Wednesday, June 03, 2009

TONY SQUEEZES OUT DRAMA - New York Post:

AFTER years of pretending to "honor excellence in the theater," Tony officials are finally com ing clean about their true calling: making money for the backers of big musicals -- and trying, however ineptly, to jack up ratings for CBS.

How else to interpret the decision to eliminate from Sunday's Tony telecast a bunch of what are patronizingly called "creative awards" and put in their place musical numbers from touring productions of "Jersey Boys," "Mamma Mia!" and -- here's a good reason to switch channels -- "Legally Blonde"?

Tony officials announced this week that the awards for things such as lighting, sets and costumes -- all insignificant components of a Broadway show, as anyone who works in the theater can attest -- will not make the broadcast.

And that's not all.

Also banned from prime time are the awards for choreography, book of a musical and revival of a play.