The memory (or lack thereof) of Tonys voters... - Page 1

[macbeth]

Posted: 2/17/21 at 9:43am

https://www.forbes.com/sites/marchershberg/2021/02/16/tony-awards-nominees-may-suffer-due-to-delay-in-voting/?sh=193f55c258c8

Does anyone know what, if anything, they are being sent this year?

[zainmax]

Posted: 2/17/21 at 9:58am

Link: https://www.forbes.com/sites/marchershberg/2021/02/16/tony-awards-nominees-may-suffer-due-to-delay-in-voting/?sh=456e2d4958c8

You mean voters? I haven’t heard of anything yet, but possibly the usual assortment of scripts and small tchotchkes ... the shows obviously don’t have the largest marketing budgets this year.

Updated On: 2/17/21 at 09:58 AM

[itsjustmejonhotmailcom]

Posted: 2/17/21 at 11:08am

macbeth said: "https://www.forbes.com/sites/marchershberg/2021/02/16/tony-awards-nominees-may-suffer-due-to-delay-in-voting/?sh=193f55c258c8

Does anyone know what, if anything, they are being sent this year?"

Voters routinely have to remember shows they saw a year ago. Pre-covid there are plenty of examples of shows that opened in June and then voters didn't vote until the following June. Less has been sent out this year - Moulin Rouge is the only show that I'm aware of that sent a physical item (a book) but plenty have sent digital books, videos of b-roll, links to special websites, etc.

[unclevictor]

Posted: 2/17/21 at 11:40am

Still having the Tony Awards is so silly, isn’t it? Instead, why not have a Welcome Back, Broadway! special (on CBS, of course) when most (if not all) the shows reopen. ALL the musicals can perform! All the stars of the plays can talk about their plays! It can be one giant celebration (once most, if not all, bway reopens. What’s the point of having a special celebrating bway when u can’t go and see any of the shows or only a handful of them?)
Nix the Tony awards. It’s silly. It is what it is. Move on

[HogansHero]

Posted: 2/17/21 at 12:11pm

itsjustmejonhotmailcom said: "Voters routinely have to remember shows they saw a year ago. Pre-covid there are plenty of examples of shows that opened in June and then voters didn't vote until the following June. Less has been sent out this year - Moulin Rouge is the only show that I'm aware of that sent a physical item (a book) but plenty have sent digital books, videos of b-roll, links to special websites, etc."

The article is, of course, pure nonsense. Tony voters know they are going to vote when they see shows so their retention cannot be compared to a random observer. Moreover, prompted by a list of nominees, I can recall substantially all of the material details of shows I saw a decade ago much less a year or so ago, and I suspect a great many people here can do the same. The bigger risk to shows is that if they are not coming back (as has always been the case with closed shows) they are less likely to be honored. This is why we have some shows being cagey.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 2/17/21 at 12:16pm

unclevictor said: "Still having the Tony Awards is so silly, isn’t it? Instead, why not have a Welcome Back, Broadway! special (on CBS, of course) when most (if not all) the shows reopen. ALL the musicals can perform! All the stars of the plays can talk about their plays! It can be one giant celebration (once most, if not all, bway reopens. What’s the point of having a special celebrating bway when u can’t go and see any of the shows or only a handful of them?)
Nix the Tony awards. It’s silly. It is what it is. Move on"

IIRC this subject (including your POV) has been rehearsed here many times, and you seem disinclined to accept that, for many including especially those footing the bill, the Tonys are NOT silly and DO have a point. But whatevs.

Re "when most (if not all) the shows reopen," that's never going to happen and the sort of giant celebration you are imagining with lots and lots of shows is not likely before 2024. You can do something else that night but your personal disinterest is not gonna drive what happens.

[unclevictor]

Posted: 2/17/21 at 12:38pm

HogansHero said: "unclevictor said: "Still having the Tony Awards is so silly, isn’t it? Instead, why not have a Welcome Back, Broadway! special (on CBS, of course) when most (if not all) the shows reopen. ALL the musicals can perform! All the stars of the plays can talk about their plays! It can be one giant celebration (once most, if not all, bway reopens. What’s the point of having a special celebrating bway when u can’t go and see any of the shows or only a handful of them?)
Nix the Tony awards. It’s silly. It is what it is. Move on"

IIRC this subject (including your POV) has been rehearsed here many times, and you seem disinclined to accept that, for many including especially those footing the bill, the Tonys are NOT silly and DO have a point. But whatevs.

Re "when most (if not all) the shows reopen," that's never going to happen and the sort of giant celebration you are imagining with lots and lots of shows is not likely before 2024. You can do something else that night but your personal disinterest is not gonna drive what happens."

Stop being a Debbie downer!  See u in 2024!

[HogansHero]

Posted: 2/17/21 at 12:47pm

unclevictor said: "Stop being a Debbie downer! See u in 2024!"

