is weird, thanks all! (nmi)
Posted by: Singapore/Fling 06:46 pm EDT 03/18/22
In reply to: Sutton Foster is Below the Title in the Playbill (nmi) - BroadwayTonyJ 05:37 pm EDT 03/18/22

The mind boggles
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how grossly manipulative/misleading of the producers
Posted by: Chazwaza 07:15 pm EDT 03/18/22
In reply to: That is weird, thanks all! (nmi) - Singapore/Fling 06:46 pm EDT 03/18/22

To sell the show, 100% without exception, as starring and giving equal billing in all advertising and billboards to Hugh AND Sutton... and then rely on this f*ckery to make it not necessary to give refunds when Sutton is out ... wow. Lucky for audiences she is almost never out when she's doing a show (at least as far as I recall over the years, and certainly doesn't have a reputation for it)... but still.
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re: That is weird, thanks all! -- I agree
Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 06:51 pm EDT 03/18/22
In reply to: That is weird, thanks all! (nmi) - Singapore/Fling 06:46 pm EDT 03/18/22

I agree and I saw the show in February. I actually did not pay attention to my Playbill at the time. I assumed Sutton was above the title. I had to pull my Playbill out when I read the Tony Committee's decision because, like you, I didn't think it made sense.
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In the 'Company' of unusual billing
Last Edit: WaymanWong 08:44 pm EDT 03/18/22
Posted by: WaymanWong 08:34 pm EDT 03/18/22
In reply to: re: That is weird, thanks all! -- I agree - BroadwayTonyJ 06:51 pm EDT 03/18/22

The 1970 Playbill of ''Company'' appears to put the entire cast above the title; the names run down the left-hand side of the page.

Larry Kert's name tops the list and is the largest one and in bold face. Followed by Barbara Barrie in slightly smaller type size and in bold face.

The other names follow in slightly smaller type size, except for Elaine Stritch, whose name is the same size as Barrie's (but it's not bold-faced).

At Tony time, Elaine Stritch (Joanne) and Susan Browning (April) were nominated for Best Actress.

And Barbara Barrie (Sarah) and Pamela Myers (Marta) were nominated for Featured Actress.

Frankly, all the women in ''Company'' should be in Featured. It made no sense to put Stritch and especially Browning in Leading. April has the ''Barcelona'' scene with Bobby and sings in the ''You Could Drive a Person Crazy'' trio, and that's a Leading role? Go figure.
Link Playbill Vault: 'Company' Playbill (1970)
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re: In the 'Company' of unusual billing
Posted by: lordofspeech 09:52 pm EDT 03/19/22
In reply to: In the 'Company' of unusual billing - WaymanWong 08:34 pm EDT 03/18/22

I suggest that Stritch and Browning were up for Best Leading Actress because they were SO GOOD. i think Broadway expected Brownkng to have quite the career after COMPANY. It was surprising she didn’t. Audiences fell in love with April and her monologue...because Browning was so genuinely innocent. We really wanted her to win Bobby.
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re: In the 'Company' of unusual billing
Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 09:22 am EDT 03/19/22
In reply to: In the 'Company' of unusual billing - WaymanWong 08:34 pm EDT 03/18/22

Very strange billing set-up. Of course, with Larry Kert in the cast, it's not the opening night playbill.

I agree that Bobby is the only lead role in the show. Every other role should be featured.

Although I still enjoy talking about the Tonys and am fascinated by Tony trivia, I have a difficult time taking them seriously. Their history is too flawed.
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