In a Tony Race, Even Winners Often Lose
By JESSE McKINLEY
AH, the Tony Awards, those magical medallions that can save a show, birth a new star and instantly turn an empty box office into a traffic jam of ticket buyers. Famous, beloved and lusted after, they are the ultimate indication of excellence, the true result of merit and hard work, and the highest honor in the American Theater.
Or not.
While the Tony ceremonies are, without a doubt, Broadway's big night, anyone who has actually sat through a Tony season - from nominations to acceptance speeches - knows that the reality of the Antoinette Perry Awards can be much less grand than the billing. Indeed, for many producers, particularly those of marginally profitable or money-losing shows, getting nominated for a Tony Award can actually be bad news, necessitating an outlay of sorely needed cash for new print advertisements and broadcast production numbers. Then there is the cost of wooing Tony voters with free CD's, souvenir books and cocktails (not to mention the cocktail weenies). Add in the free tickets - two each for more than 700 Tony voters - and you're talking a big investment that pays nothing if you don't win.
In fact, sometimes even a big win is not a guarantee of profit. "Thoroughly Modern Millie," "Titanic" and "Passion" all won for best musical and all lost money on Broadway.
Last year, some thought the winner for best musical revival - Stephen Sondheim's "Assassins" - might blossom into a long run for its producer, the Roundabout Theater Company. It closed six weeks after the Tonys.
The awards do even less for nonmusical plays. Last year's winner, "I Am My Own Wife" (which also won the Pulitzer Prize), did see an increase in sales after winning, but the bounce trailed off after a month or so, and the show eventually closed at a loss on Broadway. (That said, a Tony can help a show like "I Am My Own Wife" get a national tour, where there is money to be made. "Thoroughly Modern Millie," for instance, made money on the road. )
As for individuals, the awards are certainly appreciated, but they don't really make you a star anywhere other than inside the Theater District. (Quick: Name last year's winner of best featured actress in a play.)
"In the larger picture of the industry outside the theater, it means virtually nothing," said Jay Binder, a prominent casting director.
Sure enough, the road to Hollywood is littered with recent Tony winners whose winning ways helped them land television shows but whose stage charisma apparently failed to translate to the small screen. Kristin Chenoweth, the puckish blonde who won in 1999 for "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," got her own sitcom after winning; it was broadcast six times before being canceled.
Ditto for Nathan Lane, a winner in 2001 for "The Producers"; his post-Tony television show ran only twice. And Audra McDonald, who has won four - count' em, four - Tonys (including, yes, best featured actress in a play last year), was on something called "Mister Sterling" for a while. It is not on television anymore.
Still, year after year, the Tony aura casts its spell on many producers, who throw good money after bad, truly believing that the awards will miraculously lead to the promised land: profitability. And sometimes they do - but not always. So for all those cockeyed optimists among Broadway's producers and audiences, here are five myths about the Tony Awards.
1. THE TONY AWARDS ARE ALWAYS A GOOD INVESTMENT
A Tony campaign for a nominated musical can cost $500,000, including about $200,000 for advertisements in The New York Times and other newspapers (and the occasional radio spot) and about $150,000 on rehearsal and specialized scenery and other costs for the production number performed during the broadcast of the Tony ceremonies (this year on June 5 on CBS). Add another $150,000 in free tickets for the Tony voters and their dates, and you've got the equivalent of a week's sales for some shows.
All of which, of course, is money many shows need.
"It's an agonizing decision," said Alan Wasser, one of Broadway's most experienced general managers and a veteran of too many Tony campaigns to count. "On one hand, you feel you need to have a presence. But if you're the underdog, working with a certain budget, it's money you don't want to spend."
But - and here's the catch - you don't have a choice.
"You're obligated to do it because you have to run the race," said Emanuel Azenberg, the longtime Broadway producer. "The winner will get it back. Everyone else comes in fifth."
2. A TONY AWARD CAN MAKE A CAREER
Warren Leight is a good sport and a good writer. And in 1999, he won a Tony for best play for "Side Man." So who is producing his latest play, "No Foreigners Beyond This Point"? Ma-Yi, an Off Off Broadway company. "I would have thought it would have opened more doors in the theater than it did," Mr. Leight said.
His experience is not uncommon. For every star made by a Tony, there are plenty of other winners who are still safe from the paparazzi, those in the business note. "Historically, if you look at who has won, say, best supporting actress in a musical, they have respected careers, but nothing remarkable," Mr. Binder said. They still have "to audition like everybody else."
