Biggest "Best Musical" Tony Upset of all time?!?!

Lion King over Ragtime. C'MON!!!!

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I agree about Will Rogers Follies. Ridiculous.

Will Rogers Follies winning
Millie winning over Urinetown
Music Man winning over West Side Story...I know it TMM was so much more popular over WSS...but what were they thinking?

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The Lion King wasn't the only show nominated that year. It was between Lion King, Ragtime, Side Show and Scarlet Pimpernel. I wouldn't say that it was an upset. The theatricality of Lion King is pretty tremendous. Both shows deserved to win.

I'd say the year of Will Rogers, Once on this Island, Secret Garden and Miss Saigon was close, but I wouldn't call it an upset b/c all four deserved (in some way) to win.

Urinetown should have won of Millie, most definitely.

This last year was very close between the four, all of which were deserving if they were in different seasons.

Another extremely tight race would be in 1961, when Sound of Music, Fiorello!, Gypsy and Once Upon A Matress were all nominated the same year. It ended with a tie between SoM and Fiorello.

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Avenue Q over Wicked. I'm not saying (in any way, shape, or form) that Wicked should have won, but if you asked ANYONE who knew anything about the race in the weeks leading up to the Tonys who would win, they would have said that Wicked would, though with the clause that it wasn't the most deserving. I remember my mouth was hanging open from the moment Nathan Lane said "Avenue Q" to the end of the broadcast. Glad they voted their hearts, but I didn't see that one coming.

A Chorus Line is one of the best musicals ever, combined with one of the most successful, and it was considered such almost from the time it opened. Chicago and Pacific Overtures are great shows, but neither were near as loved as A Chorus Line early on, especially PO.

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Wow good list c&a, except I agree with the win of Chorus Line

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LK over Ragtime !!! Nothing will ever top that fiasco !!!

I agree with children&art's list, except for A Chorus Line, which deserved to win. Chicago is a great show, but it way ahead of its time- people just didn't want to see a dark satires like Chicago.

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you all are trippin'

I would have to agree with everyone who said Lion King over Ragtime. I enjoy The Lion King, but i don't think it can ever compare with Ragtime.

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Cases in which the other musical(s) should've won or at least tied:
1958- Music Man over West Side Story
1960- Fiorello and Sound of Music over Gypsy
1964- Hello Dolly over Funny Girl and She Loves Me
1966- Man of La Mancha over Sweet Charity
1969- 1776 over Hair (WTF!!!!!!!)
1970- Applause over Purlie
1982- Nine over Dreamgirls
1984- La Cage Aux Folles over Baby and Sunday in the Park with George (WTF!!!!)
1991- Will Rogers Follies over Miss Saigon, Once on this Island and Miss Saigon
1992- Crazy for You over Falsettos (WTF!!!!)
1993- Kiss of the Spiderwoman over Blood Brothers
1998- The Lion King over Ragtime (WTF!!!!!!!!!)
1999- Fosse over Parade
2000- Contact over The Wild Party
2001- The Producers over The Full Monty
2002- Thoroughly Modern Millie over Urinetown (I do love Millie but WTF!!!!!)
2005- Spamalot over Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Spelling Bee

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SPAMALOT. Period.
I don't know exactly why I feel this way. I very much enjoyed Spamalot and had an excellent experience with the show, however, it just didn't seem like "Best Musical" material to me. If I were forced to choose, I think the honor should have gone to Piazza.

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