Who Deserves the Next Lifetime Achievement Tony Award?

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 3/18/23 at 7:30pm

In my latest piece for Gold Derby, I’ve provided a poll asking people which veteran Broadway performer deserves the next Lifetime Achievement Tony Award. Among the options are…

Alan Alda
Julie Andrews
Betty Buckley
John Cullum
Sandy Duncan
Joel Grey
George Hearn
Estelle Parsons
Leslie Uggams
Ben Vereen

https://www.goldderby.com/article/2023/tonys-lifetime-achievement-award-poll/

Who do you think deserves this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award? If you have ideas of your own, feel free to mention them in your replies to this thread.

[jv92]

Posted: 3/18/23 at 8:19pm

John Kander or John Guare. Or Tom Jones— the FANTASTICKS/110 IN THE SHADE one. Not the silver throated pop singer. 

The only person on that list I’d give it to is Julie Andrews. 

Updated On: 3/18/23 at 08:19 PM

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 3/18/23 at 8:37pm

Tom Jones is a wonderful choice.

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 3/18/23 at 8:55pm

jv92 said: "John Kander or John Guare. Or Tom Jones— the FANTASTICKS/110 IN THE SHADE one. Not the silver throated pop singer."

I actually do have a second poll focused on behind the scenes talent coming. Kander is definitely an option on it.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 3/18/23 at 9:41pm

Jeffrey Karasarides said: "In my latest piece for Gold Derby, I’ve provided a poll asking people which veteran Broadway performer deserves the next Lifetime Achievement Tony Award. Among the options are…

Alan Alda
Julie Andrews
Betty Buckley
John Cullum
Sandy Duncan
Joel Grey
George Hearn
Estelle Parsons
Leslie Uggams
Ben Vereen

https://www.goldderby.com/article/2023/tonys-lifetime-achievement-award-poll/

Who do you think deserves this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award? If you have ideas of your own, feel free to mention them in your replies to this thread."

And you dared to leave Beanie Feldstein off the list?

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 3/18/23 at 9:57pm

Dollypop said: "And you dared to leave Beanie Feldstein off the list?"



And you dared try and make this outdated joke again despite it literally never being funny? This is like your eleventh failed attempt at it. It’s actually just mean spirited. We get it, her run in Funny Girl was a disaster and she was raked across the coals, publicly humiliated, and replaced. My god, move on.

Updated On: 3/18/23 at 09:57 PM

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 3/18/23 at 9:58pm

Loretta Swit. 

[Jarethan]

Posted: 3/18/23 at 10:43pm

Jeffrey Karasarides said: "In my latest piece for Gold Derby, I’ve provided a poll asking people which veteran Broadway performer deserves the next Lifetime Achievement Tony Award. Among the options are…


Julie Andrews
Betty Buckley
John Cullum
Sandy Duncan
Joel Grey
George Hearn
Estelle Parsons
Leslie Uggams
Ben Vereen

https://www.goldderby.com/article/2023/tonys-lifetime-achievement-award-poll/

Who do you think deserves this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award? If you have ideas of your own, feel free to mention them in your replies to this thread."

Some of those names are preposterous: why does Alan Alda deserve an award…I may be forgetting, but I can’t think of anything besides The Apple Tree (which was Barbara’s Harris’ show, and Jake’s Women, a mediocre Neil Simon comedy.

Same argument for most of them.  As much as I love Julie Andrews, a Lifetime Achiwvemwnt award for 4 shows?

Ben Vereen— what does he really have besides Pippin?  Grind was a disaster.  Even Joel Grey…besides Cabaret and possible George M, how many shows of merit has be been in that was not a smallish supporting role.

To me most of these people really have limited credentials of note.  I would expect a Lifetime Achievement reflect a certain volume of appearances of note.

Of the names you provided, maybe John Cullum.  I do not think LuPone or Peters have this and if Kander (and Ebb) have not received on, that seems appropriate.  Nathan Lane is more deserving that anyone on your list.  Does ALW have one?  Based on Phanton, Evita, JC Superstar, Joseph, Sunset Blvd, Cats (which ai hated, but it did run 15 years), he would also seem like a no-brainer serious candidate.

