The Tony Awards ceremony is always one of the best of the award shows because there’s actual entertainment in it. Production numbers from the musicals are way more fun to watch than Lady Gaga practically going down on Bradley Cooper during their Oscarcast number. Tony winners tend to be wittier than their film or TV counterparts as well. Some genuine laughs and fewer shout-outs to agents.
So you would think the Tony Awards would get decent numbers. It doesn’t. It gets dreadful numbers. And why? Simple. 99% of the country hasn’t seen one of the nominated shows nor even knows what they are.
The musical that got the highest number of nominations is HADESTOWN. Ever hear of it? If you think the Oscars has a problem…
So there’s no rooting interest. At least on the Oscars or Emmys if something wins you’re not familiar with you can go to your favorite Cineplex or ON DEMAND and catch it the next day. THE FERRYMAN is a great play I’m told. If it wins and you’re in Portland and you don’t happen to have a New York trip scheduled for late June the chances are real good you will never see it. So as a viewer why even take note of it?
It seems silly to really “analyze” the nominations since so few of you know who the nominees are and even fewer of you care. But I do want to highlight a few points.
If ever there was a lock, Elaine May will deservedly win Best Actress for THE WAVERLY GALLERY. She gave one of the most thrilling performances I’ve ever seen in the theatre.
I don’t understand the Tony love for the musical THE PROM. Falling for the hype I saw it and was dumbfounded by how trite and clichéd and on-the-nose obvious it was. Take the worst flaming gay jokes from WILL & GRACE and rejected songs from MEAN GIRLS then add unearned cringeworthy sentimentality and that’s THE PROM.
And finally, I’m surprised by the snubs for TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD and NETWORK. Both are excellent. And both are popular. Broadway is well aware of the recognition problem they face as evidenced by all the franchises, reboots, jukebox musicals, and known stars they can put up on marquees in a desperate attempt to attract general audiences. So either snub all of them for their gross commercialization or none. Why snub two of the very best written plays this season? The MOCKINGBIRD snub was clearly a dig at Aaron Sorkin. Sour grapes. Yes, he’s a personality who knows how to self-promote, but he also delivers the goods. And he attracts audiences. Isn’t that what you want?
Here’s the typical timeline for Best Play nominees: They’re all excellent, they’re all highly dramatic, they all close due to lack of interest.
So when you get a couple of plays that are highly dramatic and popular, those are the ones you snub? Seems very petty.
Look, there used to be dozens of straight plays mounted every Broadway season. Now there are very few. For the high cost of a ticket many theatergoers would rather see a musical. They opt for the spectacle and songs tossed in. As a playwright, I’m often asked if my ultimate goal is to get a play on Broadway. No. I write comedies instead of message plays about gender identification so that’s two strikes right there, and I know the only way I’ll get something on Broadway is if I attach one or two (or four) big stars. I don’t know Bryan Cranston well enough to pick up the phone. I’ve never been to a Dodger game with Jeff Daniels. But that’s fine. Give me regional and community theatres that will mount decent productions and audiences that laugh and have a good time and I am totally happy. But Broadway needs to keep straight plays as part of their season. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD and NETWORK were big steps in the right direction. They both deserved to be celebrated not snubbed.
That said, congratulations to all the shows and artists who were nominated. The Tony Awards air on CBS on June 9. I’ll still be watching, except during THE PROM production number.
It's too bad that there is no longer a national showcase for Broadway. You'd think they'd want to create awareness of their productions among the public at large, but I guess all the spin-offs sell themselves for ticket prices that would buy a kidney elsewhere and that's enough money for them. Back in the day, though, Ed Sullivan could make anyone with a television feel they had a taste of the Great White Way. After Elvis performed, you'd get to see an extended number by the original cast of THE MOST HAPPY FELLA followed by a tap-dancing seal.
ReplyDeleteSome feel that no matter how good an adaptation may be, all the characters and story have already been provided.
ReplyDeleteDoes that deserve the Best Play Tony?
I would have loved to have been around when someone like Neil Simon had *four shows* running at the same time on Broadway.
ReplyDeleteI would suggest that the Mockingbird snub was actually a dig at Scott Rudin, not Sorkin, for the ridiculous stunt he pulled taking away the Mockingbird rights to local productions (see https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/28/theater/scott-rudin-mockingbird-broadway.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share). One of the big problems with the Tony Awards is that there’s no separate award for playwrighting, just the one Best Play award that’s meant to be shared by both the playwright and producers. It seems unfair considering that musicals have separate Best Score and Best Book Awards. I’m surprised that writers haven’t fought more vocally for a separate playwrighting award, since certainly there are scripts that are deserving of recognition when perhaps the production as a whole is not.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought about this before, but I can see your point. I've never seen a show on Broadway, though that's on my bucket list, but I used to see more shows locally and a lot them were passing through after being Broadway hits. Now, maybe I just don't pay as much attention, but I rarely hear about "must see" shows anymore and the ones I do are revivals. Is it possible that the theater is going through a "highbrow" phase and distaining popularity? Every art media seems to go through that periodically.
