BEST 'Best Musical" TONY

[WickedGinger]

Posted: 6/8/14 at 8:58am

There are always years you wonder if that musical or this musical would have won the Tony award if they were up against different shows. Therefore, lets have some fun before we find out another Best Musical tonight.

Pick your Best 'Best Musical" Tony from the winners of the award since 1994:
(We could obvious go back further, bur then the list gets ridiculously long!!)

1994: Passion – Book by James Lapine, music/lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.
1995: Sunset Boulevard – Book by Christopher Hampton and Don Black, lyrics by Don Black, music by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
1996: Rent – Book, music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson.
1997: Titanic – Book by Peter Stone, music/lyrics by Maury Yeston.
1998: The Lion King – Book by Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi; lyrics by Tim Rice; music by Elton John; additional music/lyrics by Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor and Hans Zimmer.
1999: Fosse – Conceived by Richard Maltby, Jr., Chet Walker and Ann Reinking, music/lyrics by various composers.
2000: Contact – Conceived by Susan Stroman and John Weidman, book by John Weidman, music/lyrics by various composers.
2001: The Producers – Book by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan, music/lyrics by Mel Brooks.
2002: Thoroughly Modern Millie – Book by Richard Morris and Dick Scanlan, new lyrics by Dick Scanlan, new music by Jeanine Tesori.
2003: Hairspray – Book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman.
2004: Avenue Q – Book by Jeff Whitty, music/lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx.
2005: Monty Python's Spamalot – Book by Eric Idle, music by John Du Prez and Eric Idle, lyrics by Eric Idle.
2006: Jersey Boys – Book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, music and lyrics by Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe.
2007: Spring Awakening – Book by Steven Sater, music by Duncan Sheik, lyrics by Steven Sater.
2008: In the Heights – Book by Quiara Alegría Hudes, music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
2009: Billy Elliot the Musical – Book and lyrics by Lee Hall, music by Elton John.
2010: Memphis – Book and lyrics by Joe DiPietro, music and lyrics by David Bryan.
2011: The Book of Mormon – Story, music and lyrics by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone.
2012: Once – Book by Enda Walsh, music and lyrics by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová.
2013: Kinky Boots – Book by Harvey Fierstein, music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 6/8/14 at 9:06am

Looking at this list makes me realize how often my favorite musical of the season does NOT win the Tony (Caroline, Or Change in 2004, Piazza in 2005, Grey Gardens in 2007, Matilda in 2013, etc.). This list doesn't really have a standout to me, but if I had to pick, I suppose I'd go with Hairspray.

[MaddieBB12]

Posted: 6/8/14 at 9:18am

My pick's is SPRING AWAKENING.

[Littleshopofcarrie]

Posted: 6/8/14 at 9:49am

My favorite is HAIRSPRAY. Such a great show!

[Sally Durant Plummer]

Posted: 6/8/14 at 11:12am

The only thing I genuinely enjoy as more than east listening is Passion - and yes, it should have competition from Caroline, or Change, Light in the Piazza, and Grey Gardens.

[GreatWhiteGay]

Posted: 6/8/14 at 11:18am

Rent

[JBroadway]

Posted: 6/8/14 at 12:26pm

In the Heights!!! Then maybe followed by The Lion King.

[South Florida]

Posted: 6/8/14 at 1:31pm

SA and Rent.

[BobNC]

Posted: 6/8/14 at 2:08pm

Rent

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 6/8/14 at 2:16pm

bjh- I'm with you in that most years my favorite doesn't win either. Caroline, Piazza, Grey Gardens, Passing Strange- all losers.


From this list I would select Passion or Once.

[tazber]

Posted: 6/8/14 at 2:53pm

From this list I'd pick Book of Mormon.

[mjohnson2]

Posted: 6/8/14 at 2:57pm

SPAMALOT. Gut bus tingly funny (even though Spelling Bee should have won).

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 6/8/14 at 6:32pm

I'd pick THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE.

[Matt1]

Posted: 6/8/14 at 7:01pm

Billy Elliot followed by Rent.

[Brave Sir Robin2]

Posted: 6/8/14 at 7:12pm

I'm doing a top five in random order:
Passion
Sunset Boulevard
Hairspray
Spring Awakening
In the Heights


However, if we had Matilda, Light In The Piazza, Wicked, Caroline Or Change, Beauty and the Beast, Grey Gardens, Spelling Bee, Ragtime, and Urinetown, it would have been much different.

[WickedGinger]

Posted: 7/18/14 at 2:13pm

After seeing it during my trip to NYC i have to say Kinky Boots! I thought it was amazing...

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 7/18/14 at 3:13pm

Billy Elliot for sure.

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 7/18/14 at 3:32pm

Billy Elliot is the ONLY show on this list I think deserves a place among the greatest shows ever (and I'm basing that more on the West End production than the glitzier Broadway staging).

I might put Rent, The Lion King and Hairspray on a runner's up list of respectable Tony winners.

Ragtime, Next to Normal and The Scottsboro Boys are among the truly great shows in the last 2 decades I wish had won the Tony. (I'll probably add The Bridges of Madison County down the road when time has given me perspective on that show.)

Proves my point that the last 2 decades have not been kind in the creation of great new shows.

Updated On: 7/18/14 at 03:32 PM

[WickedGinger]

Posted: 7/18/14 at 3:44pm

Do you honestly believe that?

I would love to skip forward fifty years to see what were saying about these shows!

[Wildcard]

Posted: 7/18/14 at 3:44pm

I would rather watch a production of Passion, Sunset Blvd. or Billy Elliot but I chose Hairspray as the "winner" since as a whole, the show had all things going for it (casting, direction, sets, lighting, costumes, book, music, choreography, etc.)

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 7/18/14 at 3:58pm

I agree that "Hairspray" is definitely the best of the boulevard musical comedies to come along in the last 20 years (putting to shame such disposable lesser efforts as The Producers, Spamalot, The Book of Mormon and Kinky Boots as far as I'm concerned). But my heart belongs to the dramas-- hence my list of favorites above.

[mjohnson2]

Posted: 7/18/14 at 4:36pm

With the recent GGLAM win, I will put that as my favorite since 1994, but it only beats SPAMALOT by a little.

[South Florida]

Posted: 7/18/14 at 6:29pm

Someone in a Tree didn't N2N lose to Billy Eliot?

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 7/18/14 at 8:09pm

^ Funny, you're probably right-- embarrassment of riches that lone year.

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 7/18/14 at 9:26pm

The first time seeing Once, Hairspray, and Fosse are some of my favorite theatrical memories.