JERSEY BOYS AND THE TONY AWARDS

Photo: (l to r) Erik Bates, Christopher Kale Jones, Andrew Rannells and Steve Gouveia
Credit: Chris Bennion

It’s an undeniable fact that JERSEY BOYS is one of Broadway’s biggest success stories, winning – at last count – ten major theatrical awards. All have their place in a list of honors, but it is the Tony Award, named in honor of Antoinette Perry, chairman of the board and secretary of the American Theatre Wing during World War II, that is the theater’s most coveted award and is annually bestowed for “distinguished achievement” in the theater.

In 2006, JERSEY BOYS received four Tonys at the annual ceremony, including Best Musical, Best Actor in a Musical, Best Featured Actor in a Musical, and Best Lighting Design in a Musical. Such kudos almost always mean a spike in audience attendance at the Broadway venue, but in this case JERSEY BOYS didn’t really need it: The August Wilson Theatre saw a nearly 100% attendance rate from the day the show opened on November 6, 2005.

Tony Awards also often add to the luster of possible touring productions – in this case pretty much a given, due to the phenomenal success of JERSEY BOYS.

Compared to other well-known performing arts awards – there are approximately 5600 who vote for the Academy Awards (the Oscars) – the Tony Awards voters are a relatively small group of “theater professionals” from around the country. There are approximately 750 Tony Award voters, including Art Falco, President and Chief Executive Officer of Playhouse Square, and Gina Vernaci, Vice-president of Theatricals for Playhouse Square. Vernaci also serves as a member of the Board of Governors and Executive Committee of the Broadway League, and is on the Executive Committee and Investment Committee of the Independent Presenters Network.

In her role as the chief programmer for Broadway shows coming to Playhouse Square, Vernaci well recognizes the power of a Tony Award when it comes to negotiating and selection. “Winning the Tony does play into the initial decision when booking,” explains Vernaci, “and if the show won several, then stating ‘winner of 5 Tonys’ makes it even better.”

Falco and Vernaci will both attend this year’s Tony Awards ceremony in New York City, returning just in time for the opening of JERSEY BOYS here at Playhouse Square. Vernaci has been a regular at the Tonys for years, enjoying every bit of the theater honors.

“Every moment at the Tonys is a great moment,” she says, “with lots of glitter and cameras flashing – all very cool! Who you bump into while reapplying the lip gloss in the ladies’ room is a bit electric – it is, after all, a star-studded event!”

The glitz, glamour, and “networking” don’t end after the last award is announced; in fact, it may just be starting. “The Tony Ball is after the show,” says Vernaci, “and that is the place where you can stroll up to, and talk to, anyone.”

The Tony Award voters are expected to attend all nominated productions; they are to refrain from voting in any category in which they have not seen all the nominees. Voting by secret ballot takes place in the weeks between mid-May and the June ceremony.
JERSEY BOYS opens in Cleveland during Tony Awards week. Although everyone in the theater world will be congratulating the new winners at that time, Cleveland audiences will be seeing for themselves why JERSEY BOYS grabbed all those Tonys a mere two years ago.