A Tony voter speaks: I'm not voting for Neil Patrick Harris- Page 2

[Will42]

Posted: 6/4/14 at 2:10pm

Reminds me of those Oscar voters ballots that The Hollywood Reporter we doing past season. So depressing. Those people have no business voting.

[NYadgal]

Posted: 6/4/14 at 2:20pm

Michael Musto made that entire interview up.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 6/4/14 at 2:22pm

If Audra had been nominated as best actress in a musical, we'd be hearing complaints about that instead of about her being nominated as best actress in a play. The theoretical complaints would be as equally valid and as equally invalid as the current ones.

"If CONTACT is a "musical", than LADY DAY sure as hell is."

Jordan, I don't understand the logic of that at all. Care to elaborate?

I do, however, understand the logic in this:

"If PIAF is a play; LADY DAY is certainly a play."

But CONTACT and PIAF aside, I can see people thinking of LADY DAY as a musical, because so much of it is singing, or as a play, because all the singing is "on stage" singing in the same space/time continuum as the non-singing "on stage" action.

It's not as if there's an exact science of what is a play and what is a musical when it comes to shows like LADY DAY.

In PIAF all the singing wasn't "on stage" singing at least "on stage" in the same space/time continuum as the non-singing action (most of which wasn't "on stage" action) and the Tony's still considered it a play.

CONTACT has no singing but it is all music and dancing and, if I'm not mistaken, none of the action is "on stage" at all.

It is what it is. Tony Legal Realism 101.

[Jamie Pierce]

Posted: 6/4/14 at 2:25pm

When are Tony ballots due? Shouldn't they be in by now?

[PalJoey]

Posted: 6/4/14 at 2:25pm

Michael Musto made that entire interview up.

I agree. It has much more of an air of badly written fiction than it does of a theater professional's confessional.

It has the same air of bad fiction that some of the notorious sock puppets of BWW do...

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 6/4/14 at 2:42pm

I agree this all sounds made up. And I will go to my grave fighting the theory that BRIDGES closing will cost Kelli the award. It closed just 2 weeks ago and all the voters had a chance to see it. If Jesse wins (and she might,) it's because voters enjoyed her more or they are swept up in making a "star" of a lesser known, fresher (very talented) Actress. I'm still team Kelli.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 6/4/14 at 2:54pm

Don't shows that fail and close early typically cost the performers in the production a Tony?

[Joviedamian]

Posted: 6/4/14 at 2:57pm

"Michael Musto made that entire interview up."

I have to agree 100%. This sounds like him talking. When I read the answers to the questions, I can here him saying this out-loud in my head. Besides, if I am not mistaken, Tony Voters are not allowed (though I am sure many do),to talk about their votes and thoughts on productions/performances etc, until after the Tonys. I have a friend who is a Tony voter and I always ask this person their thoughts and opinions after this person sees shows, and they always tells me "Honey, you know I am not allowed to comment on what I see; to you or the public". I respect this person for that!

[chanel]

Posted: 6/4/14 at 3:00pm

Yes, and that's why the voter gave the interview anonymously. That's quite clear.

[musikman]

Posted: 6/4/14 at 3:01pm

TONY ballots are due on Friday at the accounting firm that tallies the votes. The last available performance that can be seen by voters is tomorrow evening.

[HorseTears]

Posted: 6/4/14 at 3:14pm

Aw. I love Musto. I'd hate to think he faked this interview. Is it not possible that there is a voter out there this clueless? Perhaps it's one of those proverbial road voters who isn't as attuned to the NY scene?

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/4/14 at 3:25pm

I worked for a Tony voter 20 years ago whose attitude was not only like this person's, but even worse. It sadly would not surprise me if this were a real interview. I think it's only worth printing to highlight the disconnect between the intent of the awards and those allowed to vote.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 6/4/14 at 3:31pm

I also don't think chanel should defend Michael Musto while pretending to not be Michael Musto.

[darquegk]

Posted: 6/4/14 at 4:05pm

It sounds to me like based on the comments given, the leaked Tony voter is obviously After Eight.

