2014 In Memoriam -- Tony Awards

[StageManager2]

Posted: 6/9/14 at 11:34pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIXpMuDbUe4

They listed Julie Harris as a "Six Time Tony Award Winner," but she only won five. I guess whoever put it together is in denial that Audra now holds the record.

Updated On: 6/9/14 at 11:34 PM

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 6/10/14 at 12:13am

Thanks so much for posting this. Unbelievable of the producers not to air this in lieu of the Music Man rapping.

[dsapery]

Posted: 6/10/14 at 2:46am

Julie Harris was also awarded a Lifetime Achievement Tony, so she is considered a 6-time winner. Audra is the first to win 6 performing Tonys.

[StageManager2]

Posted: 6/10/14 at 2:53am

Then they should put an asterisk next to the six, because an honorary Tony is not the same as a competitive Tony. You don't win a Lifetime Achievement Award. They give it to you.

[SparklyPinkVest2]

Posted: 6/10/14 at 3:36am

Yes. May be. And she had a wonderful life in theatre and now she is dead.. Leave her alone. 5 or 6 Tonys, what's the difference after all.

[After Eight]

Posted: 6/10/14 at 3:49am

^
Oh, yes, by all means, with an asterisk. And then, below, with an explanation of the asterisk stating "Five- time Tony Award winner, one time Lifetime Achievement Tony Award recipient."

And what do you mean, "denial?" It did not say "record" six-time Tony Award winner. And even if it had, at the time that tribute was created, she still held the competitive Tony Award record as a performer. But then you would have demanded an asterisk with the explanation, "Shared."

Such petty nitpicking over a memorial tribute.

Real classy.

In any case, it's too bad they couldn't have found the time to broadcast this nation-wide.

[Will42]

Posted: 6/10/14 at 4:25am

Thank you for sharing and shame on the producers for not airing it live during the main telecast.

Technically, a Lifetime Achievement Award is voted by the committee and you have to have more votes than other potential recipients. It’s just not for one particular performance. I see no problem with the late great Julie Harris being called a 6-time Ton Award winner in that instance.

[Addison D.]

Posted: 6/10/14 at 6:28pm

The NYT weighs in with an investigation into what happened to the 'In Memoriam' segment.

According to a Tony spokesperson:

"Presenting in this manner (only to the live audience) allowed us to include more individuals than we have been able to include most years, and as a result, more accurately reflected the depth of loss suffered by our community this past year."

Interestingly, the NYT found 2 members of the Tony Awards Management Committee who expressed--anonymously--dissatisfaction with the decision, as well as their hope to be included in the montage on live television when THEY die.


NYT 'Artsbeat'

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 6/10/14 at 6:33pm

I guess the producers thought these people were not worth he effort of airing the segment during the show. There was no money to be made doing it.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 6/10/14 at 6:48pm

The committee members, who spoke on condition of anonymity because committee issues are meant to confidential, said they had mixed feelings about leaving the segment out of the telecast, admitting that they want to be included in the montage on live television when they die.

I hope that the In Memoriam segment is restored next year.

And I hope that when each and every one of the members of the committee die--as we all do, don't we?--that karma bites them on the asses of their corpses and that their pictures are deliberately omitted from the broadcast that year.

And then they will be as forgotten as the dead artists they made invisible this year.

More forgotten, actually.

[HorseTears]

Posted: 6/10/14 at 7:07pm

Awful decision. Awful. BTW, I didn't realize Regina Resnik had passed away until seeing this segment. Her performance in the NYCO 'A Little Night Music' is unmatched. What a talent.

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 6/10/14 at 8:42pm

Pretty reprehensible decision not to air this. If they didn't air the In Memoriam on the Oscars, all of Hollywoood would explode.

[FishermanBob]

Posted: 6/10/14 at 8:48pm

I don't think a single audience member either live or watching at home would have protested that the show ran a whole 2 minutes and 34 seconds longer than it should have so tribute could be paid to those who gave their lives to the theater. A remarkably stupid and tacky decision.

[NYadgal]

Posted: 6/10/14 at 8:50pm

Absolutely reprehensible.

And, it did NOT appear to be any longer than in prior years. I would like to see the numbers behind that statement.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 6/10/14 at 10:28pm

I would like to see the names.

[broadwaydevil]

Posted: 6/10/14 at 10:58pm

This says it all:

“It looks like somewhere along the way theater people have lost control of the Tonys, and CBS is pushing them around. So we end up with a star like Jennifer Hudson singing a song from ‘Finding Neverland’ even though she isn’t in the musical – and the musical isn’t even on Broadway.”

Couldn't have said it better myself.

This is despicable. Bring back the in memoriam segment and bring back airing the other awards, or at least some of them. I can understand few people care about orchestrations or sound design, but to not have best score on the telecast? Ridiculous. Convenient best score was on the telecast last year when a celebrity was in the running. Doubt they would have relegated Ms. Lauper to giving an acceptance speech during a commercial break and airing three seconds of her speech.