CNN - Julie Andrews snubs nomination

Tony tussle: Julie Andrews snubs nomination

May 9, 1996
Web posted at: 7:15 a.m. EDT

From Correspondent Cynthia Tornquist

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Julie Andrews has never won a Tony Award, and if she has anything to say about it, this year won't be any different. On Wednesday, the actress dramatically rejected a nomination for her role in "Victor/Victoria." (1.4M QuickTime movie of Andrews' speech)

"I have searched my conscience and my heart and find that, sadly, I cannot accept this nomination," Andrews told an audience following curtain calls. She would prefer, she said, to stand with "the egregiously overlooked." (224K AIFF sound or 224K WAV sound)

Andrews' announcement came just days after the Tony nominating committee released its list of nominees for this year's Broadway awards ceremony. Andrews was the only nomination for the nearly $9 million musical "Victor/Victoria."

The show is a stage adaptation of the 1982 film of the same name, which also starred Andrews and was written and directed by her husband, Blake Edwards.

Asked if he and others tried to talk Andrews out of her decision, show producer Tony Adams said, "We played devil's advocate in terms of every scenario, in terms of the upside and downside. At the end of the day (we) left it to her."

Also snubbed was the big-budget musical "Big," an adaptation of the popular movie starring Tom Hanks. It received five nominations -- but not the coveted best musical nomination. That honor went to "Rent" and "Bring in 'da Noise Bring in 'da Funk." The other nominees were "A Chronicle of a Death Foretold" and "Swinging on a Star" -- two shows that closed shortly after they opened.

Some of the snubbed suggested that box office receipts should have a bearing on the nominations. "The definition of entertainment is how many people come," said Jim Freydberg, producer of "Big" which, like "Victor/Victoria," has been extremely successful with audiences. The two other shows were not.

The Tony tussle has called the nominating system into question. "There is no scandal here," said Jed Bernstein, of the League of American Theatres & Producers. "The nominations committee wasn't caught using drugs, the ballots were not miscounted. The issue is that the taste of these fourteen people differs from what's called the popular taste."

The developments have also caused havoc for the producer of the Tony Awards telecast, who had expected to feature snazzy musical numbers from "Victor/Victoria" and "Big."

"I don't think you have to be a brilliant producer to know that Julie Andrews' presence on the Tony Awards would be important to Broadway, to the theater, to people across the country," said Tony Awards producer Gary Smith. "So obviously that would be something I would like to try to work out.

If nothing else, Andrews will be there in name. Tony Awards spokesman Keith Sherman said her name will remain on the ballot. "She's been nominated and the nomination will stand."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Tony tussle: Julie Andrews snubs nomination

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