The Tonys are officially postponed!

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 3/25/20 at 2:35pm

https://twitter.com/TheTonyAwards/status/1242882052770447367

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/25/20 at 2:37pm

So now would be the time for them to announce a new tentative return date for shows.

Updated On: 3/25/20 at 02:37 PM

[ACL2006]

Posted: 3/25/20 at 2:40pm

As expected. Just wish they would let people now that Broadway ain't reopening on April 13.

[FlyHigh523]

Posted: 3/25/20 at 2:41pm

I’m sad.

[djoko84]

Posted: 3/25/20 at 2:43pm

They had no other option.

[amandap213]

Posted: 3/25/20 at 2:47pm

any thoughts on when the new cutoff date would be? i'm not sure how much farther they can extend if shows like, american buffalo, plaza suite, how i learned to drive, sing street and take me out may never even open?

[Kimbo]

Posted: 3/25/20 at 2:47pm

I posted this on some other thread an hour ago, but with Caroline or Change, Birthday Candles, Flying Over Sunset and Intimate Apparel all moving to next season, with How I Learned to Drive likely doing the same, with Virginia Woolf and Hangmen cancelled (for now), and with several other shows (Company, Plaza Suite, The Lehman Trilogy) likely also to announce postponements for sometime between mid-fall and next spring, and with no clear return date for Broadway in sight, I think it’s more clear than ever that the following is the most likely scenario:

“ I think I called it (on some thread, a few months back)- At this point I’d bet my life (which we do anytime we leave our houses these days) that they’re clearly going to just not have the Tonys this year, and instead just do a joint awards ceremony a year from now combining both the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. if the entire spring season basically gets moved to the fall or canceled, then the combined number of shows for these two years will wind up roughly equally the number of shows that had initially been scheduled for this one season.

Even if it were possible right now, no wants to have a sad mid-October awards where, for example, “The Lightning Thief” wins Best Score by default, or where there are 3 or 2 nominees in most of the musical acting categories, followed by another fairly anemic awards 7 months after that for shows that opened in the six-month period between November 2020 and April 2021.

The only thing that will make sense, with I imagine most of the spring season being staggered out between this September and next April (if we’re LUCKY, most of the houses will be filled again by this time next year), is obviously to call this year’s awards, like SXSW and Coachella, a casualty of the crisis, and do an amazing 2021 awards that will wind up largely encompassing the shows that had been scheduled for the 2020 awards anyway. ”

[Kad]

Posted: 3/25/20 at 2:55pm

amandap213 said: "any thoughts on when the new cutoff date would be? i'm not sure how much farther they can extend if shows like, american buffalo, plaza suite, how i learned to drive, sing street and take me out may never even open?"

We would need to know exactly when / if the Tonys are occurring this year to establish any sort of timeline here. We also would need to have a better idea of a reasonable point which theatres can reopen. 
 

Updated On: 3/25/20 at 02:55 PM

[JennH]

Posted: 3/25/20 at 3:05pm

Said in my best Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester voice..."Shocking to absolutely NO one..."

[Mr. Wormwood]

Posted: 3/25/20 at 3:09pm

I wonder if the reason they haven't officially postponed Broadway's return (which we all know is going to happen) is because they are trying to come up with a realistic date they hope they can stick to? I'm guessing they don't want to do too soon and have to postpone again but also don't want to do too late and be able to return earlier (I understand the former is more likely than the latter)

[Heather4]

Posted: 3/25/20 at 3:20pm

Mr. Wormwood said: "I wonder if the reason they haven't officially postponed Broadway's return (which we all know is going to happen) is because they are trying to come up with a realistic date they hope they can stick to? I'm guessing they don't want to do too soon and have to postpone again but also don't want to do too late and be able to return earlier (I understand the former is more likely than the latter)"

This is possible, and also the situation is still so fluid at the moment.  So it's easier to state that a new date will be announced later, as if Broadway doesn't open until much later in the year, it makes the eligibility timeline much too tight.  If the shows reopen in the summer the timeline can be adjusted to make a September show possible for example.  I do take some hope in the fact that it looks like the social distancing in NYC may be beginning to work. (Though it is much too soon to tell fully.)  The doubling of cases going from every two days to four days shows some tentative promise.

