“He went to Juilliard,” Bebe Neuwirth cracked after Kelsey Grammer had stumbled for the third or fourth time in pronouncing the names of the 2000 Tony Award nominees. “They threw me out,” Grammer countered. The former Cheers co-stars were reunited at Sardi’s early Monday morning, May 8, to announce the contenders in this year’s Tony race.
The biggest winner of the morning was Kiss Me, Kate, with a whopping 12 nominations. The Music Man marched closely behind, with nine. That sound you heard during the reading of the nominations was a huge, collective sigh from everyone associated with The Wild Party; the Michael John LaChiusa/George C. Wolfe show was thrown a lifeline in the form of seven nominations, including Best Musical. (It was widely rumored that the show–which has been floundering at the box office–would have immediately posted a closing notice had it not been among the Best Musical nominees.)
Even given the paucity of possible choices for Best Musical, the Tony nominating committee declined to place either Saturday Night Fever or Aida in competition for that coveted award. Fever, in fact, was shut out in the nominations. Driving several more nails into the coffin of the American musical in its traditional form, the nominators gave seven nods to Contact–previously labeled “a dance play,” but re-labeled “a musical” just in time for Tony consideration–which not only has no singing, but no live music. (Susan Stroman’s brilliant dances for the show are performed to old recordings).
Roy Somlyo, president of the American Theatre Wing, told TheaterMania that the multiple nominations for Contact “show that the Tony Awards are keeping abreast of the times and are recognizing that every musical is not the same. The introduction of new elements doesn’t mean that a show shouldn’t qualify in the Best Musical category. I think it would have been a grievous omission if Contact had not been included.” At the same time, Somlyo said, “We’ve seriously thought about inventing a new category called Special Entertainment; that could include shows like Dame Edna and Jackie Mason, Contact or, maybe, Squonk. The problem is that, if you have such a category, what do you do with the participants in those shows? You either have to nominate them as musical or non-musical performers, or exclude them. We’re reluctant to create eight new categories for performers and creators of special entertainments. But there ought to be a way, other than special Tonys, to recognize projects that don’t fit into the traditional categories.”
There were a number of surprises among the nominees. Perhaps the most notable omission is Patrick Stewart, excluded from the Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play category. A week prior to the Tonys, Stewart had publicly excoriated the producers of Arthur Miller’s The Ride Down Mt. Morgan, in which Stewart stars, for not sufficiently publicizing the show. Word on the street is that Stewart’s reckless speech following the curtain calls of two performances of Mt. Morgan was in direct response to his having been passed over for a Drama Desk nomination. Whether his failure to be recognized by the Tony nominators had anything to do with his remarks or was simply an honest assessment of his performance is a matter of conjecture.
As predicted, Rosemary Harris and her daughter, Jennifer Ehle, will be competing opposite each other for the Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play award for their work in Waiting in the Wings and The Real Thing, respectively. Harris’ co-star Lauren Bacall did not receive a nomination; nor was Olympia Dukakis recognized for her performance in the one-woman play Rose.
Carol Burnett’s work in the Stephen Sondheim revue Putting It Together did not earn her a place among the contenders for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical. But Mandy Patinkin was nominated for his role of Burrs in The Wild Party even though he missed several critics performances–and despite widespread reports of Patinkin’s highly erratic, thoroughly unprofessional behavior during rehearsals for the show.
In addition to the nominees in 21 competitive categories, several special award winners were announced. A Tony for Lifetime Achievement in the Theater will be given to veteran producer T. Edward Hambleton, founder of the Phoenix Theatre. The unique laugh-fest Dame Edna: The Royal Tour will receive a special Tony for “live theatrical event”; its star, Barry Humphries, had previously been ruled ineligible for nomination as Best Actor. Tonys for excellence in theater will be given to the great actress Eileen Heckart, currently starring Off-Broadway in The Waverly Gallery; to the highly respected theatrical agent and manager Sylvia Herscher; and to the City Center series Encores! Great American Musicals in Concert. A Tony for outstanding regional theater will be go to the Utah Shakespearean Festival.
The Tony Award ceremony will be held at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 4. A limited number of tickets are available to the public at $100 and $200 each; they can be purchased through the Ticketmaster Tony Hotline by calling 212-307-4544. Visa is the only credit card accepted for this purpose.
For a complete list of the nominees, click on page 2 below.
