Biggest "Best Musical" Tony Upset of all time?!?!
Biggest "Best Musical" Tony Upset of all time?!?!
#0Biggest "Best Musical" Tony Upset of all time?!?!
Posted: 2/26/06 at 10:58pm
This hasn't been talked about in a long time and since the buzz for this year is starting to begin I thought it would make good chat.
I'd have to say 1991 when Will Rogers Follies won over Once On This Islans, Miss Saigon and Secret Garden! WHAT?
Anyone else?
#1re: Biggest 'Best Musical' Tony Upset of all time?!?!
Posted: 2/26/06 at 11:00pmLion King over Ragtime. C'MON!!!!
"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle
--Aristotle
#2re: Biggest 'Best Musical' Tony Upset of all time?!?!
Posted: 2/26/06 at 11:01pmTLK shouldn't have won the Tony even if it was the only show nominated.
"People have their opinions and that doesn't mean that their opinions are wrong or right. I just take it with a grain of salt because opinions are like as*holes, everyone has one".
-Felicia Finley-
TimeSuckage
Stand-by Joined: 10/18/05
#3re: Biggest 'Best Musical' Tony Upset of all time?!?!
Posted: 2/26/06 at 11:04pmI agree about Will Rogers Follies. Ridiculous.
#4re: Biggest 'Best Musical' Tony Upset of all time?!?!
Posted: 2/26/06 at 11:06pm
THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE over URINETOWN.
I almost cried.
"I love talking about nothing. It is the only thing I know anything about." - Oscar Wilde
TheaterAddict7652
Broadway Star Joined: 2/7/06
#5re: Biggest 'Best Musical' Tony Upset of all time?!?!
Posted: 2/26/06 at 11:12pm
Will Rogers Follies winning
Millie winning over Urinetown
Music Man winning over West Side Story...I know it TMM was so much more popular over WSS...but what were they thinking?
There's a lot I am not certain of...
#6re: Biggest 'Best Musical' Tony Upset of all time?!?!
Posted: 2/26/06 at 11:12pm
1958 - The Music Man over West Side Story
1960 - Fiorello (in the tie) over Gypsy
1972 - 2 Gentlemen of Verona over Follies
1976 - A Chorus Line over Chicago or Pacific Overtures
1984 - La Cage over Sunday in the Park...
1997 - Titanic over Steel Pier
1998 - The Lion King over Ragtime
1999 - Fosse over Parade
2000 - Contact over The Wild Party (LaChiusa)
2002 - Thoroughly Modern Millie over Urinetown
2004 - Avenue Q over Caroline or Change
2005 - Spamalot over The Light in the Piazza
Don't f*ck with me fellas. This ain't my first time at the rodeo.
bjivie2
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/13/04
#7re: Biggest 'Best Musical' Tony Upset of all time?!?!
Posted: 2/26/06 at 11:12pm
The Lion King wasn't the only show nominated that year. It was between Lion King, Ragtime, Side Show and Scarlet Pimpernel. I wouldn't say that it was an upset. The theatricality of Lion King is pretty tremendous. Both shows deserved to win.
I'd say the year of Will Rogers, Once on this Island, Secret Garden and Miss Saigon was close, but I wouldn't call it an upset b/c all four deserved (in some way) to win.
Urinetown should have won of Millie, most definitely.
This last year was very close between the four, all of which were deserving if they were in different seasons.
Another extremely tight race would be in 1961, when Sound of Music, Fiorello!, Gypsy and Once Upon A Matress were all nominated the same year. It ended with a tie between SoM and Fiorello.
Eeeeeeyyyyyyyyaaaaaaaannnnnddddd aaaaaaaiiiiiiiiyyyyyyaaaaaammmmmmmm teeeeeeeelllllliiiiiinnngg yyyyooooooouuuuuuuwwwaaaahh...
#8re: Biggest 'Best Musical' Tony Upset of all time?!?!
Posted: 2/26/06 at 11:19pm1955 - THE PAJAMA GAME over PETER PAN
"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle
--Aristotle
jam_man
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/25/05
#9re: Biggest 'Best Musical' Tony Upset of all time?!?!
Posted: 2/26/06 at 11:21pm
Avenue Q over Wicked. I'm not saying (in any way, shape, or form) that Wicked should have won, but if you asked ANYONE who knew anything about the race in the weeks leading up to the Tonys who would win, they would have said that Wicked would, though with the clause that it wasn't the most deserving. I remember my mouth was hanging open from the moment Nathan Lane said "Avenue Q" to the end of the broadcast. Glad they voted their hearts, but I didn't see that one coming.
A Chorus Line is one of the best musicals ever, combined with one of the most successful, and it was considered such almost from the time it opened. Chicago and Pacific Overtures are great shows, but neither were near as loved as A Chorus Line early on, especially PO.
"Who is Stephen Sondheim?" -roninjoey
"The man who wishes he had written Phantom of the Opera!" - SueleenGay
GO CARDINALS!!!
"The man who wishes he had written Phantom of the Opera!" - SueleenGay
GO CARDINALS!!!
Jud Faginsky
Stand-by Joined: 2/11/05
#10re: Biggest 'Best Musical' Tony Upset of all time?!?!
Posted: 2/26/06 at 11:35pmI agree with Bjivie2 about Will Rogers, Secret Garden, Once on This Island, and Miss Saigon. I think all of those shows deserved to win, and there would probably be just as many people upset regardless of which show won. What a great year that was!
C is for Company
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/16/05
#11re: Biggest 'Best Musical' Tony Upset of all time?!?!
Posted: 2/26/06 at 11:40pmWow good list c&a, except I agree with the win of Chorus Line
COOOOLkid
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/15/05
#12re: Biggest 'Best Musical' Tony Upset of all time?!?!
