On Friday, the committee of Broadway insiders –the ones with the power to decide which production will be eligible for which Tony awards – declared that “Shuffle Along, or the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed,” is under the category of musical, which means it will compete for a nomination in the awards.
“Shuffle Along”, produced by Scott Rudin, a prolific and powerful theater producer of the moment, became on Thursday the last show to open during the 2015-16 Broadway season.
The producers of “Shuffle Along” wanted the production to be called a revival, but the committee of Broadway insiders insist on calling it a musical, meaning that it will probably compete with “Hamilton”, one of the favorites, and several other productions when the Tonys are held next June 12.
According to the New York Times, was challenging for the Broadway committee to put the show under a category because, even though most of the songs are from the original 1921 production of “Shuffle Along”, the book is entirely new. The show is now full of tap dancing and tells the history of the evolution not only of the original show but the lives of its creative team and stars too.
George and Mr. Rudin accepted the committee decision by saying they were grateful for committee’s careful consideration, said Mr. Rudin in a statement.
“The process is and always has been a fair one, and we’re flattered to be considered a new musical. You’d be hard pressed to find two people who love new musicals more than George and me,” he added.
Preparations began for the upcoming Tony awards
On Monday 2, a committee of more than 50 nominators will have to meet to choose the nominees by secret ballot, in which eleven new musicals and five musical revivals are eligible for nomination, according to the reports. The names of the nominees are expected to be announced on Tuesday.
An amount of 846 theater professionals will be able to vote for the upcoming Tony Awards, and they have until June 10 to file their ballots. After that, voters will be tallied and the winners will be awarded at the ceremony on June 12.
“Shuffle Along” –capitalized at up to $12 – had four sold-out weeks in a row and grossed $809,033 over eight preview performances last week, reported The New York Times.
Source: NY Times