The final meeting of the Tony Admin committee before nominations are announced on May 5 happened today.

Angela Lansbury was bumped down to the Featured Actress in a Play category (I had a feeling that would happen...)

The three Hedda men (Cerveris, Stormare and Sparks) are all Featured.

Will Ferrell's Bush show was put into Special Theatrical Event.

full article:
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/127953.html

I wonder why?

Geraldine Page received a Best Actress Tony Award nomination for playing Madame Arcati as 1987.

Does it also mean that Susan Louise O’Connor is no longer in the running with her small, but scene-stealer performance as Edith the maid?

I think this just makes it easier for Lansbury to win her 5th Tony.

In the article it says the Tony Admin. Committee will meet one more time, I assume on that day they will decide the category placement for 9 to 5.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Royal Night,

I agree that I think the decision to bump Lansbury down to the Featured Actress category was strategic in the sense that she will be more competitive there and a better chance of taking home that 5th Tony Award.

Has anyone heard any buzz at all about 9 to 5? I know it's in previews right now, but there are no reader reviews up on the NY Times website, which has me concerned. Is the show not drawing very big audiences for the previews, I wonder?

I'd say a good decision all the way around. Lansbury's character IS a featured role (the Tony system sometimes perpetuates horrible category frauds), and frankly, Lansbury does have a better shot at a fifth Tony now; Lead Actress is crowded to the margins this year as it is.

quote:

Originally posted by YoungRestlessOne:
Has anyone heard any buzz at all about 9 to 5? I know it's in previews right now, but there are no reader reviews up on the NY Times website, which has me concerned. Is the show not drawing very big audiences for the previews, I wonder?

Actually I believe the previews start on April 7, which is Tuesday.

I think the final meeting will be just before they do nominations, no? Will there be a separate release of their decisions beforehand...

I think the decision to put her in featured is because it is a featured role. It also happens to heighten her chances of winning but I doubt that was the reason they did it. This admin committee is different than the one who put Geraldine Page in Leading in 1987; it's really not at all uncommon for decisions to get reversed as the population of the committe changes over time.