The Tonys should bring back the award for replacement cast members

by Chris Peterson, OnStage Blog Founder

Let’s be honest with each other, the Tony awards could use a boost. Readings for the telecast have never been that high, it loses money year over year for CBS, and now it’s been relegated to a weird split telecast with only major awards being broadcast on the main network. This is not what Broadway‘s biggest night should look like.

So how do we fix this? To be honest, a lot of things are needed. But a great first step would be bringing back the award for replacement cast members.

I say “bring back” because technically this was an award almost 20 years ago. In 2005, the Tony Awards administration committee created an award to recognize replacement cast members. The purpose was to recognize high-profile replacements in shows at the time such as ‘Fiddler on the Roof’, ‘The Producers’, and ‘Hairspray’. The award would be titled “Best Performance by an Actor or Actress in a Recreated Role”.

Sadly, the recognition was never awarded. While eligibility was announced, none of the nominees received the necessary votes. So the Tony awards administration opted not to give the award. This move caused a lot of controversy at the time, especially because actors such as Harvey Fierstein and Jonathan Pryce were announced as potential nominees.

Since then, nothing official has been discussed bringing this award back into play. I’ve heard rumblings about it, as well as an award for best ensemble, but no official steps have been taken. I believe it’s time for this to come back.

It would be a fantastic way to honor truly great performances in long-running fan-favorite shows. Who among us would disagree that Emilie Kouatchou’s performance as Christine in ‘ The Phantom of the Opera’ was a highlight of the past Broadway season? Or Brittney Johnson in ‘Wicked’? Or Jordan Fisher in ‘Dear Evan Hansen’?

These were truly fantastic performances that deserve recognition on Broadway’s biggest night. Also, since the industry relies so heavily on these long-running popular hits, it would be great for the Tonys to find a way to incorporate these more into the ceremony beyond a random performance every couple of years.

Yes, there will have to be considerable logistics planned in order to properly adjudicate this award. But it’s not impossible, it would simply require planning.

The Tony Awards need new elements that will draw viewers and interest into the ceremony. My fear is that without major changes to the structure of the telecast, being relegated to streaming networks will be a certainty, and Broadway’s biggest night deserves better.