Tony Administration Committee Classifies Movin’ Out, La Bohème, Etc.
The Tony Awards administration committee has just made some tricky decisions concerning the classification of certain shows for purposes of award eligibility. According to spokesman Keith Sherman:
1) Movin’ Out — the Twyla Tharp dance show constructed around the songs of Billy Joel, performed live on stage by singer Michael Cavanaugh and a rock band — will be eligible for nomination as a musical.
2) La Bohème, Baz Luhrmann’s Broadway production of the Puccini opera, will be eligible as a musical revival.
3) Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam on Broadway will be eligible in the Special Theatrical Event category.
4) Imaginary Friends will be eligible as a play but the show’s musical elements — orchestrations, choreography, and score — will also be eligible for Tonys. (Sherman cited Dancing at Lughnasa as precedent for this decision.)
Additionally, Sherman told TheaterMania that a ruling on the eligibility of the multiple-cast actors in La Boheme has been tabled for discussion at a future meeting.
