It was a VERY tough decision that year! Having seen both original shows, Nine deserved to win.
EDIT: The only reason it was a bit of an awards show "shocker" is because Dreamgirls was a HUGE box office hit. Nine was doing well, but not the runaway blockbuster that Dreamgirls was. The misperception by many is that the most popular show always wins. This was a year that it didn't. Several other recent years come to mind.
"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
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Dreamgirls changed the face of broadway. and NINE being fresh in voters minds has nothing to do with which show deserved the Tony. There has been nothing like Dreamgirls on broadway since its closure.. NINE is your run of the mill standard broadway fair.
I disagree that Nine is average, because it isn't by a long shot. And when picking apples and oranges, something like freshness in the minds of the voters can help.
And best12bars is pretty correct, in my mind. I can see this being a political decision, encouraging a show that isn't a hit but deserves to be...
Disagree on. Dreamgirls is a far superior show with a better score and FAR more memorable tunes. And never has there been such an impactful jaw dropping theater silencing moment on bdway since "its all over". please.. there have been a HUNDERED Nines when u come to think of it. whats sets it apart form so many other show? nothing. Like I said before, Its typical broadway non threatening fair.
Into the Woods. (And Bernadette should have been nominated, but I won't get into that)
Urinetown
Spelling Bee. Or anything but Spamalot.
West Side Story.
I am a firm believer in serendipity- all the random pieces coming together in one wonderful moment, when suddenly you see what their purpose was all along.
You Wicked people really make me sick. Wicked was NOT the best Musical of 2003. Avenue Q was better by leaps and bounds. It had an engaging score and a brilliant book. Wicked's book is juvenile, drawn-out and corny. Its music was poppy anc cliched. Avenue Q was an original and witty piece and it deserves all the recognition it has received.
But to answer the question at hand:
Urinetown Scarlet Pimpernel Light in the Piazza The Full Monty Miss Saigon Nine Ragtime
Updated On: 11/7/05 at 04:57 PM
NINE and DREAMGIRLS in the same year is an embarrassment of riches. Both have terrific scores and strong stories. Both give many of its actors amazing things to play.
For me, if it came down to a choice, I'd have to go with DREAMGIRLS. I find the psychology of NINE to be just a tad simplistic. It's masked by incredible style. DREAMGIRLS deals with a topic that is still difficult to talk about to this day: racism within the black community. You can even see the difficulty in this topic in all the threads regarding the movie and how Effie has to be fat. It's not and never has been about fat. It's about whitening yourself up to reach success in a white world. It strikes a chord in me that NINE never has.
But, honestly...both are simply wonderful. Why quibble?
"I'm so looking forward to a time when all the Reagan Democrats are dead."