Biggest Tony Shockers In History
Biggest Tony Shockers In History
bwayfan9
Broadway Star Joined: 9/14/08
#1Biggest Tony Shockers In History
Posted: 9/20/08 at 10:26am
In no particular order
Cry-Baby Being Nominated
David Hyde-Pierce Wining Over Raul Espraza
Avenue Q Winning Over Wicked
Aida Not Being Nominated for Best Musical
The Pajama Game Winning Over Sweeney Todd
Best Choreography To Spring Awakening
And Yours...
Obama/Biden 08
Updated On: 9/20/08 at 10:26 AM
#2re: Biggest Tony Shockers In History
Posted: 9/20/08 at 10:35am
I'm pretty sure Avenue Q won over Wicked. I'm also pretty sure that was just a typo on your part, so don't feel embarrassed.
In my pants, she has burst like the music of angels, the light of the sun! --Marius Pantsmercy
Updated On: 9/20/08 at 10:35 AM
bwayfan9
Broadway Star Joined: 9/14/08
#2re: Biggest Tony Shockers In History
Posted: 9/20/08 at 10:38amoop! that is what I meant, just a typo.
Obama/Biden 08
Yankeefan007
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/20/04
#3re: Biggest Tony Shockers In History
Posted: 9/20/08 at 10:39am
Ditto.
None of them are surprises if you think about it.
Q was awarded for its originality; Pierce was awarded because it was the only thing CURTAINS would win (much like Stew winning for Best Book); PJ GAME was the rejuvenation of a show that hadn't been seen in years, etc, etc.
#4re: Biggest Tony Shockers In History
Posted: 9/20/08 at 10:41am
Millie winning over Urinetown which had best book, direction, and score.
Well, not shocking, it just really sucked.
Nancy Reagan, meanest and thinnest of the first ladies moves into the white house. Yabba dabba! It's the eighties.
Yankeefan007
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/20/04
#5re: Biggest Tony Shockers In History
Posted: 9/20/08 at 10:43amAlways gets me when a show wins Book, Score, and not musical.
#6re: Biggest Tony Shockers In History
Posted: 9/20/08 at 10:46am
That's okay, I've been known to spell my own name wrong.
Chicago winning no Tony awards? (I'm not a fan of Chicago, but it did have eleven noms).
Starmites being nominated for "Best Musical."
I guess Spamalot winning over "Light In The Piazza," DRS, and Spelling Bee... but Spamalot is my favourite musical, so that was, for me, cause for rejoicing.
In my pants, she has burst like the music of angels, the light of the sun! --Marius Pantsmercy
Smaxie
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/26/05
#7re: Biggest Tony Shockers In History
Posted: 9/20/08 at 10:50am
While other shows have won Book and Score, but not Best Musical, Urinetown is the only show to have won Book, Score AND Direction, but not Best Musical. In other words, the best written and directed show of the year was somehow not the year's Best Musical. That was a very peculiar year.
Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop.
Updated On: 9/20/08 at 10:50 AM
Mr Roxy
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/17/03
#8re: Biggest Tony Shockers In History
Posted: 9/20/08 at 10:51am
No nomination for Hermans score of Mack & Mabel.
No nomination for Wildhorns score of J/H & giving it to Juan Darien instead.
No Tonys for Chicago
ACL beating out Chicago as Best Musical
Ditto for Starmites
Ditto for S/A Choreography.
Poster Emeritus
Urban
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/27/05
#9re: Biggest Tony Shockers In History
Posted: 9/20/08 at 10:52am^To be fair, Starmites basically was nominated by sheer default and simply not to have two revues only vying for Best Musical. 1989 was just a shocker of a year.
BrodyFosse123
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/27/06
#10re: Biggest Tony Shockers In History
Posted: 9/20/08 at 10:53am
Marissa Jaret Winokur winning Best Actress in a Musical for HAIRSPRAY over Bernadette Peters in GYPSY.
Oy!
#11re: Biggest Tony Shockers In History
Posted: 9/20/08 at 10:58amI know what you mean, Urban... but I just have a chip on my shoulder about Starmites in general. I'm still bitter that my school chose to put it on, that my non-musical-loving friends who saw our school production are now convinced that all musicals are like Starmites, and that my sister loves to play the cast recording constantly. ^_^
In my pants, she has burst like the music of angels, the light of the sun! --Marius Pantsmercy
Urban
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/27/05
#12re: Biggest Tony Shockers In History
Posted: 9/20/08 at 11:02amOuch Schmerg. Ouch. I feel for you!