[BJR]

Posted: 3/25/20 at 3:20pm

They will not cancel the Tonys. Money talks. Producers aren't re-opening their huge, expensive shows without that national tv commercial.

We were, what, 7 weeks from the Tony cut-off? It's plausible they abbreviate the 7 weeks since less shows are even re-opening, then an abbrieviated voting period. Usual is another ~4-5 weeks. I could see it happening in early October, IF shows can open in early August. But that's a huge IF.

And we aren't getting dates beyond non-profits pushing some shows to their Fall, because they like everyone here simply doesn't know when they'll be allowed to open.

I'm slightly confused by those that think there aren't enough shows to compete at this point. Even losing Hangmen and Woolf, then postponements of handful more shows (Caroline, Sunset, have we heard about Take Me Out plan?) still leaves us with plenty - especially since some (like Company and West Side and maybe Doubtfire) will be back. I mean, there were Tony Awards in the 90s...

Updated On: 3/25/20 at 03:20 PM

[HBBrock]

Posted: 3/25/20 at 3:32pm

Not only is Broadway not opening back up on April 13th, it is likely not starting up again until June (at the earliest!). I am not sure why they are waiting to announce this instead of selling tickets and refunding tickets.

Many spring shows are either going to be pushed to the fall, or not happening.

Updated On: 3/25/20 at 03:32 PM

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 3/25/20 at 3:41pm

As I posted on the ''Flying Over Sunset'' previews thread:

Canceling the 2020 Tonys outright would be terrible and unfair to the 22 shows (so far) that opened this season: That's 11 new plays, 6 new musicals, 4 play revivals and 1 musical revival. Among them is award-worthy work that deserves to be recognized. (And heaven knows, the Tonys have had skimpier seasons than this!)

I'm also not a fan of combining two seasons into the 2021 Tonys. As it is, a number of Broadway shows open in the spring, just before the Tony deadline, so they can stay fresh in the minds of Tony voters. Because of the ADHD of certain voters, it's not unusual for shows that opened in the previous fall and summer to get short shrift at nomination time. By combining two seasons into one, that disadvantages the 2019-20 shows even further. For instance, that means ''Moulin Rouge!,'' which opened in July 2019, might not be Tony-eligible until May 2021 - nearly 2 years later and probably long after its original cast has left. And ''The Inheritance,'' which opened in Nov. 2019, probably would be competing for a Best Play slot against shows that would be opening in April 2021.

If possible, I'd rather see a modified Tony Awards in August/ September that celebrates the past season and is a giant showcase for everything that's reopened on the Great White Way.

Updated On: 3/25/20 at 03:41 PM

[Kimbo]

Posted: 3/25/20 at 3:45pm

HBBrock said: "Not only is Broadway not opening back up on April 13th, it is likely not starting up again until June (at the earliest!). I am not sure why they are waiting to announce this instead of selling tickets and refunding tickets.”

Because they want your money NOW! lol. For cash flow purposes. Nothing uniquely underhanded about it, it’s how the world works. (And why do you think the refunds are being handed out in dribs and drabs?)

The entire magazine industry has been predicated on that for years... hence why we get so many discounts to renew The New Yorker for 3 years vs 1 year, and why we all get “FINAL NOTICE” notifications saying our last issue of something is about to ship even though when we check our subscription date we see we have another 6 months of issues coming.  
 

Your tickets for May that you purchase now will help off-set the refunds people are -getting- now.... just as the tickets people buy for presumably running shows in August or September will help offset the refunds for April shows that people purchase today... all while maintaining the perception that (unlike the Tonys), BROADWAY isn’t “postponed indefinitely” or “completely closed until further notice late this year”. 

[Kimbo]

Posted: 3/25/20 at 3:57pm

Mo BJR said: "We were, what, 7 weeks from the Tony cut-off? It's plausible they abbreviate the 7 weeks since less shows are even re-opening, then an abbrieviated voting period. Usual is another ~4-5 weeks. I could see it happening in early October, IF shows can open in early August. But that's a huge IF.”

