Hands Off My Tony!

The coming showdown between "Gypsy" and "South Pacific" [for the Tonys' Best Musical Revival category] is going to rip open a long-simmering dispute between commercial producers and nonprofit theater companies.

The commercial producers, who take big risks with their investors' money, bitterly resent competing for Tonys against subsidized theaters.

Some producers privately say they'd like to ban the nonprofits from the Tony Awards.

"Gypsy," though it began as a nonprofit show at City Center, is, at the St. James Theatre, a commercial venture. "South Pacific," at Lincoln Center, is subsidized.

My guess is that commercial producers, who represent a big chunk of the Tony voters, will rally around "Gypsy."

-Michael Riedel in today's Post.

I say...Bring it on, moneymen! Nonprofits would do well to avoid that cheezy snoozefest known as the Tonys, anyway.

Hey Michael--"subsidized"??? That's when you actually have a state theatre. A few 5-figure municipal grants does not a public subsidy make.