[Playbilly]

Posted: 6/4/14 at 4:45pm

With all the ambiguity it causes, I'm glad the Tony folks don't draw hard lines on what constitutes a "play" and "musical". Let it be fluid, determined case-by-case. It's their job to honor theater not rigidly define it, or shoehorn it. The "Theatrical Experience" category is broad enough. The debate can be argued with one-person shows and auto-bio shows. Years down the road, if someone adapted 700 Sundays (or did it as Billy Crystal) would it be a play? The debate goes on & I'm glad it does.

[binau]

Posted: 6/4/14 at 5:11pm

Maybe I'm naive but I don't believe ethically that someone would make up this interview. Besides, it makes perfect sense at all the strange Tony Award outcomes over the years. Once again, it's hard to take these awards seriously when people like that are partly responsible for the decision making, lol.

[haterobics]

Posted: 6/4/14 at 5:20pm

"And I will go to my grave fighting the theory that BRIDGES closing will cost Kelli the award."

Your unproved hunch will always trump their unproven hunch?!

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 6/4/14 at 7:51pm

Probably not, but that's my hunch to bear.

[jas1234]

Posted: 6/4/14 at 9:56pm

You mean like "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" last season which won the Tony for Revival, Direction and Actor, with Tracy Letts winning over Nathan Lane and Tom Hanks, who originated roles and were in plays still running. I believe your statement has some holes in it.

[Theater'sBestFriend]

Posted: 6/4/14 at 10:08pm

I believe Lady Day is not considered a musical for the same reason Master Class isn't. They're both plays about music.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 6/4/14 at 11:53pm

What's odd about the interview as published is that the interviewee switches tenses back and forth. (Paraphrasing, but "I think I'll vote for Audra", while "I did vote for Jessie Mueller".)

I suppose the "Tony voter" may still be seeing shows this week and filling out his/her ballot a bit at a time, but somehow I find that unlikely in the last few days before the ballots are due. Of course, we don't know when the interview was conducted, but it strikes me as even odder if the voter was speaking several weeks ago.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 6/5/14 at 12:20am

One of these interviews surfaces every year. I think it's supposed to make us think the sure things aren't, to build up tension and generate interest in contests that aren't particularly contests.

[Wickedlover56]

Posted: 6/5/14 at 4:43am

I have a very strong feeling that this year will be like when Billy Elliot beat out Next to Normal for best musical, or like when Grey Gardens lost to Spring Awakening. Beautiful will most most likely best GG and run for years while GG limps at the box office only to close and have a small life in regional theatre. I really have have a hard time taking the Tonys seriously. It's like once every millennium they award the worthy show over the crowd pleaser. These people have no right to vote.

Updated On: 6/5/14 at 04:43 AM

[elphaba.scares.me]

Posted: 6/5/14 at 8:40am

SO MUCH TO SAY ABOUT THIS THREAD.

First, I actually know a lot of Tony voters. Once upon a time, I was a voter myself. I promise that there are plenty who not only take it very seriously, but also would never give an interview like this *because* they take it very seriously.

There aren't that many ways to become a voter. For a few, it's kinda "pay to play," but almost everyone earns their way into the ranks. The nominating committee is even more carefully selected.

I *did* find it interesting that the voter mentions that he/she "covered" Les Miserables. Most of the press was voted off the Tony island a few years back. I believe a few have been reinstated, but it wouldn't be too hard to figure out who this is.

In general, please don't assume that Tony voters are a monolithic entity made up of people who like to roll around on a bed full of money while laughing maniacally. Most of those I know do see every show. I used to vote for quality even when I knew I wasn't picking the winner. Momentum matters. And even this voter mentions several categories in which he/she is not picking the favorite.

[newintown]

Posted: 6/5/14 at 8:41am

End of the Rainbow is a play with music. Imaginary Friends is a play with music. Peter and the Starcatcher is a play with music. Strider is a play with music. And the list goes on, including Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill.

Actually, the songs of some of the other shows mentioned above are much less diegetic than those in Lady Day, a show in which the audience is free to associate specific story/character meaning to Holiday's songs; meaning that is not intrinsically there - the essential purpose of the songs is merely a nightclub act of her hits; the specific information about Holiday's life and character is all contained in the monologues.

Re: another theme of this thread - it would be good to acknowledge that many of the most influential and accomplished people working in theatre (many of them awards voters) aren't a fraction as obsessed with it as some of the eerie posters here are.

Updated On: 6/5/14 at 08:41 AM