Winning can even cause a crisis. "The most important thing about winning the Tony is that once you do, choose your next project wisely, because the expectations of what you can deliver have been heightened," said Walter Bobbie, who won in 1996 for "Chicago" and promptly torpedoed his reputation with 1998's "Footloose." (He has since come back with this year's revival of "Sweet Charity.")
Mr. Bobbie also confirmed that the Tony's magic apparently stops at the Hudson River. "Outside the community," he said, "nobody notices."
3. A TONY AWARD CAN SAVE A SHOW
It is a rite of passage. Almost every June, struggling shows win Tonys, sometimes even more than one, and their producers celebrate late into the night.
And then, a little while later - sometimes just a few days - they close.
There was much rejoicing in 2002, for example, when "Into the Woods" pulled an upset and won best revival of a musical over "Oklahoma!" A month later, its sales were worse than before the award.
The lesson, of course, is that some awards mean more than others. Best musical is the one award that can regularly affect sales - even if it doesn't take you into the black. Best play can help a little. But best choreography? Good luck.
Indeed, many producers are convinced that the main value of the Tonys is not so much the actual awards but the television time during the ceremonies for the numbers from the nominated musicals. Mr. Azenberg said that while the Twyla Tharp-Billy Joel show "Movin' Out" didn't win big at the 2003 Tonys, its production number did score with ticket buyers. "By and large, the winner of best musical sees an impact, and the number you perform has an impact," he said. "Everything else is questionable."
"Smokey Joe's Cafe" is a famous example. The show, which was derided by critics and went 0 for 7 at the 1995 Tonys, wowed television viewers with the broadcast's opening number and subsequently ran for five more years. "Sunset Boulevard," which won best musical that year, chose to showcase Glenn Close as the mad Norma Desmond in a scene that did not come across as well. "Sunset" ended up losing money on Broadway.
4. THE TONY AWARD WINNER IS THE BEST OF THE BEST
That claim brings up an old problem of the Tonys: geography. The Tonys consider only shows done on Broadway and the vast majority of new American plays and musicals are not done on Broadway. Imagine the Oscars not considering independent film. Broadway producers counter that they paid the high prices of doing business on Broadway - unions, advertising, parking - and thus can exclude whomever they want. Fair enough. But to say that only the best of American theater is represented on Broadway is just silly. (Check out Times critics' favorites that were not nominated this season, on Page 12.)
The Tonys also suffer from a fairly severe case of cronyism, a condition aggravated by the tiny and ridiculously interconnected world that is Broadway. "It's better to know nothing about the politics," said the producer and director George C. Wolfe, who has won - and lost - a few Tonys. "Then you can think it's a big beautiful cake and you get to eat it."
Not only do many producers - who include dozens of hit-hungry road presenters - vote their own economic interests, but many people vote for sentimental reasons or worse. "Wicked," last year's surprise loser in the best musical category, was viewed by many voters as too corporate (Universal Pictures is a producer) or too, yep, successful to win. "It didn't need it," was a common expression. But "Avenue Q," which had already recouped its costs, planned a national tour and had in fact been created by young novices, apparently did. It won. (And then canceled the tour and signed on to an exclusive Las Vegas production.)
There is also the perennial problem of any awards show: comparing wildly varied artistic efforts. "Most people I know are ambivalent about it at best," said Joe Mantello, who has won two Tonys for his direction and is up for another for "Glengarry Glen Ross" this year. "I mean, even the most healthy person would like to get the award, and it's an incredible honor, but any reasonable person knows that comparing two actors' performances or the work of two directors is like apples and oranges."
5. SO, THE TONY AWARDS ARE JUST A WORTHLESS WASTE OF TIME?
Well, no.
For all their flaws, the Tonys are the Big Leagues, a true indication of having made it, if only for a night. What's more, the shows that are celebrated generally have solid merit, whether as works of art or miracles of commerce. "Sometimes the nominations are odd, and sometimes you may not agree, but it is a real acknowledgment of some sort of achievement," Mr. Bobbie said. "And I am very proud of mine."
And even if they don't always produce personal riches, they do have other, more intangible benefits. Mr. Leight said that while his Tony didn't translate into lots of theatrical opportunities, it did help to persuade producers that his play "Side Man" was good enough for Dubuque. "The Tony took the fear away" of being produced outside of New York, Mr. Leight said. "It gave it the imprimatur it needed."
Others said the award has more personal charms. "It was certainly convenient when I went back to high school reunions," said the set designer John Lee Beatty, who won in 1980 for "Talley's Folley" and has been nominated nine times since, including this year for "Doubt." "And it took the pressure off to provide grandchildren."
