Best Score 2007- The Sentimental Favorite or The Brilliant New Work?

[jv92]

Posted: 9/18/06 at 9:58pm

I'm hoping this won't get as heated as our very early Best Actress predictions, but one Tony category that seems very exiting this year is best score. We have the sentimental favorite- Kander and Ebb's Curtains (which will most likely open), the brilliant new, exiting piece- Grey Gardens, the pop opera- The Pirate Queen, the cult comedy turned musical- High Fiedelity and Disney- Mary Poppins.
This is not about who is going to win. It's too early to say. But what two scores do you think will be neck and neck?

At this point, after hearing all if not some of most of the competition, I'd say Grey Gardens will be neck and neck with Curtains. Of course, Curtains doesn't come close to Chicago or Cabaret, although it is quite good. However, with Fred Ebb's unfortunate passing and Kander and Ebb being sentimental favorites, it has a chance and will of course get nominated. As for what will compete for the prize. Well, Mary Poppins has a great score with some lovely new songs by Stiles and Drewe. I've been a fan of this score since I first saw it in London. However, I honestly think Disney will **** the whole thing up. Grey Gardens is brilliant. Brilliant and efective pastiche, extremely interesting "modern" numbers. Utter brilliance.
I think Best Score will be between Curtains and Grey Gardens. Sentiment vs. Brilliance. Who will win? Let's wait a few months.
Any other opinions or thoughts?

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 9/18/06 at 9:59pm

I was pleasantly surprised by GG after buying it from itunes.

[alliez92092]

Posted: 9/18/06 at 10:00pm

I'm a sucker for Tom Kitt and Amanda Green, but they won't win.

[Rotel1026]

Posted: 9/18/06 at 10:05pm

What about the other new musicals opening this season like Spring Awakening and Legally Blonde?

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 9/18/06 at 10:12pm

I wouldn't call GREY GARDENS' score brilliant...

And to be honest, it's the only score I have heard. To be fair, the score on Broadway will be slightly different - so who knows.

[jv92]

Posted: 9/19/06 at 3:04pm

I thought its pastiche was far more intelligent and effective than The Drowsy Chaperone's. It's "modern" numbers were interesting. Brilliant might be overdoing it. You're right.

[bwaysinger]

Posted: 9/19/06 at 3:09pm

Yeah, we have to take Spring Awakening into the mix...and Curtains is not yet set. They want it to open this season but it could always get shunted until next season.
And, in the pop category, there's Legally Blonde.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 9/19/06 at 3:18pm

Is there enough new material in MARY POPPINS to make it eligible?

[bwaysinger]

Posted: 9/19/06 at 4:02pm

Doesn't at least half the score have to be new in order to be eligible? I'd imagine they'll qualify.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 9/19/06 at 4:06pm

I figured, if TARZAN can be eligible, so can POPPINS.

[bwaysinger]

Posted: 9/19/06 at 4:17pm

It's better, too, isn't it? I mean, I realize that is relative.
At the very least, it looks like there will be a small measure of quality from which to choose the Best Score nominees this Spring.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 9/19/06 at 4:34pm

Yes, I think it's better - though I don't think the new material is any better than the old POPPINS stuff.

And remember, TOMMY won best score - and wasn't most of that not original?

I think it gets dangerous when nominating a score for best score where only half the score is eligible. Will the voters pay attention to the only songs they are supposed to be voting on, or will they think "Oh, I LOVE "Step in Time!" They need a Tony."

Who knows.

But you're right...are these all the original scores?

SPRING AWAKENING
GREY GARDENS
HIGH FIDELITY
LEGALLY BLONDE
THE PIRATE QUEEN
(MARY POPPINS)
(MARTIN SHORT: FAME BECOMES ME)

(CURTAINS)

[bwaysinger]

Posted: 9/19/06 at 4:38pm

That list looks pretty complete to me.
I'd have to go do some research about the Who's Tommy (sidenote: The Who have a new concept album out like Tommy this Fall called Endless Wire) but it's possible it won before they created the "original" score eligibility.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 9/19/06 at 4:40pm

Well, a lot of the music in TOMMY was original...I just thought the majority was old. I think the "original" requirement has always been around. 42ND STREET wasn't eligible for best score, was it?

As the race stands now, I think it would be fair to assume that GREY GARDENS, SPRING AWAKENING, and THE PIRATE QUEEN are locks for nominations.

It will be interesting to see what they deem MARTIN SHORT.

And of course, much will change if CURTAINS is thrown into the mix...voters might jump at the chance to award what could be the final Tony for Kander and Ebb together as a duo.

