Tony Rulings: Glory Days Not Eligible for Nomination But Gypsy's Laurents Is

By Andrew Gans
08 May 2008

Arthur Laurents
Arthur Laurents
photo by Aubrey Reuben

The Tony Awards Administration Committee assembled May 8 for the fourth and final time this season to discuss the eligibility of several Broadway productions for the 2008 Tony Awards, presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing.

The committee discussed the eligibility of 11 Broadway productions, including Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Gypsy, South Pacific, Macbeth, Cry-Baby, A Catered Affair, The Country Girl, Thurgood, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Boeing-Boeing and Top Girls; their rulings follow.

On the musical front:

  • The new musical Glory Days, which opened and closed on Broadway on the same night, will not be eligible for nomination in any category.

  • Award-winning director Arthur Laurents will be eligible for nomination in the Best Director of a Musical category even though he has previously directed two other Broadway productions of Gypsy.

  • A Catered Affair's Harvey Fierstein will be eligible for nomination in the Featured Actor in a Musical category.

  • Cry-Baby's James Snyder and Elizabeth Stanley will be the only actors in that musical eligible for nomination in the Leading Actor/Actress in a Musical categories.

  • Paulo Szot and Kelli O'Hara will be considered, respectively, in the Leading Actor and Actress in a Musical categories for their performances in South Pacific.

    On the play front:

  • Top Girls and Country Girl will be eligible for nomination in the Best Revival of a Play category.

  • Thurgood and 39 Steps are both eligible for nomination in the Best Play category.

  • Boeing-Boeing's Christine Baranski will be eligible for nomination in the Featured Actress in a Play category.

  • Cat on a Hot Tin Roof's Phylicia Rashad will be eligible for nomination in the Featured Actress in a Play category.

  • Macbeth's Patrick Stewart and Kate Fleetwood will be eligible for nomination in the Leading Actor/Actress in a Play categories.

  • There are no potential nominees this season for the Best Theatrical Event category.

    All other decisions were consistent with the opening-night credits. That is, only actors whose names appear above the title are eligible for nomination in the Leading Actor/Actress categories. Producers must petition the Administration Committee in order to change actors' eligibility status.

    Cut-off date for Tony eligibility was May 7. Tony Award winners David Hyde Pierce and Sara Ramirez will announce the nominees for the 62nd Annual Tony Awards May 13 live from The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center.

    The 62nd Annual Tony Awards, celebrating the best of Broadway, will be broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall June 15. Tony and Academy Award winner Whoopi Goldberg will host. CBS will telecast the three-hour evening live beginning at 8 PM ET.

    The Tony Awards are presented by the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. CBS has broadcast the annual event since 1978.

    For more information visit www.TonyAwards.com.

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    At the League, Nina Lannan is chairman and Charlotte St. Martin is executive director. At the Wing, Sondra Gilman is chairman, Doug Leeds is president and Howard Sherman is executive director.