By JESSE McKINLEY
AH, the Tony Awards, those magical medallions that can save a show, birth a new star and instantly turn an empty box office into a traffic jam of ticket buyers. Famous, beloved and lusted after, they are the ultimate indication of excellence, the true result of merit and hard work, and the highest honor in the American Theater.
Or not.
While the Tony ceremonies are, without a doubt, Broadway's big night, anyone who has actually sat through a Tony season - from nominations to acceptance speeches - knows that the reality of the Antoinette Perry Awards can be much less grand than the billing. Indeed, for many producers, particularly those of marginally profitable or money-losing shows, getting nominated for a Tony Award can actually be bad news, necessitating an outlay of sorely needed cash for new print advertisements and broadcast production numbers. Then there is the cost of wooing Tony voters with free CD's, souvenir books and cocktails (not to mention the cocktail weenies). Add in the free tickets - two each for more than 700 Tony voters - and you're talking a big investment that pays nothing if you don't win.
In fact, sometimes even a big win is not a guarantee of profit. "Thoroughly Modern Millie," "Titanic" and "Passion" all won for best musical and all lost money on Broadway.
Last year, some thought the winner for best musical revival - Stephen Sondheim's "Assassins" - might blossom into a long run for its producer, the Roundabout Theater Company. It closed six weeks after the Tonys.
The awards do even less for nonmusical plays. Last year's winner, "I Am My Own Wife" (which also won the Pulitzer Prize), did see an increase in sales after winning, but the bounce trailed off after a month or so, and the show eventually closed at a loss on Broadway. (That said, a Tony can help a show like "I Am My Own Wife" get a national tour, where there is money to be made. "Thoroughly Modern Millie," for instance, made money on the road. )
As for individuals, the awards are certainly appreciated, but they don't really make you a star anywhere other than inside the Theater District. (Quick: Name last year's winner of best featured actress in a play.)
"In the larger picture of the industry outside the theater, it means virtually nothing," said Jay Binder, a prominent casting director.
Sure enough, the road to Hollywood is littered with recent Tony winners whose winning ways helped them land television shows but whose stage charisma apparently failed to translate to the small screen. Kristin Chenoweth, the puckish blonde who won in 1999 for "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," got her own sitcom after winning; it was broadcast six times before being canceled.
Ditto for Nathan Lane, a winner in 2001 for "The Producers"; his post-Tony television show ran only twice. And Audra McDonald, who has won four - count' em, four - Tonys (including, yes, best featured actress in a play last year), was on something called "Mister Sterling" for a while. It is not on television anymore.
Still, year after year, the Tony aura casts its spell on many producers, who throw good money after bad, truly believing that the awards will miraculously lead to the promised land: profitability. And sometimes they do - but not always. So for all those cockeyed optimists among Broadway's producers and audiences, here are five myths about the Tony Awards.
1. THE TONY AWARDS ARE ALWAYS A GOOD INVESTMENT
A Tony campaign for a nominated musical can cost $500,000, including about $200,000 for advertisements in The New York Times and other newspapers (and the occasional radio spot) and about $150,000 on rehearsal and specialized scenery and other costs for the production number performed during the broadcast of the Tony ceremonies (this year on June 5 on CBS). Add another $150,000 in free tickets for the Tony voters and their dates, and you've got the equivalent of a week's sales for some shows.
All of which, of course, is money many shows need.
"It's an agonizing decision," said Alan Wasser, one of Broadway's most experienced general managers and a veteran of too many Tony campaigns to count. "On one hand, you feel you need to have a presence. But if you're the underdog, working with a certain budget, it's money you don't want to spend."
But - and here's the catch - you don't have a choice.
"You're obligated to do it because you have to run the race," said Emanuel Azenberg, the longtime Broadway producer. "The winner will get it back. Everyone else comes in fifth."
2. A TONY AWARD CAN MAKE A CAREER
Warren Leight is a good sport and a good writer. And in 1999, he won a Tony for best play for "Side Man." So who is producing his latest play, "No Foreigners Beyond This Point"? Ma-Yi, an Off Off Broadway company. "I would have thought it would have opened more doors in the theater than it did," Mr. Leight said.
His experience is not uncommon. For every star made by a Tony, there are plenty of other winners who are still safe from the paparazzi, those in the business note. "Historically, if you look at who has won, say, best supporting actress in a musical, they have respected careers, but nothing remarkable," Mr. Binder said. They still have "to audition like everybody else."
