All in Odds & Ends
As a blogger and a theatre historian, I often refer to resources that have proven invaluable to me over the years. Having spent the better part of my life (I started researching at age eleven) delving into musical theatre history, certain books have presented themselves, again and again, as my "go to" places to fact check and to just enjoy the writings of people who are as passionate as I am about this glorious genre. This blog entry is a celebration of those books.
Earlier this week the 2015 Tony Award nominations came out and we have seen the usual barrage of whines and complaints that “so-and-so was snubbed” or “this show was entirely overlooked.” We treat these honors as if every well-publicized piece of theatre that opens and that every show brimming with talented people deserves to rewarded for showing up. In a world where the out-of-town tryout is a luxury and not the norm, and where many Broadway musicals gestate in regional theatres, Off-Broadway, or open cold on Broadway, the fact they get that far is honor enough. You did your job by taking the risk, finding your support, and, again, showing up. If you run long enough and make your producers some money, all the better for you. If you create groundbreaking art, take your craft to whole new level that shows you at your personal best and begins to outshine the others in your field, then it’s time to talk about awards
It's Tony nomination time and I always feel a bit like a kid at Christmas as I wait to find out which shows will receive recognition, which ones will establish themselves as historical pieces of art, which will be also-rans, and which will be "egregiously overlooked." The Tony awards used to be an enormous deal for me, a chance to sit down for three hours and see the faces that made Broadway. How completely did I revel in the scenes from plays such as Lettice and Lovage with Maggie Smith or Fences with James Earl Jones? The myriad musical numbers that I committed to memory and then replicated to the best of my ability in our basement. I can even remember such moving speeches as Michael Jeter accepting for Grand Hotel or Andrea Martin hilariously making the most of her time to talk, winning for My Favorite Year.
The one thing that we know for sure is that the survival of theatre lies in building future audiences and training young people to carry on the torch as both caretakers and craftsman. Everything that we can do to help support and foster that creative outlet for kids, leads to the evolution and survival of the art form.
