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Should 'Contact' Won The Tony For Best Musical?- Page 2

Should 'Contact' Won The Tony For Best Musical?

Mister Matt Profile Photo
Mister Matt
#25Should CONTACT Have Won The Tony For Best Musical?
Posted: 2/13/14 at 11:54am

It should have been lumped in with the one person shows and other oddities that make up the "special event" category that is trotted out every few years.

There were previous non-competitive special Tony awards given for virtually all varieties of recognition regarding theatre including lifetime achievement, achievement in musical theatre (La Tragedie de Carmen - an opera and Candide revival), long runs (A Chorus Line), revivals (A Moon for the Misbegotten), critics (Brooks Atkinson and Elliot Norton) and even "adding lustre" (Liza Minnelli and Bette Midler). This was a special recognition, not a competitive category with nominations.

From 2001 to 2009, there was the category for Special Theatrical Event (competitive).

Regardless, it's a battle of semantics that will never be won. Die-hard academics and purists believe the term "musical" should be permanently defined and regulated ranging in all aspects from the originality and structure of the book including the amount of spoken dialogue to even the style of acceptable music, but even they cannot agree what those terms should be. And that's not even getting into Tony categories which does a pretty good job at accommodating ever-evolving art forms for which must be dropped into one of two boxes, not only for the sake of the top prize, but every subsequent category. If there is no license to determine ever-growing amount of work produced that does not neatly fall into either box, then should they all be determined ineligible and unrecognized, even if they ran on Broadway and received critical acclaim? Or should they receive a consolation prize by not conforming to the conventions of two forms of theatre, neither of which are a requirement to be defined as a "Broadway" show?

I side with the Tony committee in the case of Contact, just as I did with the case of Movin' Out, La Boheme and Come Fly With Me. While none of them fit the academic definition of "a musical", they are each very much "musical". To the point that the music is the most important element for the production to function. If you want to nitpick the individual aspects of how the music is presented, whether live or recorded, performed by the characters/actors, integrated into the book, etc., leave that up to the subsequent categories. Otherwise, you open the door to deeming revues, sung-through musicals, jukebox musicals, and bio-catalogue musicals ineligible as well. Personally, I'm not conservative enough to negate the evolution of an art form. Best Musical is about the whole, not the parts. That is how I believe Contact received its nomination and ultimately won Best Musical, for which I personally believe it deserved.

In the case of Fosse however, I just thought it wasn't the best of its category(ies).

But I'm so glad someone FINALLY addressed this issue! Even if it was phantomhavelondon.


"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
Updated On: 2/13/14 at 11:54 AM

kyle33nyc Profile Photo
kyle33nyc
#26Should CONTACT Have Won The Tony For Best Musical?
Posted: 2/13/14 at 11:35pm

Honestly, I'd like to see all revues lumped into that category as well. I don't think it is merely "a battle of semantics" but a debate over whether the awards should be used to encourage the creation of new musicals versus crowd-friendly theatrical events that feature music. Money talks, and I know that people on my side of the fence have already lost the battle. Jukebox musicals, film adaptations and star vehicles make much more sense for today's audiences than a new Sondheim or Kander & Ebb show.

broadwayguy2
#27Should CONTACT Have Won The Tony For Best Musical?
Posted: 2/14/14 at 12:26am

I have a few things:
1. The designa in Jerome Robbins' Broadway were original. They were inspired by the previous productions, but believe me, they were new designs in JRB. I thought the new designs for Peter Pan, though inspired by the original, were ugly.
2. Awards are used to recognize whatw as done. Not to ENCOURAGE.
3. Re: jukebox / films / stars vs Kander and Ebb or Sondheim. That is ridiculous. There IS a jukebox musical of Kander and ebb songs AND one from Sondheim, so that negates the hardline to start, let alone that those two teams have wrotten shows based on film and shows that were star vehicles... So.. Really, the distinction is meaningless. A good show is a good show, regardless of structure or source.

blaxx Profile Photo
blaxx
#28Should CONTACT Have Won The Tony For Best Musical?
Posted: 2/14/14 at 2:38am

2. Awards are used to recognize whatw as done. Not to ENCOURAGE

hahahahahaha...wait, let me breathe...hahahahaha

I wouldn't argue much about this point. Those who say any other show "should have won" are either too young or were not around to remember the presence Contact had at the time. It was a no-brainer.


Listen, I don't take my clothes off for anyone, even if it is "artistic". - JANICE

broadwayguy2
#29Should CONTACT Have Won The Tony For Best Musical?
Posted: 2/14/14 at 2:46am

Oh, i agree. However, the post just above mine states that awards should be doled out based on the types / genres of shows and theatre that we would like to encourage and to disprove of others we do not want to see, so apparently some think it IS open for debate. Hahaha.

BobbyBubbi  Profile Photo
BobbyBubbi
#30Should CONTACT Have Won The Tony For Best Musical?
Posted: 2/14/14 at 3:54am

Ehh. 2000 was a slow year.

Mister Matt Profile Photo
Mister Matt
#31Should CONTACT Have Won The Tony For Best Musical?
Posted: 2/15/14 at 8:38pm

Money talks, and I know that people on my side of the fence have already lost the battle.

What battle? What did they lose?

Jukebox musicals, film adaptations and star vehicles make much more sense for today's audiences than a new Sondheim or Kander & Ebb show.

Depends on the show. You do know jukebox musicals, film adaptations and star vehicles have been around a long time, right?

Those who say any other show "should have won" are either too young or were not around to remember the presence Contact had at the time. It was a no-brainer.

This. Contact was a smash hit.


"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian

david_fick Profile Photo
david_fick
#32Should CONTACT Have Won The Tony For Best Musical?
Posted: 2/15/14 at 11:11pm

CONTACT was a smash hit.

It was, and it was a phenomenal dance show. But it was not a musical, should neither have been identified as one not deemed eligible as one for the context of the awards and ultimately should not have been nominated for or won the Tony Awards Best Musical. A classic "Emperor's New Clothes" situation.

I'd have been completely in favour of recognising the show for its brilliance with a special award. But it did not deserve the Tony Award for Best Musical and that has nothing to do with how good CONTACT; it has to do with the fact that it is not a musical.


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