Biggest Tony Shockers In History

[bwayfan9]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 10:26am

In no particular order

Cry-Baby Being Nominated

David Hyde-Pierce Wining Over Raul Espraza

Avenue Q Winning Over Wicked

Aida Not Being Nominated for Best Musical

The Pajama Game Winning Over Sweeney Todd

Best Choreography To Spring Awakening





And Yours...

Updated On: 9/20/08 at 10:26 AM

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 10:35am

I'm pretty sure Avenue Q won over Wicked. I'm also pretty sure that was just a typo on your part, so don't feel embarrassed.

Updated On: 9/20/08 at 10:35 AM

[bwayfan9]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 10:38am

oop! that is what I meant, just a typo.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 10:39am

Ditto.

None of them are surprises if you think about it.

Q was awarded for its originality; Pierce was awarded because it was the only thing CURTAINS would win (much like Stew winning for Best Book); PJ GAME was the rejuvenation of a show that hadn't been seen in years, etc, etc.

[ratherbewhaling]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 10:41am

Millie winning over Urinetown which had best book, direction, and score.

Well, not shocking, it just really sucked.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 10:43am

Always gets me when a show wins Book, Score, and not musical.

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 10:46am

That's okay, I've been known to spell my own name wrong.

Chicago winning no Tony awards? (I'm not a fan of Chicago, but it did have eleven noms).

Starmites being nominated for "Best Musical."

I guess Spamalot winning over "Light In The Piazza," DRS, and Spelling Bee... but Spamalot is my favourite musical, so that was, for me, cause for rejoicing.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 10:50am

While other shows have won Book and Score, but not Best Musical, Urinetown is the only show to have won Book, Score AND Direction, but not Best Musical. In other words, the best written and directed show of the year was somehow not the year's Best Musical. That was a very peculiar year.

Updated On: 9/20/08 at 10:50 AM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 10:51am

No nomination for Hermans score of Mack & Mabel.
No nomination for Wildhorns score of J/H & giving it to Juan Darien instead.
No Tonys for Chicago
ACL beating out Chicago as Best Musical
Ditto for Starmites
Ditto for S/A Choreography.

[Urban]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 10:52am

^To be fair, Starmites basically was nominated by sheer default and simply not to have two revues only vying for Best Musical. 1989 was just a shocker of a year.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 10:53am

Marissa Jaret Winokur winning Best Actress in a Musical for HAIRSPRAY over Bernadette Peters in GYPSY.

Oy!

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 10:58am

I know what you mean, Urban... but I just have a chip on my shoulder about Starmites in general. I'm still bitter that my school chose to put it on, that my non-musical-loving friends who saw our school production are now convinced that all musicals are like Starmites, and that my sister loves to play the cast recording constantly. ^_^

[Urban]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 11:02am

Ouch Schmerg. Ouch. I feel for you!

[AlgonquinProd2]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 11:02am

"Two Gentlemen From Verona"?

[morosco]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 11:06am

CONTACT winning Best Musical.

[Urban]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 11:09am

AlgonquinProd2 - I dunno. "Follies", while beautiful in score, has one of the deadliest books around. Even a concert version I saw couldn't work with it. While I definately wasn't around then, thus cannot pass a judgement, I can at least understand that decision.
Updated On: 9/20/08 at 11:09 AM

[bwayfan9]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 11:12am

I can understand why Bernadette didn't win. A lot of times the Tony Committee, as stupid as this is, votes on how popular the musical/play is. Hairspray was the most popular production of that season. Considering that this happens so much, I'm surprised Aida didn't get a best musical nom., considering that it was red hot, and Wicked not winning best musical was a HUGE shock, that is the most popular show on Broadway since it came out.

[jv92]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 11:24am

Chicago losing to Chorus Line was not a shock. Chicago not winning anything was not a shock. Chicago richly deserved Score, Choreography, Actor and Actress (Donna should have been in Featured Actress. I love her, but her being in Leading defeated the whole purpose of the show and it having NO stars.), however it was pretty well expected that Chorus Line would win everything that evening.
The craptacular Two Gentlemen of Verona losing to Follies? That was a shock.
But it's very strange when a show wins Book and Score, or at least Score and doesn't win Best Musical. What the hell does Best Musical mean? It should mean the Best Musical. The best written, best performed, best executed piece. Light in the Piazza nearly swept the Tonys in 2005, but still that awful piece of **** Spamalot won Musical. Now after winning Score, Actress and all those design awards, wouldn't the Best Musical obviously be Piazza? Anyone get what I'm saying? Same thing with Follies. It won nearly everything, yet Two Gentleman won. Does Best Musical really mean Best Producer? I hope not because I don't think Papp did a better job producing Two Gentleman than Hal did on Follies. Sure The Prince Office lost money, but I think Follies was a harder show to produce than Papp's. I don't think the Spamalot idiots did a better job producing Spamalot than LCT did for Piazza. So what does it mean? We should just get rid of Best Musical. It means nothing, at least on artistic terms. Best Play is another matter. At least the Author gets it.

[notabb]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 11:33am

La Cage winning best score over Sunday in the Park

[jv92]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 11:37am

Herman's speech was even more shocking than him winning!

[Mythus]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 11:41am

I love La Cage and Sunday, but Sunday definitely should have won. And Jerry's speech was just a poke in the eye to Sondheim.

[defyingravity11]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 11:46am

Spamalot winning over Light in the Piazza
Spring Awakening winning over Grey Gardens
Lion King winning over Ragtime

[wicked_beast4]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 11:49am

Jerry Herman's speech is a huge part of the reason I don't like him much, and I actually don't enjoy that much of his work.

Updated On: 9/20/08 at 11:49 AM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 12:00pm

Definitely Ragtime should have won as it was a much richer show especially scorewise.

[AlgonquinProd2]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 12:11pm

"AlgonquinProd2 - I dunno. "Follies", while beautiful in score, has one of the deadliest books around. Even a concert version I saw couldn't work with it. While I definately wasn't around then, thus cannot pass a judgement, I can at least understand that decision."

Oh, I don't disagree, I think the book in "Follies" is possibly the weakest of the Sondheim shows. Sadly, however, I WAS around back then and I don't think anyone in the world thought "Verona" would take home the Tony. Actually, I think people felt "Grease" would take it that year.