June 2, 2000
A night on the town - THE COMMENTARY
By Joseph Planta
VANCOUVER -- The town in question is New York City, and while I’m not currently writing from there (and you happen to be reading this,) you’ll have to bear the brunt of my preview of this Sunday night’s Tony Awards.
For the uninitiated, the Tony is the award bestowed for outstanding achievement in the theatre. Broadway theatre to be exact.
Awards (Emmy’s, Oscar’s, Grammy’s, etc.) are practically fascinating to me, so the Tony’s are no exception. Taking stock of all the honours, and trying to pinpoint which is the most distinguished award in all of show business, the Oscars included, the most honourable award to covet is the Tony. The Emmy’s usually honour folks who are good actors in television, but all actors (at least the real ones,) know television isn’t really a bastion for acting, per se. The Oscars usually honour folks who are stars, so acting isn’t a factor in determining that. In film and television when you act and you sorta screw up, you simply retake. On the stage, the theatre, when you screw up - you screw up.
The true test of acting, and being an actor, is winning a Tony.
The great acting greats have all won Tony’s: Dickie Burton, Annie Bancroft, Helen Hayes, Julie Harris, Dame Diana Rigg, Matt Broderick, Glenn Close, Kevin Spacey, Larry Fishburne, (Lady Olivier) Joan Plowright, Uta Hagen... among others.
This year, The Tony’s are once again hosted by Rosie O’Donnell. She hosted three and two years ago, but declined the offer last year, because she was wrapped up hosting the Grammy’s and dealing with a death threat on her young son. With her this year is Tony-winner, Nathan Lane who’s Miss O’Donnell’s “special guest star.”
Nominated this year are a varied array of musical theatre stars like Eartha Kitt who’s nominated for the musical, The Wild Party. Her co-stars, Mandy Patinkin and Toni Collette (who was just nominated for an Oscar for her supporting turn in The Sixth Sense,” are nominated for Tony’s in the lead category.
In the play categories, Philip Seymour Hoffman is nominated for True West and Gabriel Byrne is nominated for the revival of A Moon For The Misbegotten. They are nominated in the lead actor category.
The unique thing about the Tony’s is that most people tuning in won’t know half the buggers nominated. But, it is the theatre and a bastion of up and coming stars. For example: Alan Cumming won for the brilliant revival of Cabaret two years ago and subsequently won roles in ABC’s TV musical, Annie among other roles. Last year’s best featured actress in a musical, Kristin Chenoweth is now on tap to assume her own ABC sitcom this fall.
I guess, what I can only suggest is that you tune in on Sunday night. Among those taking the stage as either performers or presenters are: Frasier’s Kelsey Grammer, daytime soap queen Susan Lucci, Bernadette Peters, Ally McBeal’s Jane Krakowski and the legendary Carol Burnett.
The musicals nominated this year, and which will feature performances on the telecast are a terrific blend of old and new Broadway musicals. The revival of Kiss Me Kate garnered 12 nods, The Music Man took 8 nominations and the new musical, The Wild Party took 7 nods, as did Contact another new musical. Disney’s brand-new epic, Aida took 5 nominations, including 1 nod for its creator, Elton John.
The Tony’s air on Sunday, June 4th, the pre-show is on PBS (locally cable 27) at 8:00 and then the main telecast on CBS (cable 15) at 9:00.
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An archive of Joseph Planta's previous columns can be found by clicking HERE .