I know people love Buckley, but how many shows has she opened?  Lifetime achievement for replacing others?

Sorry, but other than possibly Cullum, I think the list is ridiculous?

Updated On: 3/18/23 at 10:43 PM

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 3/18/23 at 10:51pm

Jarethan said: "Some of those names are preposterous: Why does Alan Alda deserve an award…I may be forgetting, but I can’t think of anything besides The Apple Tree (which was Barbara’s Harris’ show) and Jake’s Women, a mediocre Neil Simon comedy.

Same argument for most of them. As much as I love Julie Andrews, a Lifetime Achiwvemwnt award for 4 shows?

Ben Vereen— what does he really have besides Pippin? Grind was a disaster. Even Joel Grey…besides Cabaret and possible George M, how many showsof merit has be been in that was not a smallish supporting role.

To me most of these people really have limited credentials of note. I would expect a Lifetime Achievement reflect a certain volume of appearances of note.

Of the names you provided, maybe John Cullum. I do not think LuPone or Peters have this and if Kander (and Ebb) have not received on, that seems appropriate. Nathan Lane is more deserving that anyone on your list. Does ALW have one? Based on Phantom, Evita, JC Superstar, Joseph, Sunset Blvd, Cats (which ai hated, but it did run 15 years), he would also seem like a no-brainer serious candidate.

I know people love Buckley, but how many shows has she opened? Lifetime achievement for replacing others?

Sorry, but other than possibly Cullum, I think the list is ridiculous?"

First of all, Andrew Lloyd Webber did receive a Lifetime Achievement Tony Award back in 2018 (the same year Chita Rivera did). Second of all, each of my options are legendary performers who've had long careers associated with theatre even beyond Broadway. 

 

[jv92]

Posted: 3/18/23 at 10:52pm

Same argument for most of them. As much as I love Julie Andrews, a Lifetime Achiwvemwnt award for 4 shows?

One was a cultural phenomenon— one of the most artistically and commercially successful musicals of all time. Another is an acknowledged classic, however flawed some find it. Her screen performances also introduced many to the magic of telling stories through songs. So, yes. She has never won. Mea culpa Judy Holliday and Elizabeth Seal, but she should have won twice. The Victor/Victoria brouhaha was nonsense (and smart for business), and she would have won then, too, but I think all parties have moved on and made up. 
 

So for four shows? Yes. And she isn’t getting any younger. 

Does ALW have one? Based on Phanton, Evita, JC Superstar, Joseph, Sunset Blvd, he would also seem like a no-brained.

He has one. 2018. 

 

Updated On: 3/18/23 at 10:52 PM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/19/23 at 9:30am

Andrews did more to spread the gospel of Broadway than most performers, by nature of her film roles. Her impact on being a gateway to theatre for young people is almost unmatched. Though by those same metrics, Alan Menken deserves one too.

Kander is the most obvious recipient to me, and would be a perfect year for it like when they honored Sheldon Harnick the year of the She Loves Me and Fiddler revivals.

In terms of women who are not performers, what about Patricia Birch or Ann Roth or Lynn Ahrens?

If anyone over 70 is fair game, then I would say Harvey Fierstein, James Lapine, and Trevor Nunn too.

[Ke3]

Posted: 3/19/23 at 10:06am

I actually think Menken does deserve one. For the same reasons as Julie Andrews. So many people of my generation and the one right before tell me that they either, don't like musicals except for the Disney output, or were primed for their love of theatre by the Disney output. Ashman gets tons of credit for it but Menken is just as essential to that. Those are some of the most iconic theatre scores of all-time even if they were for films.

As for the rest of the list I think judging it by "how many roles they've opened" is ridiculous. Especially for Black performers who just aren't given the same opportunities. Of course Leslie Uggams hasn't had the stage career of a Patti LuPone but she's had the best a Black woman could have who debuted when she did.

[BJR]

Posted: 3/19/23 at 10:25am

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Kander is the most obvious recipient to me, and would be a perfect year for it like when they honored Sheldon Harnick the year of the She Loves Me and Fiddler revivals.

If anyone over 70 is fair game, then I would say Harvey Fierstein, James Lapine, and Trevor Nunn too."

