Decades ago, Drama-Logue in Los Angeles had what I still think is the only sensible policy: rather than singling out one or two performers as "the best" (which is both impossible and, sometimes, idiotic), every reviewer was free to give out as many awards as they saw fit. While this meant there were literally dozens of awards in each category, the important point was that good work was recognized and honored. (There were, of course, ramifications to this. I saw a show in London where one of the actors had winning a Drama-Logue Award for Best Actor in his bio, never noting that he was probably one of 20 or 30 winners in his year.)
I don't expect that, given the culture's love of ranking and declaring anything the "best" or the "worst," that kind of thinking will ever become mainstream, but it has always struck me as the only sensible way to do it. Give prizes for Lead Performance or Supporting Performance and be done with it. |
