After already being postponed once this year and being replaced by an ill-received Grease sing-along, it seems like the 2020 Tony Awards might still be happening after all, even with only four musicals qualifying and only three being nominated.

It’s undoubtedly a strange decision to go ahead with the awards ceremony, but it’s not one without reason. Ever since the Broadway shutdown began in March of 2020, and after it was extended until May of 2021, an increasing number of shows have had to postpone their opening night. Some, such as the revival of The Music Man, which features Hugh Jackman in his Broadway return, are being pushed back as far as 2022. This means that more and more shows are being forced to wait until the 2021 Broadway season to open, and for the few shows that did get the chance to open before the lights went down, it means even more competition than normal during the 2021 award season. To keep things fair for those few shows, the 2020 Tony Awards are going forward. But things may not be as fair as they seem at first glance.

Of the four musicals that opened this year before the shutdown (Jagged Little Pill, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Tina - The Tina Turner Musical, and The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical), only one had an original score: The Lightning Thief, based on the bestselling book of the same name by Rick Riordan. Curiously however, The Lightning Thief received no nominations at all, being completely snubbed, causing outrage amongst its devoted fanbase and calling into question if the 2020 Tony Awards were really about ‘fairness’ at all.

Though the musical has become a bit of a cult favorite among young theater fans and received much praise during its Off-Broadway run, the On-Broadway production of the show (the version that would be eligible for the Tony Awards) received a widely negative response among critics, despite still being loved by audiences. And unfortunately, the hard truth is that awards aren’t given out based on popularity, especially not when that popularity comes from teenagers and young people instead of New York theater snobs and the bourgeoisie.

Another oddity of the 2020 Tony Awards comes from the Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical category, in which the nominees are Aaron Tveit for Moulin Rouge! The Musical, and… no one else. This is a decision that comes as yet another thorn in the side of The Lightning Thief fans, as the only other eligible actor for this category would be Chris McCarrell, who stars as Percy Jackson. Even if Tveit is almost guaranteed to win for his widely praised performance as Christian in Moulin Rouge, to not even at least nominate McCarrell makes Tveit’s first Tony win feel slightly undeserved.

Strangely enough, however, Tveit is not guaranteed to win, nor does he win by default. There is still a possibility, however small, that he might not receive enough votes to secure the Tony. It’s highly unlikely that it would play out that way. However, with how 2020 has been, it certainly wouldn’t be impossible.

A date has not yet been announced for when the 2020 Tony Awards will air, nor has a host been announced - if there will even be one. The ceremony is expected to take place virtually, much like the Emmy Awards that happened in September of this year. The Emmys provided a blueprint that is expected to be followed by many of the other major awards ceremonies, namely, the Oscars.

Though many have fretted that the Oscars would be in a similar position as the Tony Awards, having few contenders for nominees, early predictions show that this doesn’t seem to be the case. Thanks to digital releases and an increase in appreciation for films produced by streaming services such as Netflix and Disney+, the Oscars will have more than enough films to fill out its list of nominees, even if the pool of movies is a bit smaller than in previous years. However, as an unintended consequence of this, more and more small studios and independent creators are getting a chance at the spotlight.

At the end of the day, however, awards ceremonies really don’t matter all that much, especially when there are so many more important things plaguing the world. The Lightning Thief might not win any Tonys, but that doesn’t change the fact that it has a massive following of dedicated, adoring fans. We shouldn’t need awards ceremonies and celebrities to tell us that our favorite movies, musicals, and shows are great, because the simple fact that they are our favorites should be enough. And in a time when we have lost so much, we shouldn’t be focusing on who or what is the best - we should be focused on appreciating what we have.

By Bailey Staerkel

Oshkosh West Index Volume 117 Issue 3

December 11. 2020

Tony Award nomination process triggers drama as curtain finally drops on wreckage of 2020