Me? lol I have been consistently optimistic since last Spring, and still am, but we have to appreciate what is likely to happen and when. That's called expectations management. As I have been saying for a long time, I expect 21-22 to produce around 15 shows. I think 22-23 will add another 15-20 shows. That gets us to 23-24 before we are back close to a full squad. Controlling the pandemic is only phase 1 for Broadway; the economy is going to be an equal or greater challenge imo.

[zainmax]

Posted: 2/17/21 at 3:20pm

itsjustmejonhotmailcom said: "macbeth said: "https://www.forbes.com/sites/marchershberg/2021/02/16/tony-awards-nominees-may-suffer-due-to-delay-in-voting/?sh=193f55c258c8

Does anyone know what, if anything, they are being sent this year?"

Voters routinely have to remember shows they saw a year ago. Pre-covid there are plenty of examples of shows that opened in June and then voters didn't vote until the following June. Less has been sent out this year - Moulin Rouge is the only show that I'm aware of that sent a physical item (a book) but plenty have sent digital books, videos of b-roll, links to special websites, etc."

I’d think that SLAVE PLAY and JAGGED LITTLE PILL will campaign a lot

[zainmax]

Posted: 2/17/21 at 3:22pm

HogansHero said: "unclevictor said: "Stop being a Debbie downer! See u in 2024!"

Me? lol I have been consistently optimistic since last Spring, and still am, but we have to appreciate what is likely to happen and when. That's called expectations management. As I have been saying for a long time, I expect 21-22 to produce around 15 shows. I think 22-23 will add another 15-20 shows. That gets us to 23-24 before we are back close to a full squad. Controlling the pandemic is only phase 1 for Broadway; the economy is going to be an equal or greater challenge imo."

Agreed. Curious how many shows will be scrapped in the process

[MayAudraBlessYou2]

Posted: 2/17/21 at 5:54pm

Regarding swag being sent out: I know that Moulin Rouge! and Slave Play have both sent some memorabilia to voters. 

Interestingly, voters I know who received items in the mail have not received anything recently. It was all months ago. And the campaigning of various nominees with interviews and such also happened months ago before drying up...and hasn't really restarted after learning about the approaching voting period. This is anecdotally of course, and voters could be getting stuff now or soon. But its just one more way that this year is a weird one!

[LesWickedly]

Posted: 2/17/21 at 6:38pm

I'd be interested if voters would've changed their votes based on if they had voted say in October vs. March. Like in October, I feel Jagged would've had a better chance than it does now due to social justice and the election still being at the forefront of everyone's mind. Now that I'm sure a majority of the voters think we're in a better place politically (still far from better in justice), would votes that Jagged might've had at that time go to Moulin Rouge which is no doubt the biggest spectacle of the bunch, which are probably the easier elements to vote on based on memory. Maybe it always would've gone to Moulin Rouge but definitely would've been interesting to see if the votes would've differed based on the current climate of when voting occurred.  

[mikem]

Posted: 2/17/21 at 9:01pm

Two different interesting points have been raised in the last few posts:

- Different shows or elements might win at different times because of the circumstances in the world during the voting period.  I agree that Moulin Rouge's chances of winning Best Musical are higher now than they would have been in October, or if Trump had won in November.  Right now, it seems like Broadway needs a big, splashy show to help remind people why they go to New York, and Moulin Rouge fits that bill.

- Different shows or elements might win at different times because what gets remembered in the short term might not be the same as what gets remembered a year later.  The recency effect that helps the show that opened right before the nomination deadline isn't very important now that everything is at least a year old.  Again, this might help Moulin Rouge, whose July opening may have hurt it under normal circumstances.  Its eye-popping design elements are still very vivid in my mind almost 18 months after I saw the show.

 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 2/17/21 at 9:02pm

I read through Diablo Cody's Jagged Little Pill libretto a couple days ago and started to cry. My grandmother passed away on Sunday (not of COVID, thank God), and her funeral was this morning. She had lived the past several years with Alzheimer's and me and my whole family loved her dearly.

Criticize the book on these boards all you want, but its reassuring message that hope will arrive when the storm clouds pass got me emotional. I really needed to hear that during a time of grief. 

As the result of a thin season, Cody now has a legitimate shot to win Book. I hope it's remembered by the Tony voters.

[zainmax]

Posted: 2/18/21 at 2:04am

Jordan Levinson said: "I read through Diablo Cody'sJaggedLittle Pilllibretto a couple days ago and started to cry. My grandmother passed away on Sunday (not of COVID, thank God), and her funeral was this morning. She had lived the past several years with Alzheimer's and me and mywhole family lovedher dearly.

Criticize the book on these boardsall you want, but its reassuring message that hope will arrive when the storm clouds pass got me emotional. I really needed to hear that during a time of grief.

As the result of athin season, Cody now has a legitimate shot to win Book. I hope it's remembered by the Tony voters."

