Will Tonis be canceled in 2020? – Different

For the past seven decades, the show has always run for the Tony Award, which honors Best Broadway performances and productions. But due to the coronavirus, the planned 4th edition has been postponed from its planned June date. There is a real chance that the show will be dropped this year, multiple sources said. Diversity.

With Broadway’s future uncertain – the secluded Times Square and tourists criticizing Manhattan – insiders say the discussions that Tony’s planned committee has held have come to a “standstill”.

Part of the reason for the cancellation was the logistics. When Tony Voter and the award-winning 54-member nominating committee are asked to watch musical instruments and plays at the opening, not everyone can keep up. Thus, April is usually a time when voters miss their shows, which was not possible this year after 12 March 31 musicals and dramas suddenly went dark to prevent the spread of the virus. The same is true of large organizations of Tony voters, who decide who takes the statues after the nominating committee shakes up a handful of potential candidates.

A representative of the Tony Award Productions – a joint venture between the Broadway League and the American Theater Wing, which Tony has planned – declined to comment.

Tony’s fate is more complicated than other awards ceremonies. Unlike Oscars or Emmis, Tony’s goal is to encourage audiences to leave their homes and buy tickets to live theater, an impossible mission when public gatherings are banned.

And yet, most people in the theater community believe that it is important to respect the best productions of the 2019-20 season. Otherwise, front runners like “Moulin Rouge!”, “Jagged Little Peel,” “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical,” “Slave Play” and “The Heritage” will have a good chance of winning their prizes.

“Tony must go this season – in one form or another – because the theater only needs sweat, tears and passion for blood,” said Montego Glover (“Memphis”), who was nominated for Best Actress in a musical in 2010 and whose plays “All Natalie Portmans” is among them.

Producer Justin Mikita (“Torch Song”) added: “Tony’s spirit will remind playwrights of the love that comes from live performances, and give hope to those affected by the crisis. Let’s remember to sing, dance and celebrate “

However, if Broadway is dark, it is difficult to overcome the obstacles of holding any prize. There may be a way to give an idol to the guru as the singers gathered to celebrate Stachen Sandim’s 90th birthday above the zoom, but there will be no way to translate from the event to sell tickets. Some Broadway producers may be wary of spending time, resources, and money to secure COVID-19-safe production numbers, as they will not be able to realize any of their investment expectations when theaters are closed. According to sources, the telecast broadcaster has not expressed interest in a low-fi version of the CBS show. (A CBS representative did not respond to a request for comment, but a source familiar with the network’s internal discussions said a zoom version of Tony has not yet been prepared.)

If the Tons don’t happen this year, the next logical move would be to comb the next two seasons for a single event – perhaps in the summer of 2021 to stay in the minds of voters for another 12 months or perhaps longer. Even if the show is late until next year, many productions will not get a chance to highlight what was expected as a big competitor. Martin McDonagh’s “Hangman” and “Who’s Afraid of the Virginia Woolf?” Producer of its recovery? They even closed the show before releasing the previews and don’t plan to reopen Broadway. The fate of other highly anticipated shows, such as “Mrs. Suspicion: The Musical” and “The Lehman Trilogy”, is unclear.

The third option is also on the table. If the production returns in the fall or winter, Broadway was talking about hosting a general celebration – with numbers of past musical instruments (“Avenue Q” or “Les Mis্রেrables”) by starred croners on the star. While plans are still being drawn, in one scene, the singers will perform live in a single Broadway home after voluntarily agreeing to a voluntary chronology of self-isolation to ensure they are not contagious. The statues can still be rewarded but such shows will be more focused on reopening Broadway to ease the nerves of the public. Proponents say the hybrid event could be combined with an award ’55th anniversary to further illuminate their prop.

“My thoughts on the Tony Awards are a bit different,” said Janet Bairdale, co-star in “The Girl from the North Country.” At this point, I think Broadway should be celebrated as a whole – every show and every actor. Being at the center of the epidemic, we have survived. ”