Referring back to the Great-Big Summary Chart of the Major Awards of the 1999-2000 Season we attempt to draw conclusions, some rather pointless, some not. All conclusions are based on this year's awards and do not pretend to be predictions of future results.

Splitting the Party Vote

Go ahead, mount two different shows based on the same source material. You'll end up splitting the wild party vote (MTC: 2 wins for 19 nominations; NYSF: 3 wins for 21 noms) and end up losing the election.

Spread a Little Sunshine

Awards and nominations were spread among a larger number of shows than in the past few years. Nominations went to 67 shows, as opposed to 59 in 1999 and 54 in 1998. One show, Kiss Me, Kate, received the most nominations with 39, while 21 shows received a single nomination. 26 shows received at least one award (as compared to 20 in 1999 and 17 in '98).

All in the Title

• Don't expect to win a Tony if your title comes after "Re" alphabetically.
• Giving your show a similar title to a winner won't necessarily help (see Contact vs. Contact with the Enemy). The reverse is not true (see Saturday Night vs. Saturday Night Fever, or The Wild Party vs. The Wild Party).
• Unless you're Eugene O'Neill, a really long title won't win any awards (see A Moon for the Misbegotten vs. An Empty Plate at the Cafe du Grand Boeuf, An Experiment with an Air Pump, and The Tale of the Allergist's Wife).
• Animals in your title won't make you a winner (American Buffalo, Coyote on the Fence, The Green Bird, Kat and the Kings, Time of the Cuckoo).
• Nor will food (The Cider House Rules, Dinner with Friends, An Empty Plate..., In the Blood, Rose).
• Nor will a difficult to pronounce name (An Empty Plate..., Last Train to Nibroc, Our Lady of Sligo).
• A one-word title is not a guarantee (Contact, Copenhagen vs. Aida, Amadeus, Chesapeake, Rose, Space, Squonk, Swing!, Waste, and Y2K (is that one word?)).
• Anything that smacks of negativity will kill you (The Big Bang, The Bomb-itty of Errors, Contact with the Enemy, Coyote on the Fence, The Dead, Dirty Blonde, An Empty Plate..., It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues, Last Train to Nibroc, A Moon for the Misbegotten, The Ride Down Mt. Morgan, Shockheaded Peter, The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, The Time of the Cuckoo, Waste, The Wild Party, Wrong Mountain, and Y2K).

To be continued...

Our congratulations are extended to all the players. Win or lose, remember it ain't brain surgery!

Click here for Part I - The Acting Categories.
Click here for Part II - The Creative, Show and Technical Categories.
Click here for Part III - Everything Else That Didn't Fit.
Click here for Part IV - Out-of Town.
Click here for Part V.

Click here for the Big Chart.
Click here for Fun with Math.
Click here for Jumping to Conclusions - Pt. 2

If masochism runs in your genes, you may also browse awards of years' past:
1997 Awards charts
1998 Awards charts
1999 Awards charts

C U @ the Theatre!

Originally published at Suite101.com Theatre, 4/18 - 8/15/00

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