Broadway Should Not Drag the WGA for the Likely Cancellation of the Tony Awards

By Andrew Sanford | TV | May 15, 2023 |

By Andrew Sanford | TV | May 15, 2023 |

“The show must go on,” as the old Broadway saying goes. It will go on, just without any cameras. The Tony Awards are set to take place on June 11th at the United Palace Theater in Washington Heights (right down the block from me). However, they will not be televised. The reason? The WGA strike.

The script for the Tony Awards is already written, and host Ariana Debose was ready to … do the thing. The snag is that they would need a waiver from the WGA to use the script, or they would be picketed. If they are picketed, big stars like Lin-Manuel Miranda (who is familiar with the United Palace) will not cross that line. There is a chance that the Broadway League could postpone the show, but that does not seem likely.

There are theater lovers who are crying foul over the snub. They argue that some shows that are not financially stable will get a bump from both prospective awards and TV time. Without a big name or existing IP, shows sometimes rely on the Tonys to boost their sales. That said, winning a Tony Award does not ensure a show’s success. Just last year, the new musical A Strange Loop closed after a historically short run despite winning Best Musical at the Tonys (some might blame the pandemic, but as someone who watches 1600 people a night file into a play about a wizard boy, I ain’t buying it). If anything, there’s a viable argument that the Tony Awards primarily help shows that are already successful be more so.

There is also another elephant in the room. Broadway has become too reliant on the film and TV industry. There was a time when celebrities in Broadway shows would be scoffed at. That goes double for shows based on big IPs. The first Broadway show I ever bartended for was Shrek: The Musical. Despite having a cast and crew of Broadway heavy hitters, it was cast aside as a soulless money grab.

Now you can’t throw a rock on 42nd Street without hitting a giant IP marquee. Several shows a year will be sold strictly on the big names attached. To be fair, I recently saw Sean Hayes in a play called Goodnight, Oscar, and he was transcendent. Also, from what I’ve heard, Back To The Future: The Musical is quite good and is due to hit Broadway this summer.

But more shows built on big names and recognizable IPs means higher ticket prices. Broadway isn’t as affordable to the casually curious fan anymore. So, they bank on their award show to spread the word. Their award show, which is laden with stars and celebs to draw attention. Then, they lament the closing of smaller shows without IP or stars, while propping up the same IP and star-driven shows. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

I’m not writing all of this to say that Broadway shouldn’t have their award show. I also stand firmly with the WGA. I just find some of the reasons Broadway people are dragging the WGA for their decision to be disingenuous. Solidarity is needed at a time like this.