All fair, and I think Kander is the obvious. 96 years old, we should celebrate him while we can.

[Zeppie2022]

Posted: 3/19/23 at 10:39am

"I know people love Buckley, but how many shows has she opened?  Lifetime achievement for replacing others?"

At least four which were "1776", "Cats", "Triumph of Love" and "Carrie". She received two Tony award nominations (Cats & Triumph of Love) for best actress and won the award for "Cats". While she did not originate the role of "Norma Desmond" in "Sunset Blvd", it was a pretty big deal at the time that she was replacement in the show.

 

Updated On: 3/19/23 at 10:39 AM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/19/23 at 10:51am

Uggams seems the most likely candidate as far as Black female performers of her generation go. And the Tonys are held in her favorite month

Melba Moore or Debbie Allen would be options but kind of swerved away from Broadway. Hope Clarke and Linda Twine are two other prominent Black women who were vital in their respective fields.

I’m not really in a rush to reward Phylicia Rashad since she works so much and just won a competitive Tony.

[PennClassic]

Posted: 3/19/23 at 11:20am

I would be delighted to see Estelle Parsons receive a Lifetime Achievement Tony.  She is 95 and has had a long and productive theatre career.  She has been in numerous stage productions (Broadway; Off-Broadway; Regional) and has also directed shows.  She has received 5 Tony nominations and was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.  I think she definitely qualifies for the award.

Updated On: 5/4/23 at 11:20 AM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/19/23 at 12:08pm

Estelle would be an extremely fitting honoree.

[Highland Guy]

Posted: 3/19/23 at 12:13pm

The sublime Betty Buckley.

[mattmarkowski99]

Posted: 3/19/23 at 3:06pm

I also think this year would be a great time to honor Adrienne Kennedy. She is 91 years old and had her Broadway debut this year. Her works have pushed the boundaries of theater and inspired so many new writers and creators. "Ohio State Murders" may not have been a success and her work may not be "Broadway", but I think her immense career and long-due Broadway debut should mean something.

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 3/21/23 at 3:20pm

I’ve now got a second poll up asking people which veteran Broadway creative deserves the next Lifetime Achievement Tony Award. Among the options are…

Lynn Ahrens
John Kander
James Lapine
Cameron Mackintosh
Marsha Norman
Jack O’Brien
Ann Roth
Julie Taymor
Paula Vogel
Jerry Zaks

https://www.goldderby.com/article/2023/tony-awards-lifetime-achievement-poll/

[David10086]

Posted: 3/21/23 at 3:29pm

Glenn Close. 

No denying she turned ALW's "Sunset Boulevard" around and made it the hit that it became in 1994-95. And she did it again in 2017, in a re-imagined revival.  Give her the LATA - she's paid her dues since 1976, has won three Tonys and is a box office star. She deserves it at 76. 

[Broadway61004]

Posted: 3/21/23 at 3:32pm

Adding to the performer list, I feel like John Lithgow has at least warranted consideration for it. 25 Broadway credits spanning almost 50 years, multiple Tony wins and he keeps coming back whenever he takes a break for TV or film. That's all not even factoring in his early start in regional theatres like Great Lakes Shakespeare. So I'd definitely put him on the list.

For the creatives, I'd agree with all of your list except Julie Taymor. Just doing Lion King is not enough to warrant a lifetime achieved award, especially when she's also responsible for things such as Spider Man.

Updated On: 3/21/23 at 03:32 PM

[Impeach2017]

Posted: 3/21/23 at 7:05pm

that is one bizarre list - Sandy Duncan?  This should be a list of people who will never get a lifetime achievement award.

[Highland Guy]

Posted: 3/21/23 at 7:31pm

Impeach2017 said: "Sandy Duncan?"

 

YES !!     SANDY  DUNCAN  !!

 

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 3/21/23 at 7:46pm

Betty Buckley also opened in the title role of the Tony-winning MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD.

She's a divine talent, but for performers I have to go with my first and forever gay-boy crush, which will always be Julie Andrews.

For creators, there is no possible candidate more appropriate than John Kander.

 

 

Updated On: 3/21/23 at 07:46 PM