0 Tony wins for "Gypsy" when it first opened, why is it a classic show?

[ChgoTheatreGuy]

Posted: 4/13/22 at 10:04pm

Was wondering through the internet the other day and was looking up info on "Gypsy", the year that it premiered on Broadway it was nominated for eight Tony nominations, but not winning any of them.  Their thunder was stolen by "The Sound of Music".  Can anyone think of any other musical that was ignored by the Tonys that is still revived over and over as much as "Gypsy" has been?....

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 4/13/22 at 10:06pm

West Side Story, two years earlier.

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/13/22 at 10:09pm

Maybe not revived over and over so much as the revival has never stopped running, but Chicago was also blanked in 1976.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 4/13/22 at 10:10pm

The original 1972 Broadway production of GREASE.  7 Tony Award nominations including Best Musical - zero wins.  

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 4/13/22 at 10:13pm

MemorableUserName said: "Maybe not revived over and over so much as the revival has never stopped running, but Chicago was also blanked in 1976."

Indeed.  The original 1975 Broadway production of CHICAGO received 10 Tony Award nominations including Best Musical - zero wins.  

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 4/13/22 at 10:16pm

Like all awards, the Tonys are a very poor barometer of what will be remembered as a classic. Not even a dig at the Tonys, it just doesn't happen. Especially when so many voters are not artists. 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 4/13/22 at 10:25pm

TotallyEffed said: "West Side Story, two years earlier."

Nope.  WEST SIDE STORY received 6 Tony Award nominations and won for Best Choreography (Jerome Robbins) and Best Scenic Design (Oliver Smith).  

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 4/13/22 at 10:30pm

Though its just now getting its first Broadway revival, FUNNY GIRL is done endlessly in regional and community theatres as well as high schools.  The original 1964 Broadway production received 8 Tony Award nominations including Best Musical and took home zero. 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 4/13/22 at 10:36pm

BrodyFosse123 said: "TotallyEffed said: "West Side Story, two years earlier."

Nope. WEST SIDE STORY received 6 Tony Award nominations and won for Best Choreography (Jerome Robbins) and Best Scenic Design (Oliver Smith). "

Exactly. Hardly reflective of the iconic classic it has become.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 4/14/22 at 7:30am

BrodyFosse123 said: "Though its just now getting its first Broadway revival, FUNNY GIRL is done endlessly in regional and community theatres as well as high schools. The original 1964 Broadway production received 8 Tony Award nominations including Best Musical and took home zero."

 

Regional and community theater productions????  Really?  I know of only one production on Long Island since the rights became available.

 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/14/22 at 8:18am

I've done 2 productions of Funny Girl (a bajillion years ago).  I've not known any local high schools do it in the last 20 years. 

 

Awards have little to do with marketability.    Sure, it's nice to be able to say you're producing a show that won 5 Tony's - but average people don't REALLY care.  They need the recognizable title to go.  Or their neighbor is starring in it.

Long gone are the days that the community just come and support the local theater program.

[Wick3]

Posted: 4/14/22 at 9:16am

Some award seasons are very competitive where there are several potential musicals that could become classic shows in the future…… yet only one can win the Tony for each category.

In this case, majority of the votes went to Sound of Music that year. 
 

Had Funny Girl premiered on Broadway in a different year, it most likely would have won at least one Tony depending on its competition. 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 4/14/22 at 9:24am

Dollypop said: "BrodyFosse123 said: "Though its just now getting its first Broadway revival, FUNNY GIRL is done endlessly in regional and community theatres as well as high schools. The original 1964 Broadway production received 8 Tony Award nominations including Best Musical and took home zero."



Regional and community theater productions???? Really? I know of only one production on Long Island since the rights became available.

"

Enjoy!

 

[George in DC]

Posted: 4/14/22 at 9:30am

BrodyFosse123 said: "Though its just now getting its first Broadway revival, FUNNY GIRL is done endlessly in regional and community theatres as well as high schools. The original 1964 Broadway production received 8 Tony Award nominations including Best Musical and took home zero."

 

"Funny Girl" was up against "Hello Dolly" and "She Loves Me" both in my opinion are far better shows and are done endlessly at Regional and Community Theatres. I personally have never seen a production of "Funny Girl" in any regional theatre.

Also of note, when "Hello Dolly and "She Loves me" were revived several times on Broadway, they were done as written, no changes needed. "Funny Girl" needed a new book and some songs reassigned. Not the "perfect" musical.

 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 4/14/22 at 9:44am

Who on this thread said FUNNY GIRL was the perfect musical?  This thread is about now classic musicals that won zero Tony Awards.  FUNNY GIRL has that distinction.  Regardless of the realities of why it didn’t win isn’t being discussed here.  We know CHICAGO was shut out because of A CHORUS LINE.  We didn’t go into a dissection of why it didn’t win any Tony Awards.  

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 4/14/22 at 9:57am

Funny that Funny Girl, Gypsy, and West Side Story have been mentioned and the latter two get mentioned for the "best" or "perfect" musical, because I have always thought they all have perfect scores...minus Henry Street...but we can't fault them on a chorus number of a minute long.

Updated On: 4/14/22 at 09:57 AM

[ggersten]

Posted: 4/14/22 at 1:06pm

BrodyFosse123, and there was this High School Production starring a later Tony winner:

 

[kdogg36]

Posted: 4/14/22 at 5:34pm

Wick3 said: "In this case, majority of the votes went to Sound of Music that year."

Just to add a tiny point of information: The Sound of Music tied with Fiorello for Best Musical, so both got more votes than Gypsy.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 4/14/22 at 10:22pm

kdogg36 said: "Wick3 said: "In this case, majority of the votes went to Sound of Music that year."

Just to add a tiny point of information:The Sound of Musictied withFiorellofor Best Musical, so both got more votes thanGypsy."

And of course Fiorello went on to become only the third musical to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.