Questions about the Replacement Tony Award.

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 12:30am

Okay, so this award is going to be featured at the 2006 Tony Awards right?

So, what are the eligibility dates for this Tony? What dates are they spanning?

Also, this is just going to be one award, Male, Female, Lead, Supporting and Featured all in one award, right?

Who are eligibile favorites?
Updated On: 2/3/06 at 12:30 AM

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 1:16am

Anyone?

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 1:19am

From what I remember, there are two awards--Best Male Replacement and Best Female Replacement (although I don't know if those are the "official" titles). Only actors who are playing roles that were deemed "leading" by Tony standards when the show first opened are eligible.

That said, this award is going to cause a LOT of problems in the long run.

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 1:24am

Thanks When do the dates start, I mean Jennifer Laura Thompson and Shoshana Bean began during last season so would they be eligible. I'm assuming since this is the first year that they will give a little on the season dates because there is nothing before it.

I think that Harvey will win the Male Award!

[timote316]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 1:45am

No, there is one award. There will be no nominees, they will just award it. Or, they may not award any award. If I'm not mistaken, the only roles eligible are roles that were nominated for leading actor/actress (so, to use Chicago as an example, Roxies will not be eligible, but Velmas and Billys are). Producers must submit performers for consideration, and there is a limit on how many they can submit. To be eligible, an actor/actress must be signed to a 6-month contract or longer.

The Tony Committee were going to rule on the eligibility of Harvey Fierstein for Fiddler, but haven't done so just yet. Frankly, if he's eligible, all hell will break loose, as that would logically make Barrett Foa, Shoshana, Jennifer Laura Thompson and others also eligible, as you can't make a special exception for someone without opening it for everyone.

This is all things I remember... at 1:45 in the morning, I may be completely wrong here.

Personally, while I think this award is a very good idea, this isn't the way to do it. This can (and likely will) create many problems.

[BSoBW3]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 2:07am

I agree, Timote.

I think they should limit it do the previous year (so only nominees from the 2005 season).

Of course, that causes problems because some actors don't leave that fast.

[blaxx]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 4:49am

We should just give Charlotte D'amboise an award because she deserves it, and mandate schmandate.

[Mamie]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 6:04am

Look it up:
http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/index.html

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 7:51am

I don't THINK it's a case of only roles that were previously nominated, but all roles that were classed as leading roles first time around, whether they were nominated or not.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 8:08am

It's not one award. There will be an award for Best Male and Best Female Replacement, although it will be for plays and musicals combined.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 9:10am

What are they going to take out so that the show doesn't run overtime?

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 11:22am

Thanks everyone.

Gothampc, I doubt the one award will make or break them, but if it does, then I would say they would take out a techincal award because I think that they would want to show the actors on Television.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 11:33am

Smaxie, you're incorrect. It is one award for Best Replacement Performer. It was noted that in some cases, it could end up going to two people, and in some cases it could go to no one.

Gothampc and MTVMANN, the award is not going to be presented on the Tony Awards telecast. The winner is going to be announced at a separate time. The nominees are not announced, so no one would know to attend the awards ceremony. I'm pretty sure the winner is going to be announced in September, along with the Tony for Excellence in Theatre.

Updated On: 2/3/06 at 11:33 AM

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 11:36am

"A New Tony Award Category!

By Ben Pesner


The American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards® announced in September the creation of a new award category: Best Recreation of a Leading Role by an Actor/Actress. Beginning in 2006, cast replacements in leading roles--performers in long-running shows who join a show after its opening night--will be eligible for this new award.

This represents the first time the Tonys have included an ongoing provision to honor performers who join a show after its official opening.

Honoring Performances in "Recreated Roles"

According to the new guidelines, this award may be bestowed by the Tony Administration Committee to honor an actor or actress for an outstanding performance in a "recreated role." Up to one actor and one actress in a given season may receive an award in this category.

In order for a performer to be eligible for this award, he or she must not have appeared in the role when the production opened on Broadway. The actor/actress must be contracted in the role for a minimum of six months of public performances. Additionally, producers may not submit more than two candidates per long-running show for the award (including both Actor and Actress) for this award in any season.

The Committee has defined long-running shows to include all eligible Broadway theatre productions that have opened in a prior season, that continue to be performed on a reasonably conventional playing schedule, and that were eligible for nomination for a Tony Award for Best Play, Best Musical, or Best Revival (play or musical). Furthermore, performers eligible for a Tony in a Recreated Role must be playing a role which was eligible for the Tony Award in the Best Performance by a Leading Actor or Leading Actress category for the season in which the production first opened.

A Historical Note

An interesting historical sidelight: Only once in Tony history has a cast replacement has ever been nominated for a Tony Award. Larry Kert was nominated for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance in Company in 1971. Dean Jones originated the role, but left the production soon after the opening. That year the Administration Committee declared Kert eligible for the Tony in the Leading Actor category, a decision that was never repeated in subsequent years.

In addition to the award for Best Recreation of a Leading Role by an Actor/Actress, the Administration Committee may also bestow honors in three other categories: Special Tony Awards (for lifetime achievement in the theatre); the Regional Theatre Tony Award; and Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre.

The 2006 Tony Awards take place on Sunday June 11. They will be broadcast from Radio City Music Hall on the CBS television network. TonyAwards.com will provide complete coverage of the Tonys before, during, and after the awards ceremony."

* * *

http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/index.html

[Ourtime992]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 12:02pm

As the official guidelines don't state when the award will be given, I would imagine that it will be awarded AT the Tony's along with Lifetime Achievement and Regional Theatre, but announced in advance, as is the case with those awards. This award is pure publicity, and if a big star from another medium gets it, they will want to cash in on that publicity on the telecast.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 12:08pm

Eileen Atkins.

[TargemQ8]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 12:49pm

Gah. This is ridiculous. It will bring up way too many quagmires in the future, as well as being a dangerous political mess. While replacement cast members are inarguably hard working and sometimes given even better performances than the first cast, there are just too many shows to make this anything but dangerously arbitrary.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 2:00pm

A member of the Tony Administration Committee told me yesterday, it's one male, and one female award, Ben Pesner be damned.

Posted: 2/3/06 at 2:19pm

and God told me Reba's gonna win.

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 2:23pm

Sorry Smaxie, but I think they were a little behind with their info. It's one award, five possible slots for nominations (which aren't to be announced anyway, I understand). The idea of having Best Male Replacement and Best Female Replacement was discarded a while ago.

Posted: 2/3/06 at 2:26pm

But two people can win, correct?

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 2:51pm

Incorrect. One person will win the award, which is actually titled the Tony for Best Re-Creation of a Role. There will be no giving on the season dates, it will be for performances in the 05-06 season, which runs May 10th 2005 to May 10th 2006. And only actors whose contract is for six months or longer can be considered for the new award.

Updated On: 2/3/06 at 02:51 PM

[Ourtime992]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 3:02pm

"Up to one actor and one actress in a given season may receive an award in this category."

This is directly from the Tony Awards website. If that has changed, why have they not released that information?

[broadwaybound882]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 4:12pm

Could Howard McGillin be nominated? he's an amazing Phantom and def wasn't around when it opened back in that glorious year of 1988?

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 4:16pm

It's feasible. The last I heard was nominees wouldn't be announced though.