BEST MUSICAL

EDIT: oohhh sorry, read it wrong.

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Updated On: 7/13/05 at 03:00 PM

Brooklyn

Brooklyn for best musical like that will ever happen

Updated On: 7/13/05 at 04:23 PM

I agree, I'm with DRS too. I love that show so much!

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I am going for "Spelling Bee" myself.

stage_door76...

I agree with you about PIAZZA. It should have won the Tony. (My second choice is DRS.)

However, while you state that SPAMALOT is based on previously created characters and story lines, with music thrown in -- so is PIAZZA. It is based on a novel. Someone else created these terrific characters and storyline -- not Adam Guettel and his co-creators.

It's odd that the four best musical Tony nominees were all based on something else, and that, while they're all strong (and all enjoyable), not one of them -- with the possible exception of SPELLING BEE -- was made up out of the blue. (The SPELLING BEE writers used the documentary "Spellbound" and other materials when creating that show -- but at least created new characters.) Unfortunately, I felt SPELLING BEE was the weakest of the four nominees -- due chiefly to its score.

Last year, with AVENUE Q winning the Tony, I was thrilled that a completely original show took the prize. It wasn't based on any previous story lines or characters. Granted, there was a hint of "Sesame Street," (as in this year with SPELLING BEE hinting of "Spellbound") but it was completely original from start to finish, unlike WICKED that was based on the novel. (And to be honest, the book for the musical was a lot better than the novel.)

Let's hope that next year we get some "original" creations! Wouldn't it be nice to have dual categories for writing, like they do on the Oscars? "Best Adapted Musical" and "Best Original Musical"? If only we had enough shows in NY to be able to fill the nominations in two categories? We can dream, can't we?

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I adore Piazza, I simply think it's beautiful. But what keeps getting to me is that one scene, you guys know which one I'm talking about, where Fabrizzio's mother breaks the fourth wall and dumbs down the entire show for an audience that up until that point was under the impression that this show had been showing them respect for being smart. That one part dismantles every part of the show when Fabrizzio's family are only speaking Italian. It plays beautifully everywhere else, the audience plays along because of the beauty of the language and the non-verbal messages they give. But by keeping that part in, they completely destroy much of the beauty they have created. So for that reason, I think Piazza deserves the 3 design awards, score, orchestrations, and Victoria, PLUS Tonys for Kelli and Matthew, but NOT Best Musical. Spamalot is junk. I think Spelling Bee was the best executed musical in and of itself, so I think it deserved Best Musical.

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I don't think Spelling Bee is perfect, but I think it is the best executed musical of the four nominees. There are no blatantly damaging flaws like the one I mentioned in Piazza.

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and why do you think that one song?

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DRS - All the Way!

I stand by the outcome. Spamalot won and should have won.

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Piazza! Actually, I would have wanted Matt Morrison to win the Tony over Dan... and I think overall, they chose Spamalot becuase the "underdog" had won the previous year. I wish Wicked had won instead of Avenue Q, now that we are on that subject... but I am not too upset that Piazza didn't win, because it gets more people wanting to watch Spamalot... as opposed to Piazza, which is closing after a year's run.