Biggest Tony Shockers In History- Page 3

[wicked_beast4]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 1:52pm

Sorry to everyone for the massive threadjack. Please continue.


And I hated how SA won so many awards. The only one that I think was deserved was Johnny's.

[zepka102]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 1:55pm

Definitely Spring Awakening winning Choreography. I felt it could have gone to ANY of the other nominees before SA. "Step in Time" alone from Mary Poppins could have taken it. And Legally Blonde with Jerry Mitchell's work like "Whipped into Shape"... deserved it over the jumping around from SA.

[Weez]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 1:59pm

I didn't mind 'Spring Awakening' winning so many awards. If it had been down to me, I definitely wouldn't have given it Best Book and probably not Best Choreography either, but the rest of the awards? No problem. Even Best Musical; as that one goes, 'Curtains' and 'Mary Poppins' weren't quite there, and 'Grey Gardens' just wasn't commercial enough. Eight awards might seem a little excessive, but... c'mon, why the hell not? Poor 'Spring Awakening'; it's not the be-all and end-all of MT, and it does have some RIDICULOUSLY annoying fans, but it doesn't deserve half the disdain heaped upon it.

[outdamnwench]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 2:10pm

SA winning choreography over LB.
I'm still confused as to how glorified jumping and stomping is considered choreography.

Pirate Queen not being nominated for any design awards.
I get that they thought the show was crap but the lights and costumes were freaking gorgeous!!!
Updated On: 9/20/08 at 02:10 PM

[defyinggravity42694]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 2:30pm

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Just about to mention Legally Blonde and Spring Awakening.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 2:44pm

You can say what you want about Donna Murphy's controversial run in WONDERFUL TOWN, but her portrayal of Ruth Sherwood received love letters from virtually every critic (most importantly, Brantley) and the whole reason the show even transferred to Broadway was due to the reviews she received. Also, as I said before, she won both the Drama Desks and OCC Awards over Idina Menzel. Either way, Tonya Pinkins should have won.

RE WEST SIDE STORY. I do agree it's a brilliant show but at least it lost to THE MUSIC MAN which is another wonderfully-crafted piece, even if it's not as innovative as the former.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 3:11pm

I think The Music Man gets a bit of a bum rap because of its Americana trappings. Sure, between Music Man and West Side Story, it's the more conventional show of the two, but it has a truly idiosyncratic score and is filled with odd, dysfunctional families and characters that fly against '50s normality, plus a con man as its central figure. I think The Music Man really sounds and behaves like no other show. I'd be really hard pressed to pick between Music Man and West Side Story for Best Musical...so while I understand why people wonder why West Side Story didn't win Best Musical, that's one race where I don't think the winning show was an inferior piece.

[xxdrewboy85xx]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 4:03pm

Marissa winning over Bernadette Peters

Millie winning over Urinetown

The Goat or Who is Sylvia beating out Top Dog/Under Dog and metamorphoses! Which made me very happy! I believe it deserved the Pulitzer over TDUD

[Sondheim_Geek]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 4:25pm

in recent years:

Douglas Carter Beane not winning for the book of Xanadu
Raul Esparza not winning for Company
Patti LuPone not winning for Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd not winning for Best Revival

[AlgonquinProd2]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 5:18pm

"1) I'm not in middle school, so that aspect doesn't work... I teach kids your age."

That may be the single scariest thing I've heard on this thread, toodarnhot.

"2) You're too bitter (as a kid)"

Can you not do one post without a condescending, bitter, angry remark? Just one. Take your pick.

For the record, Robert Lindsay as Best Actor over Colm Wilkinson was also a shocker.

[Shannon Bo Dannon]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 5:23pm

Yeah Spring Awakening sure didn't deserve Best Choreography. When they announced it I was like, "Really?" How Mary Poppins didn't win that is beyond me (Bert tap dances on the proscenium..come on!). The SA kids just jump around and touch themselves. (But I do love the SA music).
Updated On: 9/20/08 at 05:23 PM

[oohshizz146]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 5:58pm

I absolutely LOVE spring awakening as you guys know, but BEST choreography? really?

Cry-Baby NOT winning best choreography

the infamous Avenue Q/Wicked win

Gypsy not winning best revival this year

[James885]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 6:07pm

The 2005 revival of Sweeney Todd losing Best Revival to The Pajama Game

Patti LuPone losing the Best Actress Tony to LaChanze.

Marissa Jaret Winokur winning Best Actress over Bernadette Peters

Spring Awakening winning Best Book over Grey Gardens.

