[Passions Take Many Forms] Tony Awards

I continue to be confounded about what the Tony voters consider to be the criteria for Best New Musical. Monty Python's Spamalot won the award yesterday, but the Adam Guettel musical The Light in the Piazza won the most awards (6; original lyrics/music, orchestrations, leading actress, scenic design, costume design, and lighting design). Spamalot won only best director and best actress in a featured role, in addition to best musical. It seemed like it was Piazza's night, but Spamalot took home the top prize.

Now, I'm not saying that it didn't deserve it; nor am I suggesting that The Light in the Piazza deserved it more. I haven't seen either show, so I can't say that one is better than the other, and I know that just because you have the best designs and music that you shouldn't be a lock to win. Maybe I'm just skeptical about the award after seeing it go to an inferior show so many times. But I honestly cannot understand what the criteria for this award really is. Is there some sort of rubric that the voters use? Do they throw darts at a bulletin board? I really don't know.

In other Tony news, I have been very impressed with what I've seen/heard from the new musical, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. I generally don't like movie adaptations on Broadway, but this one looks/sounds very good. (I thought The Full Monty, by the same composer, had a really fun, entertaining score, so this shouldn't surprise me.) It only won one Tony (Best Leading Actor for Norbert Leo Butz), but the song they performed on the Tony telecast was the best of the night. I hear it's planning on touring beginning next year. I'll do everything can to see that one.