If Best Musical and Best Revival were Combined?

[Jay94]

Hypothetically, what would win each year? Which show did the tony voters like more in past years?
Put aside the notion that Tony voters would rather select new shows.

2011: The Book of Mormon
2010: La Cage aux Folles
2009: Billy Elliot: the Musical
2008: South Pacific
2007: Spring Awakening
2006: Jersey Boys
2005: Spamalot
2004: Assassins
2003: Hairspray
2002: Thoroughly Modern Millie
2001: The Producers
2000: Kiss Me, Kate

1997: Chicago
1995: Show Boat
1994: Carousel
1992: Guys and Dolls

okay, i know it's a weird idea

[henrikegerman]

It makes sense to me to have "best musical production" in which both revivals and new shows might be eligible . It also makes sense to have a category for "best new musical," in reference to combined achievement in book and score, which is, after all, the gravamen of a great and lasting addition to the musical theater. It also makes sense to me that there should be two different categories for "best play" and "best production of a play." Not doing so is kind of like the oscars not having separate categories for best picture and best screenplay. Writing and production are conflated for the Tony's. Although there is best book of a musical, there is not best play separately from best production of one.

[Jay94]

I'm not really advocating the category but i think it's an interesting thing to discuss.

[followspot]

Jay, I've always felt that the nominees/winners in the directing categories — which do combine new works and revivals — are the best indicators of what are truly the season's finest productions (without the politics of the Best Play/Musical categories). If you look at the list of recent winners in the Best Direction of a Musical category, it pretty much matches your list.

@henrik: I agree completely. It always aggravates me how the nominees for Best Book for a Musical get solo nominations, name announcements, and camera close-ups on the Tony Awards telecast, but the playwrights responsible for the Best Play nominees are lucky if their name is buried in an onscreen list of producers. Ridiculous and insulting. Watch this year — I guarantee that Douglas Carter Beane, Harvey Fierstein, Joe DiPietro, and Enda Walsh will be celebrated; and Bruce Norris, Jon Robin Baitz, Rick Elise, and David Ives will be treated as if they don't exist. Happens every year.

For the record, there was a "Best Author of a Play" category when the Tonys first began, separate from "Best Production of a Play."

[followspot]

double post

[dramamama611]

In years where the pickin's are slim, I would like that decision. But in banner years, it would be a shame for so many shows to not get recognition.


I TOTALLY agree that there should be a separate cateorgy of Best WRITTEN Play vs Best PRODUCTION of a play.

[Kad]

I agree. For example, last year... there would be no way War Horse would've been able to stand up to the other plays, on the merit of text alone.

[jv92]

If this were the case, this year I'd totally vote for FOLLIES if the category was combined just to make up for the fact that it lost in '71. (If I were a voter, that is.)

[henrikegerman]

n 1994, I would have given the award to She Loves Me instead of Carousel. Of course I would have also given the award to best revival to She Loves Me instead of Carousel.

[ChenoKahn]

Oklahoma or Into the Woods might have been able to beat Thoroughly Modern Millie.

[SondheimFan5]

I'm surprised Drama League doesn't do it this way.

[Jay94]

I think the Drama Desk actually did this in 1995 when Show Boat won and How to Succeed were nominated in best musical and revival was eliminated.

But yes, direction is a great indicator of what would have won but also what would have been nominated. For example this year the nominees probably would have been, Newsies, Nice Work, Once and Porgy and Bess (maybe Follies) and in 1998 The Lion King, Cabaret, 1776 and Ragtime or in 2006 Jersey Boys, The Drowsy Chaperone, Sweeney Todd and The Pajama Game.