[bwaysinger]

Posted: 9/19/06 at 4:44pm

I'd imagine if Curtains does open, your picks are the locks unless the Pirate Queen is a flop followed by High Fidelity or Legally Blonde garnering better reviews than queen.

I just did a quick comparison of the Tommy Cds. There's about 10 tracks or so that appear new compared to the original Who album. I don't know how that compares to the score as it is onstage but I would think that it is indeed a bigger percentage of old music.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 9/19/06 at 4:48pm

Tommy's score was deemed eligible because somewhere in print Pete Townshend had been quoted as saying he always intended the score to be performed as a stage musical.

It was during the year of Victor/Victoria and State Fair (1996) when the rules became more stringent about a score needing to have been written for the stage. Now, for a show that calls on film songs, a certain percentage of the score has to have been written for the stage, although I couldn't tell you how much. I imagine that Mary Poppins will be deemed eligible, since there are new songs, and some of the movie songs have been reworked and have new material.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 9/19/06 at 4:53pm

TARZAN only had 9 original songs, I believe, is that correct?

If I am counting correctly, MARY POPPINS has 10 new songs, possibly eleven. If they cut "Temper, Temper" it will be even less. Who knows.

[bwayondabrain]

Posted: 9/19/06 at 4:57pm

i have not heard ANY of the scores yet, but i predict:

GREY GARDENS
THE PIRATE QUEEN
SPRING AWAKENING
and for the 4th nomination, either HIGH FIDELITY or LEGALLY BLONDE

it depends if CURTAINS is going to open, though- i personally dont think it will because it was eying the Al Hirschfeld, and WEDDING SINGER is starting to pick up business (hope it lasts, though), so unless if they find another theatre...I'd say it'd open sometime next season

[Smaxie]

Posted: 9/19/06 at 5:00pm

>it depends if CURTAINS is going to open, though- i personally dont think it will because it was eying the Al Hirschfeld, and WEDDING SINGER is starting to pick up business (hope it lasts, though), so unless if they find another theatre...I'd say it'd open sometime next season<

And people said the same thing regarding Drowsy Chaperone last season when it was looking for a house. And lo and behold! Along came January...

[Ourtime992]

Posted: 9/19/06 at 5:48pm

The eligibility of new scores used to be a wholesale yes or no decision. I believe State Fair was the first instance in which voters were told that some of the songs were eligible and others were not, which in essence was about as useful as telling them not to vote for it at all. I'd be very surprised to see voters opt for half of Mary Poppins, no matter how good it is, over a "whole" new score.

In slim years scores have been nominated that probably wouldn't have even received consideration at all had there been more to choose from. Tesori's music for Twelfth Night comes to mind.

The fact that Townsend wrote Tommy as a theatrical work with characters and structures in the first place helped its eligibility for best score, but I'd be surprised if a concept work by a popular artist were to be deemed eligible again.

And just to get back on topic, I don't think people are going to be very sentimental about Curtains unless it emerges as by far the best score of the season. Look at recent history -- voters are much more apt to go for new voices in this category. Grey Gardens has it made.

[jv92]

Posted: 9/19/06 at 5:54pm

Poppins' score also has some revised lyrics and music by Stiles and Drewe. Supercalifragelisticexpialidocious (sp? I'm only human) has almost entirely new lyrics and a new ending.

The producers of Curtains are not meek little guys. They're brave and bold ones. They've produced Steel Pier, which totally bombed and went on to produce the hit revival of Kiss Me, Kate. I don't think we'll be waiting till next season. I hope not.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 9/19/06 at 6:00pm

Not to bash it, but Wedding Singer has only had like one or two "winning" weeks, the rest it's still been in the red, so I doubt it will be open come Febuary. Unless they figure out some stunt casting or something.

[leefowler]

Posted: 9/19/06 at 6:48pm

Having heard the score of Legally Blonde, I should think it has the biggest chance of winning. It's a very smart score.

[TheEnchantedHunter]

Posted: 9/19/06 at 7:05pm

GREY GARDENS is the ONLY score with any musical value and merit whatsoever. The rest are strictly Amateur Night in Altoona.






T. "Hokey-Pokey" Saddleburn
Dallas, Texas

[jv92]

Posted: 9/19/06 at 8:30pm

Directed to Enchanted Hunter-
I happen to strongly disagree with your post. There is another great score coming.
Mary Poppins is quite intelligent and musically interesting. The new lyrics are brimming with wit and the music is fairly tuneful and musically interesting. And that's just the new stuff. But again, Disney will most likely take whatever merrit the new material had away and cheapen the great Sherman Brothers materials. (Hell, they already ruined the beautiful Feed the Birds in London!)
Updated On: 9/19/06 at 08:30 PM