The Musical Comedy Trophies: what is it?

The Americans have the Tony Awards, the English have the Olivier Awards, and in France, we have the Musical Comedy Trophies! But what is this reward?
On the occasion of the 4th edition of the Musical Comedy Trophies on June 20, 2022, a look back at this ceremony which rewards the best of French musical entertainment.

The explosion of gender in France

Since around 2010, musical comedy shows began to populate the Parisian stages. The success of musicals in Paris is mainly due to the American super-productions of the Théâtre du Châtelet such as The Sound of Music or 42nd Street. The Parisian public, who until then had been hermetic to this genre, discovered and fell in love with the musical. From 2010, there was a real explosion of musicals and hundreds of shows were born all over France.

Reward the best of the musical show

How to reward musical performances that do not fit into Molière's categories? Wishing, like their English and American colleagues, to celebrate the best creations of French musical theater, 6 actors of the genre created Les Trophées de la Comédie Musicale in 2017.
Broadway in Paris (blog and Youtube channel on industry news), Kryzensha (Musical Comedy Association), Musical Avenue (musical news website), the structure Musidrama (productions and formations of musical comedy), Behind-the-scenes look (web magazine dedicated to the world of musicals) and finally Patrick niedo (expert in the history of American musical comedy).

The first edition takes place on June 18, 2017 at the Treviso Theater and Oliver Twist comes out the big winner of the evening with 6 awards. In 2020 and 2021, following the health context, the Trophies are postponed. It is finally in 2022 that the 4th edition takes place.

A very strict rule

Not all musical performances are eligible for the Trophies. They must meet specific selection criteria and be submitted by their producers to be considered by the committee.
Thus, for the 2022 edition, the shows must meet the following criteria:
– have been created on French territory between May 19, 2021 and April 1, 2022
– have been performed by artists who are paid and declared for their work
– have played in their entirety, in front of an audience on French territory during at least 12 paying performances (excluding readings, showcases, previews).
As for performers, they must have performed a role at least partially in French in an eligible musical show.

For this 2022 edition, there are more than 80 eligible shows! The committee (ie the six founding entities) then meets to decide on the 5 shows or artists nominated in each of the 18 categories. Result of the races: twenty shows in the running, 30 performers, 5 costume designers, 7 choreographers, etc.

Who can vote?

In order to discern the prizes, the Trophies Committee first of all calls on "Specialist Voters", namely recognized musical comedy specialists who promote it in the press, on the web and in literary works. Joining them are “former nominated voters”, ie artists nominated the previous year.

You too can vote! The “Trophée du Public du Public” is awarded to the show with the most votes from the public. Follow this link to elect the winning show in this category:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc7dkSbbi7cDJWMcn3aIConzNsKQEmYwx7IZqEBYalWNdhTVQ/viewform

What are the 18 categories?

The eligible shows compete in 18 categories. They reward performers as well as composers, choreographers, librettists, costume designers, etc.
Find all the categories below:

– Musical Comedy Trophy
– Trophy of the Review or Musical Show
– Trophy for Musical Comedy in a Foreign Language
– Recovery Trophy
– Young Audience Musical Comedy Trophy
– Female Performing Artist Trophy
– Male Performing Artist Trophy
– Supporting Female Role Trophy
– Supporting Actor Trophy
– Female Revelation Artist Trophy
– Male Revelation Artist Trophy
– Trophy for Musical Comedy Staging
– Musical Comedy Booklet Trophy
– Musical Comedy Score Trophy
– Musical Adaptation Trophy
– Musical Comedy Choreography Trophy
– Musical Comedy Scenography Trophy
– Musical Comedy Costume Design Trophy
– Public Trophy
– Trophy of Honor

The Musical Comedy Trophies should hold no more secrets for you. find the full list of 2022 nominees here ! In your opinion, which show will win the most statuettes? Don't hesitate to share your favorites and predictions with us in the comments!