ReplyDeleteFor me, the value of the Tonys is familiarity with the plays and musicals. When they come to Schenectady, I can say, "Oh, I know what Memphis/The Band's Visit/Evan Hansen is about."
ReplyDeleteI have a play/musical...I need a co-writer... thebobsluys@gmail.com. 30 seconds of your time? ��
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that the same people who complain about reboots in movies and TV are diehard supporters of revival in live theatre. Seems like a double standard to me.
ReplyDelete"So when you get a couple of plays that are highly dramatic and popular, those are the ones you snub? Seems very petty."
ReplyDeleteThat brings to mind the folks who decide the nominations for the documentary category at the Oscars. "Three Identical Strangers," a strong film I am still thinking about, was overlooked. As was the popular film about Fred Rogers, "Won't You Be My Neighbor"
I cracked up when Trump supporters vowed to boycott Hamilton because Mike Pence was booed by the audience when he attended a performance. Yeah, because Trump supporters were planning to see Hamilton anyway, right?! Lol!
ReplyDeleteMaybe if Smokey and the Bandit III gets a stage adaptation with music by Toby Keith, they'll go to the theatre.
Adapting another's work is a lot more than simply coasting on someone else's story and character. I've read submissions by writers whose results were best described as amateur taxidermy. They goofed around with surface elements but clearly didn't grasp the message of the source material or the key points that had to be included in any recreation. More than half the time they weren't even interpreting the original at all, merely reducing it to something THEY could understand, which typically meant twisting the plot into the exact opposite of what the first author intended.
ReplyDeleteAnd even when trying to maintain fidelity, there are pitfalls you may not expect. Veteran screenwriter Marguerite Roberts wrote the script for the 1969 version of Charles Portis's novel TRUE GRIT. Now, Portis is a brilliant comic writer, and the stylized dialogue in that book is a total delight. When dramatizing the story, Roberts perfectly captured the cadence of the characters' speech, and practically everyone who read her adaptation thought it was one of the best screenplays they'd ever read.
The exception to this universal approval was Charles Portis himself, who said, "No, no, no! The Characters in the story didn't ACTUALLY speak that way! You have to understand that the entire narrative is told through the voice of this crazy old woman remembering the big adventure of her childhood!" But the studio kept the dialogue as both Portis and Roberts wrote it, and I for one would have been sorely disappointed if the conversations had become as mundane as they presumably were in reality. Those are the choices that an adapter has to make.
Went to visit a friend in NYC early 90s and he got tickets to see Blue Man Group at an Off-Broadway theater just as they were starting to get some recognization. I didn't really want him to spend any money on me [I knew things were a little tight for him] but I figured Off-Broadway, couldn't be that bad. I was wrong......$75 bucks apiece for the cheap seats, so $225 for tickets and then add in the cost of subway fare, eating out, etc. probably was well north of $350. I blew a gasket! [Would've blown a seal, but Kip Addotta is using that joke.] While they put on a good show what I remembered most was coming out of the theater to find several outraged people who discovered their cars had been broken into and had radios and other stuff stolen out of them. Welcome to New York City! While I'd like to see more Broadway plays when they come to my area, the tickets are way out of my price range. Sure, I could spring for the cheap seats but they're usually located in the basement in a men's room stall behind a concrete column next to the smelly drunk who's barfing up the roadkill he consumed earlier that day.
ReplyDelete@ Peter
ReplyDeleteThey'll only go if they're allowed to bring their own beer.
I haven't seen Hadestown, but I love the recording of the songs. Anaïs Mitchell's songs are wonderful.
ReplyDeleteThis happens to me much too often.
ReplyDeleteI had a comment all written out, tapped the wrong button and accidentally erased it. So, rather than rewrite it here's a digest.
Not a fan of theater, (re, if you prefer) never have been. Especially the Broadway musical. Political correctness prevents me from saying why.
The only theatre (er, if you prefer) I've seen lately are Ken's plays. And to be honest if I didn't personally know him I probably wouldn't go at all.
Maybe if there was a Theatre Channel more people might be interested in plays. Although, when PBS shows plays I usually don't watch.
The New York institution that I'm most concerned with is WALL STREET. As I write this the DOW is down almost 600 points.
M.B.
BTW, Mia Farrow was originally signed to play Mattie in TRUE GRIT, but dropped out when Robert Mitchum warned her what a bastard Henry Hathaway was to work with. John Wayne suggested that the producers cast Karen Carpenter in the role instead.
ReplyDeleteOf the few shows I have seen in New York, on broadway, the one thing that I can remember is how bad the theatres were.
ReplyDeleteSeats that make the airlines Moo (cattle car) class seem spacious, poor acoustics for all but the few up front, narrow aisles and total lack of legroom ( I am 6'2")
This is true in other places as well I remember seeing Evita in what, at the time was the new, ( Want to say Chandler Pavillion?) theatre in L.A. and the acoustics were terrible in a town where i assume one cannot swing a cat with out hitting an acoustical engineer.
