Why'd you have to go and make things so complicated?

I strongly oppose the career of Avril Lavigne, the firing of Don Imus and the closing of Empire roller rink. I just had to get that off my chest. Moving on...

I love Tony eligibility meeting days--I always examine the decisions thoroughly, as anyone who reads this blog knows. This time around, as often happens, the press release from the Tony people didn't answer one of my major questions. That was: Will The Coast of Utopia score be eligible for a Best Original Score Tony? Now, I know, you readers out there who aren't Tony historians, are thinking "Wow, I thought Cara knew things, but, no, she doesn't even know that Coast of Utopia isn't a musical." In fact, plays have been nominated in the Best Score category. I think the most recent example was in 1999 when Jeanine Tesori's score for Twelfth Night was nominated. But, I checked, and Mark Bennett's music for The Coast of Utopia will in fact not be eligible. People I trust believe this is because the majority of the score is not performed live, the previous play nominees we can think of had live music. If this is in fact the reasoning behind its ineligibility--and I have no evidence it is--I have to wonder how long that reasoning will hold up. How long ago was it that the Tony committee argued about whether a show with prerecorded hits could be considered an actual musical? How many years until they debate whether a score--of either a play or musical--has to be performed live to be considered eligible? After all, we are living in the age of synthesizer machines--will music from them someday be considered live? Or maybe at least live enough to count? Things to ponder.