The Tony Award Ceremony was spectacular. It always is, but this year they really outdid themselves. My dear friend, Whoopi Goldberg, was a wonderful host and a good sport. As for the awards themselves, there really were no big surprises. The musical with the most nominations won for best musical, the play with the most nominations won for best play, the musical revival with the most nominations won for best musical revival, and the revival of a play with the most nominations won for best revival of a play. Patti Lupone won for Best Actress in a Musical, duh. In the Heights nominated for 13 Tonys won 4 including Best Musical. August: Osage County won 5 of the 7 categories it was nominated for including Best Play. South Pacific took 7 of 11 nominations including Best Revival of a Musical. And the British production of Boeing, Boeing won 2 of the 6 categories it was nominated for including Best Revival of a Play.
These winning plays win more than just the Tonys. They win larger audiences. Larger audiences mean longer runs. Longer runs mean bigger ticket sales. It's a win win situation. The after-parties were barely over before winners started reporting boosts in ticket sales. With all the wonderful choices on Broadway, this year has been a particularly weak year for ticket sales. I read that 18 of the 37 shows currently on Broadway play to houses that sell 70% or fewer seats for each performance. So sad when you think about all the blood, sweat and tears it takes to get a show on the Great White Way. The Tony Awards really help because they whet the appetite of audiences. For me, after seeing numbers from all 11 musicals, I want to see them all. I've said it before and I'll say it again, "so many shows, so little time and money".
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