"Best Musical 2010 goes to...."

[PReeves2]

Posted: 5/9/10 at 1:16am

My personal favorite for this category is Fela! and I can't be the only one. However, in what other way would the Tony's like to see their live broadcast be seen with WIll and Jada Smith along side fellow producer Jay-Z accepting a Tony award for Best Musical?

[tazber]

Posted: 5/9/10 at 1:20am

"However, in what other way would the Tony's like to see their live broadcast be seen with WIll and Jada Smith along side fellow producer Jay-Z accepting a Tony award for Best Musical?"



Is that a riddle or just a really poorly worded sentence?

[wicked_beast4]

Posted: 5/9/10 at 1:22am

Can we just not give this award this year? Really, none of them deserve it. They're all bland, unoriginal shows, or shows attempting to be so original that they become contrived as hell.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 5/9/10 at 1:23am

Can we just not give this award this year? Really, none of them deserve it. They're all bland, unoriginal shows, or shows attempting to be so original that they become contrived as hell.

Thank you. Agree 100%.

[PReeves2]

Posted: 5/9/10 at 1:36am

as difficult as it may seem this year, the award WILL be given away. This year seems to be making a statement about what the Tony's want to award and give accolades to in a "broadway musical". Clearly those on this board agree that "quality" musicals were missing from this years selection among the 4 Tony Nominee's. However, this year had a couple of wanna be "musicals" with Fela!, Come Fly Away, and American Idiot. The others seemed to be main stream musicals that really didn't push the envelope very far IF at all, Memphis, Million Dollar Quartet, Sondheim on Sondheim, and The Addams Family. Let us not forget the one musical that was trying so desperately to be something bigger than all of them which was Everyday Rapture. Who should win?

[PReeves2]

Posted: 5/9/10 at 1:43am

"However, in what other way would the Tony's like to see their live broadcast be seen with WIll and Jada Smith along side fellow producer Jay-Z accepting a Tony award for Best Musical?"


tazber - it really isn't that difficult of a question and/or statement to understand.


Updated On: 5/9/10 at 01:43 AM

[ljay889]

Posted: 5/9/10 at 1:44am

I would choose American Idiot, but it has absolutely no chance now. So I hope FELA! wins. I was not a big fan of the show, but it was a hell of a lot more creative than Memphis.

[tazber]

Posted: 5/9/10 at 1:47am

Well then it must be me. Could you please explan what you are asking?

[PReeves2]

Posted: 5/9/10 at 1:55am

tazber -

it seems to me that Will Smith and Jay-Z would be the obvious choice to show popularity and validity to the Tony's if they gave the award for Best Musical to Fela! sense they are now among the lead producers and are above the title.

it's really not that hard to spell out is it?

Updated On: 5/9/10 at 01:55 AM

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 5/9/10 at 1:57am

Memphis is flawed, but it's the only show nominated in this category that I didn't hate.
Plus, it has wonderful singers, acting and is ENTERTAINING and will do great on the road.

[tazber]

Posted: 5/9/10 at 2:02am

Yes it was. If it had made any kind of coherent sense I would not have asked for clarification.

Regarding your point, I don't think that the Tonys are that concerned with being considered "hip". If Fela! wins (it won't) it will be b/c the critics had orgasms all over it.

Updated On: 5/9/10 at 02:02 AM

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 5/9/10 at 2:04am

it seems to me that Will Smith and Jay-Z would be the obvious choice to show popularity and validity to the Tony's if they gave the award for Best Musical to Fela! sense they are now among the lead producers and are above the title.

it's really not that hard to spell out is it?

Will & Jay-Z will only speak during a best musical speech. That speech is at the end of the show. No one who isn't interested in the theatre will still be tuned in by then.

[PReeves2]

Posted: 5/9/10 at 2:09am

No doubt Memphis would do well on the road. As would Fela!, American Idiot (in certain cities) and Come Fly Away (even though it wasn't nominated). Million Dollar Quartet seems a bit odd on the road to me. Everyday Rapture seems to make more sense for a touring production as do most of the other tony nominees for best musical than Million Dollar Quartet.

