(Jeremy Gerard's commentary appeared in Bloomberg Online, July 17.)
Broadway’s Tony Cronies Oust Stars, Press; Who Else? Commentary
In recent weeks, the folks who run the Tony Awards have defriended future Will Ferrells and Liza Minnellis, along with several score journalists, including me. I take this bird-flipping personally.
In an email Tuesday, Tony Award Productions informed the 100 or so journalists who cast ballots for the annual prizes that our voting privileges had been canceled.
This dictat came hard on the heels of a ruling that shed “Special Theatrical Event” from the awards. That’s the category in which Minnelli was a surprise Tony winner in June over Will Ferrell, both of whom had lucrative, popular limited runs on Broadway last season.
So Carrie Fisher’s highly anticipated solo show, “Wishful Drinking,” which arrives in the fall, will have to compete for Tony recognition against full-scale, well-populated new plays like Tracy Letts’s “Superior Donuts” and David Mamet’s “Race.” Poor Carrie won’t stand a chance.
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http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=anlhs9FnB37I