And that’s a problem because, as so many have noted, many people, including I’m sure all the Broadway bigwigs who aren’t on tenterhooks regarding this kind of thing, have already decamped to the Hamptons or their other vacation homes until this is all well and truly over and safe. So even if Broadway gets slowly back on its feet by June or July (a generally less desirable time to open shows even under normal circumstance), even if Radio City AND CBS were available and OK for a broadcast in August or September, it still means everyone getting back in town and allowing THEM time to see all the remaining shows. (It’s not as if the Tony nominators, to start with, can be commanded to stay in NYC for the next 3 or 4 months to be able to reconvene at the drop of a hat and see the first week of each show’s resumed performances.) 

So I don’t see how Broadway reorganizes a 2020 Tonys until October-November.... and then the question becomes, can Broadway do TWO Tony ceremonies in the space of 8 months? Do they use this as an occasion to alter the Broadway calendar to the wall calendar, and start holding Tonys for the calendar year, in December or January from here on out? Or do they decide that it’s easiest to just focus on finding a way to celebrate and stimulate the reopening of Broadway in the fall, and, like the Olympics, like the film festivals, save the big gala awards for a year from now?  My money (regardless of the argument that “we’ve had enough shows this season to qualify giving awards to) is definitely on the latter. 

Updated On: 3/25/20 at 03:57 PM

[Amy Archer]

Posted: 3/25/20 at 4:20pm

Oh, shut up. 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 3/25/20 at 4:21pm

They should have it in December and not necessarily have it be an awards show, but more of a celebration of broadway and the theatre, in general. If shows want to perform, they should be able to. Just let the the past years shows be eligible for the 2021 telecast.

Updated On: 3/25/20 at 04:21 PM

[Kad]

Posted: 3/25/20 at 4:29pm

The bulk of the awards-bait productions for this season were crammed, as they often are, into the spring and are now canceled, postponed, or face an indefinite future. A 20-21 season is likely to be thin as people financially recover.

Just scrap them for this year and have all productions this season eligible for next. I don't think it's that big of a deal.

[HenryTDobson]

Posted: 3/25/20 at 4:52pm

Kad said: "The bulk of the awards-bait productions for this season were crammed, as they often are, into the spring and are now canceled, postponed, or face an indefinite future. A 20-21 season is likely to be thin as people financially recover.

Just scrap them for this year and have all productions this season eligible for next. I don't think it's that big of a deal."

Agreed. If it ends up being double the amount of shows (since it'll be two years instead of one), double the number of nominees! 

[OffOnBwayHi]

Posted: 3/25/20 at 4:57pm

HenryTDobson said: "Kad said: "The bulk of the awards-bait productions for this season were crammed, as they often are, into the spring and are now canceled, postponed, or face an indefinite future. A 20-21 season is likely to be thin as people financially recover.

Just scrap them for this year and have all productions this season eligible for next. I don't think it's that big of a deal."

Agreed. If it ends up being double the amount of shows (since it'll be two years instead of one), double the number of nominees!"

!!!! Exactly my thoughts

[Kimbo]

Posted: 3/25/20 at 5:16pm

OffOnBwayHi said: "HenryTDobson said: "Kad said: "The bulk of the awards-bait productions for this season were crammed, as they often are, into the spring and are now canceled, postponed, or face an indefinite future. A 20-21 season is likely to be thin as people financially recover.

Just scrap them for this year and have all productions this season eligible for next. I don't think it's that big of a deal."

Agreed. If it ends up being double the amount of shows (since it'll be two years instead of one), double the number of nominees!"

!!!! Exactly my thoughts"

Exactly my thoughts!

Just clarifying since I’ve been saying that for a week and gotten responses ranging from “that doesn’t make sense” and “Oh shut up” (above) to “That’s unfair to the shows that opened last October” and “But then Adrienne Warren might have more competition.”  Maybe Kad said it better than I did, but I’m 100% in agreement.  One awards show for both seasons with roughly the same number of shows (and, give or take a few, roughly the same exact -shows- that would’ve been in contention this May) ...not that big a deal. 

Updated On: 3/25/20 at 05:16 PM

[ACL2006]

Posted: 3/25/20 at 6:26pm

I'd fully expect Plaza Suite, American Buffalo & How I Learned To Drive to postpone as well. this would leave us with the following as Tony eligible.

