A Snubbed Affair
A Snubbed AffairAlthough I have yet to post my SOB Review of the absolutely exquisite Broadway musical A Catered Affair, I was shocked, really shocked, that the tuner got aced out of a Tony nomination for Best Musical by Cry-Baby.
As I've said elsewhere, the nominators chose a crass act over a class act.
And I dare say that Cry-Baby will never be one for the ages, although it admittedly may be one for the lesser stages -- especially in the short-term as theatres across the country may view it as the better draw among potential touring productions. How very sad.
I know I wasn't alone yesterday in professing my surprise at the unexpected nods to Cry-Baby. The news reverberated throughout the theatre blogosphere with cries of "robbed," "outrage," "at a loss," "fooled" and "kinda funny" along with others stunned by the news.
Of course, leave it to New York Post's Michael Riedel to really put things into perspective:
The nominators appeared to go out of their way to ignore (Harvey) Fierstein's A Catered Affair, about a working-class couple struggling to make ends meet while planning a fancy wedding for their daughter.Like I said, a class act through and through.
The show only got three nominations, including two for leads Faith Prince and Tom Wopat.
"Oh, those wacky Tony nominators -- can you believe they didn't kiss me first?" Fierstein, who wrote the script and appears in the show, says, laughing.
"You don't have to buy me dinner, but at least kiss me first!"
The team behind A Catered Affair took the bad news in stride: After the nominations were announced, they repaired to Esca for a boozy lunch.
Note to Harvey: It was great meeting you again on Saturday, and I'll be toasting you and your gem of a show very shortly.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.
Related Stories:
And The Tony Nominees Go To... (May 13, 2008)
Whoopi! Tony Eligibility And More Handicapping (May 9, 2008)
Did Affair Positively Cater To Critics? (April 18, 2008)
A Catered Opening Night (April 17, 2008)
Early Tony Handicapping (March 25, 2008)
Wildfires Force Closure Of La Jolla And Old Globe Theatres (October 23, 2007)
Harvey Fiersback (October 5, 2007)
Were Left Coast Critics Feting A Catered Affair? (October 3, 2007)
San Diego Opening Is Catered Affair (September 30, 2007)
Which Upcoming Broadway Musicals Will You See? (June 15, 2007)
Fierstein To Musicalize Bette Davis' Fave Flick (March 21, 2007)
Labels: A Catered Affair, Best New Musicals, Broadway, Cry-Baby, Harvey Fierstein, Michael Riedel, Tony Awards, Tony Nominations
posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Wednesday, May 14, 2008
7 Comments:
As someone who thought A Catered Affair was an interesting failure, I can't say I'm sorry...I do think however that the nominators did not want to fill up more than one best musical slot with a non-commercial "artsy" musical and that slot went to Passing Strange.
I've thought quite a bit about A Catered Affair since we saw it. In a low-key way, the musical makes some very thoughtful points about family and love and sacrifice. Plus, I love the way it evokes New York City. On the other hand, Cry-Baby was pretty forgettable. For the most part, neither the songs nor the characters were very memorable.
I know I'm always saying that I love the big dance numbers, the big showstopping tunes, and I do, but I can certainly appreciate a small slice of life that A Catered Affair represents. It's a much more thoughtful show than Young Frankenstein or Cry-Baby and it deserved a nomination. (I haven't seen Xanadu or The Little Mermaid, so I can't comment on them).
But I think nominating it for Best Musical along with Xanadu, In the Heights and Passing Strange would really have showcased the range that's available on Broadway today. And that's a good thing.
A Catered Affair doesn't have a big cast or an elaborate set. I don't know, it's sad to think that it wouldn't find an audience on tour.
And it certainly was a big thrill meeting Harvey at the stage door!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qa8sPwfdn9g
BB, Have you actually seen the Broadway version of the show? The show is likely different than what you saw in San Diego.
Esther, I agree that A Catered Affair is very thoughtful, and I believe highly entertaining - much more so that C-B.
I have not seen either Cry-Baby or A Catered Affair on Broadway. I think we can all agree that Cry-Baby and Catered Affair are two shows that have divided viewers and critics. As I mentioned, I found a lot to love in Catered Affair (the excellent acting, the understated direction) , but as a whole the show did not resonate with me.
I think it could if you saw it now.
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