I would think/hope that the libretto will be mailed to Tony voters

[zainmax]

Posted: 2/18/21 at 2:05am

LesWickedly said: "I'd be interested if voters would've changed their votes based on if they had voted say in October vs. March. Like in October, I feel Jagged would've had a better chance than it does now due to social justice and the election still being at the forefront of everyone's mind. Now that I'm sure a majority of the voters think we're in a better place politically (still far from better in justice), would votes that Jagged might've had at that time go to Moulin Rouge which is no doubt the biggest spectacle of the bunch, which are probably the easier elements to vote on based on memory. Maybe it always would've gone to Moulin Rouge but definitely would've been interesting to see if the votes would've differed based on the current climate of when voting occurred."

Even though Biden is in the White House, I still think that people will gravitate to the liberal bent of Jagged. But, Moulin definitely and always did have an edge

[MayAudraBlessYou2]

Posted: 2/18/21 at 11:25am

In a normal year, the the libretto would absolutely be mailed out. But this shutdown is obviously financially devastating. So the question is, do they want to spend money on printing and mailing that out to win Best Book of a Musical? It would certainly feel great to Cody to win, but its not a category that normally has any impact on box office whatsoever. If there is a more cost effective way to reach voters (ie, getting her out there with some interviews and articles) I expect they may take that route instead. Digital access to the libretto is a more likely outcome.

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 2/22/21 at 9:26am

To me, the Tony voters should've had nothing but free time last spring, summer, and fall to compile their thoughts on the season thus far enough to make up their own thoughts on who'd they vote for. 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 2/22/21 at 9:53am

everythingtaboo said: "To me, the Tony voters should've had nothing but free time last spring, summer, and fall to compile their thoughts on the season thus far enough to make up their own thoughts on who'd they vote for."

Why would you think that? I don't know any Tony voters who have had a lot of free time. 

[JBroadway]

Posted: 2/22/21 at 10:09am

HogansHero said: "everythingtaboo said: "To me, the Tony voters should've had nothing but free time last spring, summer, and fall to compile their thoughts on the season thus far enough to make up their own thoughts on who'd they vote for."

Why would you think that? I don't know any Tony voters who have had a lot offree time."

 

I don't know any Tony voters personally (and I can't seem to find the list with a quick search, though 'm sure it's out there) - but aren't they all industry professionals? And didn't most industry professionals have a lot of empty time when the industry shut down? Sure, they were in Zoom readings, and phone meetings, etc. but I can imagine that took up as much time as their usual duties. Especially for the actors. 

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 2/22/21 at 11:05am

I think the Tonys are a huge afterthought at this point. It’s clear there is no momentum and the “winners” will be even less remembered than those in a typical year. And that’s not saying much because no one outside of theater fans remember the Tonys. There’s a huge asterisk next to every nominee and winner.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 2/22/21 at 11:20am

Bettyboy72 said: "I think the Tonys are a huge afterthought at this point. It’s clear there is no momentum and the “winners” will be even less remembered than those in a typical year. And that’s not saying much because no one outside of theater fans remember the Tonys. There’s a huge asterisk next to every nominee and winner.
"

Assuming you mean every MUSICAL nominee and winner. The play categories are a bit weaker than they would've been otherwise, but still pretty strong 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 2/22/21 at 12:49pm

JBroadway said: "I don't know any Tony voters personally (and I can't seem to find the list with a quick search, though 'm sure it's out there) - but aren't they all industry professionals? And didn't most industry professionals have a lot of empty time when the industry shut down? Sure, they were in Zoom readings, and phone meetings, etc. but I can imagine that took up as much time as their usual duties. Especially for the actors."

There is no list. There are two main categories: ex officio voters who make the list based on their presence on the governing bodies of specified organizations (including unions), and individuals with active League memberships. The latter group is the lion's share of the votes. There are certainly those who have extra time on their hands but in general these are people who have stayed quire busy for one reason or another. Of course, the one thing missing from their schedules is going to the theatre, but expecting all of those people to spend that time pondering their votes is a bit much.

@bettyboy72 where would you propose that I go to look for all of these asterisks? LOL

[JSquared2]

Posted: 2/22/21 at 1:11pm

HogansHero said: 

There is no list. There are two main categories: ex officio voters who make the list based on their presence on the governing bodies of specified organizations (including unions), and individuals with active League memberships. The latter group is the lion's share of the votes. There are certainly those who have extra time on their hands but in general these are people who have stayed quire busy for one reason or another. Of course, the one thing missing from their schedules is going to the theatre, but expecting all of those people to spend that time pondering their votes is a bit much.

@bettyboy72 where would you propose that I go to look for all of these asterisks? LOL"

Of course there is a list of Tony Voters.  How do you think producers know who to send out Tony Voter invite letters, swag, etc. and how do you think the League and the ATW keep track of voting??

[HogansHero]

Posted: 2/22/21 at 1:22pm

JSquared2 said: "Of course there is a list of Tony Voters. "

Of course. What I obviously meant was that there is no publicly available list, which is what the person to whom I was responding was looking for.