 

May 30
Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune(Broadhurst Theatre)
Closing Date: July 28th, 2019

July 25
Moulin Rouge! (Al Hirschfeld Theatre)

August 8
Sea Wall/A Life (Hudson Theatre)
Closing Date: September 29th, 2019

September 5
Betrayal (Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre)
Closing Date: December 8th, 2019

September 15
Derren Brown: Secret (Cort Theatre)
Closing Date: January 4th, 2020

September 24
The Height of the Storm (Samuel J. Friedman Theatre)
Closing Date: November 24th, 2019

October 1
The Great Society (Vivian Beaumont Theatre)
Closing Date: November 30th, 2019

October 2
Freestyle Love Supreme (Booth Theatre)
Closing Date: January 12th, 2020

October 6
Slave Play (John Golden Theatre)
Closing Date: January 19th, 2020

October 10
Linda Vista (Hayes Theater)
Closing Date: November 10th, 2019

October 15
The Rose Tattoo (American Airlines Theatre)
Closing Date: December 8th, 2019

October 16
The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical(Longacre Theatre)
Closing Date: January 5th, 2020

October 17
The Sound Inside (Studio 54 Theatre)
Closing Date: January 12th, 2020

October 20
American Utopia (Hudson Theatre)
Closing Date: February 16th, 2020

November 7
Tina - The Tina Turner Musical (Lunt-Fontanne Theatre)

November 17
The Inheritance (Ethel Barrymore Theatre)
Closing Date: March 11th, 2020

November 20
A Christmas Carol (Lyceum Theatre)
Closing Date: January 5th, 2020

December 5
Jagged Little Pill (Broadhurst Theatre)

January 15
My Name is Lucy Barton (Samuel J. Friedman Theatre)
Closing Date: February 29th, 2020

January 21
A Soldier's Play (American Airlines Theatre)
Closing Date: March 11th, 2020

January 23
Grand Horizons (Hayes Theater)
Closing Date: March 1st, 2020

February 20
West Side Story (Broadway Theatre)

March 5
Girl from the North Country (Belasco Theatre)

TBA
Six (Brooks Atkinson Theatre)

TBA
Company (Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre)

TBA
The Lehman Trilogy (Nederlander Theatre)
Closing Date: June 28th, 2020

TBA
Diana (Longacre Theatre)

TBA
Mrs. Doubtfire (Stephen Sondheim Theatre)

TBA
Sing Street (Lyceum Theatre)

[Stephen75]

Posted: 3/25/20 at 6:36pm

I still think Woolf is going to come back in some form. It makes zero sense why it couldn’t come back besides a scheduling thing, especially considering all the other shows are looking to be coming back. If it’s The Conners issue, they can do it next Spring as long as Lane’s schedule allows for Salesman at a later time. If it’s a Everett/Tovey/Ferran not being in the US thing, I would imagine they would love to chance to open this. Tovey said on IG Live today he “hopes the show has another life” which made me feel a bit better.

[VotePeron]

Posted: 3/25/20 at 6:50pm

Stephen75 said: "I still think Woolf is going to come back in some form. It makes zero sense why it couldn’t come back besides a scheduling thing, especially considering all the other shows are looking to be coming back. If it’s The Conners issue, they can do it next Spring as long as Lane’s schedule allows for Salesman at a later time. If it’s a Everett/Tovey/Ferran not being in the US thing, I would imagine they would love to chance to open this. Tovey said on IG Live today he “hopes the show has another life” which made me feel a bit better."

There are $ thousands $ of $ reasons $ it makes sense why it wont return. By "closing" the show, they are closing the chapter on all financial and contractual investments with it. The set will be thrown away as soon as it can, the marketing budget has been spent and went down the toilet, and with all the creative team/cast contracts ended, the odds of getting them all together to remount this is so small.

I wouldn't be surprised if 10 or more shows close as a result of this. And if that's the case, we're gonna have people making the case why each one of them will "come back in some form." But shows open and run a couple of weeks and close all the time, this isn't fully a new situation. 

As for the Tonys, it's up to the Broadway League to decide what they deem a season. It's gonna be a boring as hell season if they keep the cutoff date at late April, and the ceremony will be forgotten and the winners will always have the shadow of this mini-season over them. I do think it should just merge with the 20/21 season, as shows will be recovering from this for the next 12 months. I don't think things will magically be normal in the Fall.