Winning can even cause a crisis. "The most important thing about winning the Tony is that once you do, choose your next project wisely, because the expectations of what you can deliver have been heightened," said Walter Bobbie, who won in 1996 for "Chicago" and promptly torpedoed his reputation with 1998's "Footloose." (He has since come back with this year's revival of "Sweet Charity.")
Mr. Bobbie also confirmed that the Tony's magic apparently stops at the Hudson River. "Outside the community," he said, "nobody notices."
3. A TONY AWARD CAN SAVE A SHOW
It is a rite of passage. Almost every June, struggling shows win Tonys, sometimes even more than one, and their producers celebrate late into the night.
And then, a little while later - sometimes just a few days - they close.
There was much rejoicing in 2002, for example, when "Into the Woods" pulled an upset and won best revival of a musical over "Oklahoma!" A month later, its sales were worse than before the award.
The lesson, of course, is that some awards mean more than others. Best musical is the one award that can regularly affect sales - even if it doesn't take you into the black. Best play can help a little. But best choreography? Good luck.
Indeed, many producers are convinced that the main value of the Tonys is not so much the actual awards but the television time during the ceremonies for the numbers from the nominated musicals. Mr. Azenberg said that while the Twyla Tharp-Billy Joel show "Movin' Out" didn't win big at the 2003 Tonys, its production number did score with ticket buyers. "By and large, the winner of best musical sees an impact, and the number you perform has an impact," he said. "Everything else is questionable."
"Smokey Joe's Cafe" is a famous example. The show, which was derided by critics and went 0 for 7 at the 1995 Tonys, wowed television viewers with the broadcast's opening number and subsequently ran for five more years. "Sunset Boulevard," which won best musical that year, chose to showcase Glenn Close as the mad Norma Desmond in a scene that did not come across as well. "Sunset" ended up losing money on Broadway.
4. THE TONY AWARD WINNER IS THE BEST OF THE BEST
That claim brings up an old problem of the Tonys: geography. The Tonys consider only shows done on Broadway and the vast majority of new American plays and musicals are not done on Broadway. Imagine the Oscars not considering independent film. Broadway producers counter that they paid the high prices of doing business on Broadway - unions, advertising, parking - and thus can exclude whomever they want. Fair enough. But to say that only the best of American theater is represented on Broadway is just silly. (Check out Times critics' favorites that were not nominated this season, on Page 12.)
The Tonys also suffer from a fairly severe case of cronyism, a condition aggravated by the tiny and ridiculously interconnected world that is Broadway. "It's better to know nothing about the politics," said the producer and director George C. Wolfe, who has won - and lost - a few Tonys. "Then you can think it's a big beautiful cake and you get to eat it."
Not only do many producers - who include dozens of hit-hungry road presenters - vote their own economic interests, but many people vote for sentimental reasons or worse. "Wicked," last year's surprise loser in the best musical category, was viewed by many voters as too corporate (Universal Pictures is a producer) or too, yep, successful to win. "It didn't need it," was a common expression. But "Avenue Q," which had already recouped its costs, planned a national tour and had in fact been created by young novices, apparently did. It won. (And then canceled the tour and signed on to an exclusive Las Vegas production.)
There is also the perennial problem of any awards show: comparing wildly varied artistic efforts. "Most people I know are ambivalent about it at best," said Joe Mantello, who has won two Tonys for his direction and is up for another for "Glengarry Glen Ross" this year. "I mean, even the most healthy person would like to get the award, and it's an incredible honor, but any reasonable person knows that comparing two actors' performances or the work of two directors is like apples and oranges."
5. SO, THE TONY AWARDS ARE JUST A WORTHLESS WASTE OF TIME?
Well, no.
For all their flaws, the Tonys are the Big Leagues, a true indication of having made it, if only for a night. What's more, the shows that are celebrated generally have solid merit, whether as works of art or miracles of commerce. "Sometimes the nominations are odd, and sometimes you may not agree, but it is a real acknowledgment of some sort of achievement," Mr. Bobbie said. "And I am very proud of mine."
And even if they don't always produce personal riches, they do have other, more intangible benefits. Mr. Leight said that while his Tony didn't translate into lots of theatrical opportunities, it did help to persuade producers that his play "Side Man" was good enough for Dubuque. "The Tony took the fear away" of being produced outside of New York, Mr. Leight said. "It gave it the imprimatur it needed."
Others said the award has more personal charms. "It was certainly convenient when I went back to high school reunions," said the set designer John Lee Beatty, who won in 1980 for "Talley's Folley" and has been nominated nine times since, including this year for "Doubt." "And it took the pressure off to provide grandchildren."
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