I do enjoy live theatre and have been periphally involved in my younger days but I sometimes get the impression that many of the attendees are just "punching" their social ticket.
ps. as a sidelight I have recently come to the conclusion that Mom is just the Gilmore Girls redone for those on lower socisl status. Much like All in the Family and even original "Roseanne" brought tv sit coms back to the semi realistic milleau of the Honeymooners atc as reaction to shows such as Donna Reed, Bring up beaver, ozzie and Harriet etc.
How bout a crossover/ spin off where Christy, after she get law license joins Rory Gilmore's law firm.
Who's Tony?
ReplyDeleteAs much as I enjoyed seeing Bryan Cranston on Broadway, Network wasn't nearly as compelling or coherent on stage as it was on film.
ReplyDeleteThe Prom was cute. It's not like you can think of another musical this year that should have been nominated in its place.
Those who haven't seen it might be interested in Mark Evanier's recent "Tonys" post.
ReplyDeleteTwice a year, CBS takes the ratings hit and carries shows that recall the "Tiffany Network" days. One is the Tonys and the other is the Kennedy Center honors. The latter usually features at least one performer America has heard of (Cher, Gloria Estefan, Steve Martin), but it's right around Christmas and I don't know if the audience is any larger.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised to see that Glenda Jackson wasn't nominated for a Tony. Since she's playing King Lear, they probably couldn't decide which category to put her in.
@E. Yarber: "John Wayne suggested that the producers cast Karen Carpenter in the role instead."
ReplyDeleteThis is implausible. True Grit was released in June 1969; the Carpenters' (not very popular) first album featuring "Ticket to Ride" was released in October 1969, and they weren't well known until the "Close to You" single in the summer of 1970. What are the chances that Wayne had not only heard of Karen Carpenter but had formed an opinion of her as a potential actor?
I quote from Nancy Schoenberger's WAYNE AND FORD, published by Doubleday 2017, Page 181:
ReplyDelete"For the bold and strong-minded role of Mattie Ross, Mia Farrow was the director's first choice, until Robert Mitchum, who had just worked with the actress in SECRET CEREMONY, convinced Farrow that Henry Hathaway would prove too ornery a director for her. Duke suggested another singer with no acting experience--the tragic Karen Carpenter, an early sufferer of anorexia--and he even wanted his daughter Aissa to be considered for the part, but Wallis rejected those ideas. The role was then offered to two delicate blondes, Tuesday Weld and Sondra Locke, both of whom turned it down. So a relative Unknown, Kim Darby, was cast as Mattie..."
However, checking Schoenberger's notes at the end of the book, I do have to admit that there is a total gap of sources from pgs. 178 to 184, as can be confirmed for anyone who wants to check pg. 225.
Regarding the story of Kim Carpenter's possible casting in True Grit: Before the Carpenters released their albums or had any hit songs, they were featured on the variety program The All-American College Show. The lore is that John Wayne saw one of those appearances, which is what inspired him to suggest Kim Carpenter for the role (which obviously didn't happen.)
ReplyDeleteI hope that you travel to New York again soon because I would love to hear your take on Tootsie. The reviews praised the Book more than the music. (By coincidence, Elaine May-your choice for Best Actress-was one of the writers brought in to contribute to the Tootsie movie.) It appears that the team behind Tootsie focused the story on the key element that Larry Gelbart brought to the script. At first, I too was surprised by the snubs for Mockingbird & Network. But now I sort of understand it. Network more so than Mockingbird. Both were critically acclaimed movies. It would be strange to see Network win the award for Best Play and have Lee Hall accept the award without Paddy Chayefsky's name also included. Aaron Sorkin's work on TKAM was more original but still owes a lot to Horton Foote's amazing adapted screenplay.
ReplyDeleteFrom IMDB:
ReplyDeleteIn 1968, John Wayne was a judge on "Your All-American College Show", a syndicated talent show for young college students. Singer Karen Carpenter, along with her brother Richard Carpenter, who had not yet struck gold as the recording duo "The Carpenters", were competing on the show that week as "The Dick Carpenter Trio". Wayne was so impressed with Karen's effervescent personality, that he wanted her for the role of Mattie. However, according to Carpenter's family, the film's producers wanted to go with a name actress, and not a singer who, at the time, was virtually unknown.
"Who's Tony?"
Named for director Antoinette Perry.
OT but Broadway-related: Anybody who hasn't seen Fosse/Verdon on FX needs to find the first ep and start immediately. The fifth ep was last night and I think there are 8 total. If Michelle Williams gets snubbed for an Emmy I'll be shocked. She gives an amazing performance.
ReplyDeleteWell, it appears there are a number of sources - including a Karen Carpenter biography available at Google Books - that repeat the claim that John Wayne was a guest judge on Your All-American College Show. But he was a huge star by comparison to other judges whose names I've found online (Tammy Grimes, Leigh Taylor-Young, Rose Marie, Bill Bixby, Wally Cox), so perhaps, if he indeed wanted her to audition, he'd simply seen her on TV instead. In any case, there's lots of unreliable information out there (entertainment-related and otherwise).
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the background info concerning the All-American show. Given the subject of today's post, it's rather inspiring to remember that The Carpenters got early visibility through a contest and went on to bigger things.
ReplyDeleteTwo of the stars of the original True Grit repeated in another Portis film, Norwood
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