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.