[PReeves2]

Posted: 5/9/10 at 2:17am

Theaterfan -

Have you ever heard of Red Carpet and Photo Opts? Regardless of who is producing any particular show it won't matter this year. There is no obvious winner. It's all going to boil down to who needs what award to capitalize most in a touring market. Memphis is cheap, Fela! isn't close to recouping, American Idiot has it's own branding/market (as does Come Fly Away) and Quartet needs the acclaim of getting a nomination.

[BwayTday]

Posted: 5/9/10 at 3:07am

I agree with Taz, your original question was worded awkwardly. And are you saying that whoever wins will boil down to whoever needs it to do well? Don't think that's how it works.
Updated On: 5/9/10 at 03:07 AM

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 5/9/10 at 3:09am

Yeah, you know like Billy Elliot.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 5/9/10 at 3:22am

I think, much to the chagrin of most BWW posters, I would vote for FELA!

It was original, had something fresh to say, and while it wasn't totally flawless by any means, I had a good time at it. The more I think about AMERICAN IDIOT, the less I liked it. I still haven't seen MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET. And we all know how I feel about MEMPHIS.

That said, the race is between MEMPHIS and FELA! FELA! got more nominations but MEMPHIS is the more mainstream choice. If I had to predict at this point, I'd say MEMPHIS will win. I really can't believe one of the worst musicals I have ever seen is the frontrunner for Best Musical but I guess it just speaks to how weak this year has been for new musicals. But if MEMPHIS does win, good for them. I would vote for FELA! though. It's got more authentic originality, excitement, and joy in the moments before the show even starts than MEMPHIS does in its whole 2 1/2 hours.

[Marquise]

Posted: 5/9/10 at 3:36am

...it will be b/c the critics had orgasms all over it

IMAGE: just. ewww.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 5/9/10 at 11:02am

If we MUST give the award out, I guess I'd choose Fela. At least it tried something original and isn't a blatantly commercial piece.

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 5/9/10 at 12:32pm

Have you ever heard of Red Carpet and Photo Opts?

Clearly, you haven't. The term is "photo ops" (as in "opportunities").

If your point is that the Tonys want to get Will Smith and Jay-Z on the red carpet to get mainstream attention, they've done that by nominating FELA. Giving them the award won't affect whether they appear on the red carpet or not, because Smith and Jay-Z won't know they've won until the end of the awards show.

Also, voting isn't like a committee, where they all meet and come to a consensus together. The voters are individuals who vote for the shows they want. They are not some unit who will collectively decide that the Tonys "need" FELA to win.

All the voters I know take their job very seriously, make a sincere effort to see all the nominated shows, and vote for the shows they feel deserve the award. FELA may win because the majority of voters felt it was the most deserving of the nominees, but it will not win because an acceptance speech by Will Smith and Jay-Z would attract viewers. (How in the world would that work anyway, since no one knows who will win before the show?)

This is one of the dumbest arguments I've heard in a while, and the fact that you can't even manage to argue it coherently does not help.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 5/9/10 at 12:40pm

This is one of the dumbest arguments I've heard in a while

So is your argument that all of the voters vote for the show they perceive to be the "best." The Tonys have always been about commerce, much more so than "art." To suggest that voters would vote against their own financial interests is foolish.

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 5/9/10 at 12:58pm

I didn't say all, I said all the ones I know personally. Which is true.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 5/9/10 at 1:24pm

I'd give it to MEMPHIS, and this is coming from someone who fled that show at intermission.

Only truly original musical of the season.

[ljay889]

Posted: 5/9/10 at 1:26pm

^ But you only saw half of it.

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 5/9/10 at 1:59pm

Yankeefan, I looked at your avatar for a good 5 minutes before realizing that it's Regis & not Gary Beach. The likeness is uncanny.