Posted: 2/26/06 at 11:46pmI'm pretty upset about Will Rogers Follies winning over Miss Saigon... I mean Miss Saigon should have at least won a Tony other than for the performers...
"Hey, you! You're the worst thing to happen to musical theatre since Andrew Lloyd Webber!"
-Family Guy
#13re: Biggest 'Best Musical' Tony Upset of all time?!?!
Posted: 2/26/06 at 11:46pmLK over Ragtime !!! Nothing will ever top that fiasco !!!
#14re: Biggest 'Best Musical' Tony Upset of all time?!?!
Posted: 2/26/06 at 11:53pm
LK over Ragtime of course.
2000 was the worst year for me, Lachiusa losing so much with his two most amazing shows. That was disgusting.
When Parade lost was another one.
TheaterAddict7652
Broadway Star Joined: 2/7/06
#15re: Biggest 'Best Musical' Tony Upset of all time?!?!
Posted: 2/26/06 at 11:56pmI agree with children&art's list, except for A Chorus Line, which deserved to win. Chicago is a great show, but it way ahead of its time- people just didn't want to see a dark satires like Chicago.
There's a lot I am not certain of...
#16re: Biggest 'Best Musical' Tony Upset of all time?!?!
Posted: 2/27/06 at 12:11amHave any of these issues ever been addressed by people from the American Theatre Wing? Like, "Yes we made a mistake" kinda thing?
I will climb back up that mountain!
Maryjoannejean
Understudy Joined: 2/25/06
#17re: Biggest 'Best Musical' Tony Upset of all time?!?!
Posted: 2/27/06 at 12:13amyou all are trippin'
#18re: Biggest 'Best Musical' Tony Upset of all time?!?!
Posted: 2/27/06 at 12:15amCan you elaborate?
I will climb back up that mountain!
#19re: Biggest 'Best Musical' Tony Upset of all time?!?!
Posted: 2/27/06 at 12:18amI would have to agree with everyone who said Lion King over Ragtime. I enjoy The Lion King, but i don't think it can ever compare with Ragtime.
"You drank a charm to kill John Proctor's wife! You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor!" - Betty Parris to Abigail Williams in Arthur Miller's The Crucible
luvSteph
Swing Joined: 2/22/06
#20re: Biggest 'Best Musical' Tony Upset of all time?!?!
Posted: 2/27/06 at 12:20amThis is not the Tony's because I am British but for the SWET Awards (Society of West End Theatre - now the Olivier Awards) I am still gobsmacked that 'Annie' beat 'Evita' in 1978 and 'Me and My Girl' beat 'Les Miserables' in 1985. Both wrong decisions in my humble opinion.
#21re: Biggest 'Best Musical' Tony Upset of all time?!?!
Posted: 2/27/06 at 12:31am
Cases in which the other musical(s) should've won or at least tied:
1958- Music Man over West Side Story
1960- Fiorello and Sound of Music over Gypsy
1964- Hello Dolly over Funny Girl and She Loves Me
1966- Man of La Mancha over Sweet Charity
1969- 1776 over Hair (WTF!!!!!!!)
1970- Applause over Purlie
1982- Nine over Dreamgirls
1984- La Cage Aux Folles over Baby and Sunday in the Park with George (WTF!!!!)
1991- Will Rogers Follies over Miss Saigon, Once on this Island and Miss Saigon
1992- Crazy for You over Falsettos (WTF!!!!)
1993- Kiss of the Spiderwoman over Blood Brothers
1998- The Lion King over Ragtime (WTF!!!!!!!!!)
1999- Fosse over Parade
2000- Contact over The Wild Party
2001- The Producers over The Full Monty
2002- Thoroughly Modern Millie over Urinetown (I do love Millie but WTF!!!!!)
2005- Spamalot over Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Spelling Bee
[title of show] on Broadway. it's time. believe.
#22re: Biggest 'Best Musical' Tony Upset of all time?!?!
Posted: 2/27/06 at 12:35amI know this thread is for Best Musical upsets, but I just want to jump in and say THE PRODUCERS' win over THE FULL MONTY for Best Score was quite an upset. I think THE PRODUCERS deserved to win Best Musical, but MONTY's score was clearly the best.
"Winning a Tony this year is like winning Best Attendance in third grade: no one will care but the winner and their mom."
-Kad
"I have also met him in person, and I find him to be quite funny actually. Arrogant and often misinformed, but still funny."
-bjh2114 (on Michael Riedel)
-Kad
"I have also met him in person, and I find him to be quite funny actually. Arrogant and often misinformed, but still funny."
-bjh2114 (on Michael Riedel)
#23re: Biggest 'Best Musical' Tony Upset of all time?!?!
Posted: 2/27/06 at 12:36am
SPAMALOT. Period.
I don't know exactly why I feel this way. I very much enjoyed Spamalot and had an excellent experience with the show, however, it just didn't seem like "Best Musical" material to me. If I were forced to choose, I think the honor should have gone to Piazza.
"I need to know that someone out there cares...Are you there?"
jam_man
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/25/05
#24re: Biggest 'Best Musical' Tony Upset of all time?!?!
Posted: 2/27/06 at 12:38amI don't think that Spamalot winning was itself a travisty (I saw it in Chicago and loved it), but since the Wing gave 7 other awards to Piazza, I thought it was almost spineless not to give them Best Musical.
"Who is Stephen Sondheim?" -roninjoey
"The man who wishes he had written Phantom of the Opera!" - SueleenGay
GO CARDINALS!!!
"The man who wishes he had written Phantom of the Opera!" - SueleenGay
GO CARDINALS!!!
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