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morosco
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/10/04
Urban
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/27/05
#15re: Biggest Tony Shockers In History
Posted: 9/20/08 at 11:09am
AlgonquinProd2 - I dunno. "Follies", while beautiful in score, has one of the deadliest books around. Even a concert version I saw couldn't work with it. While I definately wasn't around then, thus cannot pass a judgement, I can at least understand that decision.
Updated On: 9/20/08 at 11:09 AM
bwayfan9
Broadway Star Joined: 9/14/08
#16re: Biggest Tony Shockers In History
Posted: 9/20/08 at 11:12amI can understand why Bernadette didn't win. A lot of times the Tony Committee, as stupid as this is, votes on how popular the musical/play is. Hairspray was the most popular production of that season. Considering that this happens so much, I'm surprised Aida didn't get a best musical nom., considering that it was red hot, and Wicked not winning best musical was a HUGE shock, that is the most popular show on Broadway since it came out.
Obama/Biden 08
#17re: Biggest Tony Shockers In History
Posted: 9/20/08 at 11:24am
Chicago losing to Chorus Line was not a shock. Chicago not winning anything was not a shock. Chicago richly deserved Score, Choreography, Actor and Actress (Donna should have been in Featured Actress. I love her, but her being in Leading defeated the whole purpose of the show and it having NO stars.), however it was pretty well expected that Chorus Line would win everything that evening.
The craptacular Two Gentlemen of Verona losing to Follies? That was a shock.
But it's very strange when a show wins Book and Score, or at least Score and doesn't win Best Musical. What the hell does Best Musical mean? It should mean the Best Musical. The best written, best performed, best executed piece. Light in the Piazza nearly swept the Tonys in 2005, but still that awful piece of **** Spamalot won Musical. Now after winning Score, Actress and all those design awards, wouldn't the Best Musical obviously be Piazza? Anyone get what I'm saying? Same thing with Follies. It won nearly everything, yet Two Gentleman won. Does Best Musical really mean Best Producer? I hope not because I don't think Papp did a better job producing Two Gentleman than Hal did on Follies. Sure The Prince Office lost money, but I think Follies was a harder show to produce than Papp's. I don't think the Spamalot idiots did a better job producing Spamalot than LCT did for Piazza. So what does it mean? We should just get rid of Best Musical. It means nothing, at least on artistic terms. Best Play is another matter. At least the Author gets it.
notabb
Broadway Star Joined: 5/12/03
#18re: Biggest Tony Shockers In History
Posted: 9/20/08 at 11:33amLa Cage winning best score over Sunday in the Park
#19re: Biggest Tony Shockers In History
Posted: 9/20/08 at 11:37amHerman's speech was even more shocking than him winning!
Mythus
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/16/04
#20re: Biggest Tony Shockers In History
Posted: 9/20/08 at 11:41amI love La Cage and Sunday, but Sunday definitely should have won. And Jerry's speech was just a poke in the eye to Sondheim.
#21re: Biggest Tony Shockers In History
Posted: 9/20/08 at 11:46am
Spamalot winning over Light in the Piazza
Spring Awakening winning over Grey Gardens
Lion King winning over Ragtime
"In theater, the process of it is the experience. Everyone goes through the process, and everyone has the experience together. It doesn't last - only in people's memories and in their hearts. That's the beauty and sadness of it. But that's life - beauty and the sadness. And that is why theater is life." - Sherie Rene Scott
#22re: Biggest Tony Shockers In History
Posted: 9/20/08 at 11:49am
Jerry Herman's speech is a huge part of the reason I don't like him much, and I actually don't enjoy that much of his work.
"He found something that he wanted, had always wanted and always would want— not to be admired, as he had feared; not to be loved, as he had made himself believe; but to be necessary to people, to be indispensable."
-F. Scott Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise
Updated On: 9/20/08 at 11:49 AM
Mr Roxy
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/17/03
#23re: Biggest Tony Shockers In History
Posted: 9/20/08 at 12:00pmDefinitely Ragtime should have won as it was a much richer show especially scorewise.
Poster Emeritus
#24re: Biggest Tony Shockers In History
Posted: 9/20/08 at 12:11pm
"AlgonquinProd2 - I dunno. "Follies", while beautiful in score, has one of the deadliest books around. Even a concert version I saw couldn't work with it. While I definately wasn't around then, thus cannot pass a judgement, I can at least understand that decision."
Oh, I don't disagree, I think the book in "Follies" is possibly the weakest of the Sondheim shows. Sadly, however, I WAS around back then and I don't think anyone in the world thought "Verona" would take home the Tony. Actually, I think people felt "Grease" would take it that year.