Spring Awakening winning Best Choreography over Mary Poppins or Legally Blonde.

Updated On: 9/20/08 at 06:07 PM

[zooxanthellae]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 6:10pm

Bernadette Peters loosing Best Actress to Marisa Jaret Winokur
Ethel Merman in Gypsy loosing to Mary Martin in The Sound of Music
Patti LuPone in Sweeney Todd loosing to LaChanze in The Color Purple
Raul Esparza in Company loosing to David Hyde Pierce in Curtains

[bwayfan9]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 7:02pm

Marissa Won because the show she was in was more popular IMO

[defyinggravity42694]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 7:48pm

Watching Showtime2, they showed Ave Q winning on this Tony look back program thing, still shocks me.

[bwayfan9]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 7:58pm

I have nothing against avenue q, but wicked was so massivley popular you would think it would win by an overwhelming majority, but by looking at the weekly grosses, I don't thin the wicked producers feel very hurt!

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 8:07pm

Although GUYS AND DOLLS won for Best musical of 1950/51, Irving Berlin’s score for CALL ME MADAM won. Now I happen to love MADAM's score but GUYS AND DOLLS is superior.

The 1959/60 season pitting SOUND OF MUSIC against GYPSY and FIORELLO. By the time of the awards everyone knew Hammerstein was dying so there was a huge move towards honoring him one last time. Martin's performance as Maria was (reportedly) excellent but not a patch on Ethel's Madame Rose.

I agree the winners of Best Book and Best Score should by extension be named Best Musical. RAGTIME and INTO THE WOODS being two notable examples.

But the nonsense suggesting something underhanded occurred with AVENUE Q is baffling. Why can't WICKED fans just accept that the voters felt AVE Q the better of the two shows? Certainly most of the critics said so in their reviews. No road presenter has ever complained of being cheated out of a tour. And if such tactics can sway their vote, then perhaps they shouldn't be allowed to vote!

[ratherbewhaling]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 8:36pm

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


god when you say it like that my soul aches

[Patash]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 8:38pm

I've never gotten over that dance recital with recorded music called Contact winning best musical.

Granted the options were The Wild Party, James Joyce's The Dead, and Swing. Talk about a bad year!


Updated On: 9/20/08 at 08:38 PM

[bossbear062]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 8:52pm

"Honey, In the Heights got mixed to negative reviews, and before the Tony it wasn't exactly making a trillion dollars and was on TKTS every night. Passing Strange and Xanadu had critical acclaim that a new musical hasn't seen for a while. "

umm....I will agree that passing strange was the critic darling of the year as far as new musicals (i love that show by the way) I must say that I have followed in the heights closely and when it opened on broadway it got positive to mixed reviews. There where hardly any negative reviews. Also before the tony's ITH was almost NEVER on TKTS cause it did pretty well at the box office. It was after it won it blew up. So just check your facts, honey

[blaxx]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 9:01pm

No, love, I could actually open the ITH review thread, but it sounds like you have more time in your hands.

If anything, the consensus was that it was well-done fluff - if you take that as mixed to positive, I think you are being WAY too generous.

Almost never on TKSTS before the Tonys? Not the case, it was on every night - believe me, I will not give you more personal info. but I can prove that it was, and not only that, there were discounts for all performances except for Saturday evenings the week before the Tonys from Broadwaybox - hardly the sold out sensation it could potentially be. Even now, the numbers are nothing like they were post Tonys and I doubt it will eventually be considered a huge cash cow.

Those are the facts dear! XOXOXO

[bossbear062]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 9:01pm

by the way for me ave q winning wasn't the biggest shock for me at the tony's it was the happiest. I would say the shock was more folks in the cast of Q where not nominated. And although I wasn't blown away by her performence i was shocked that ashley brown was not nominated for best actress although I did think that 5th slot did belong to LBB even though u don't like that show she worked her butt of

[bossbear062]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 9:05pm

blaxx thanks for the love sweetie but maybe our paths will cross again on another post lol..but into then you have a sweet dream. love of my life. snuggle bare. baby waby. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox....xoxox.xo

[bwayfan9]

Posted: 9/20/08 at 9:10pm

"But the nonsense suggesting something underhanded occurred with AVENUE Q is baffling. Why can't WICKED fans just accept that the voters felt AVE Q the better of the two shows? Certainly most of the critics said so in their reviews."






frontrowcentre2, what you said there was not true. None of us said Wicked should've won over Avenue q, we said it was a surprise, because in recent years, the tony commitee has voted the most popular show, not the best. We are not complaining 'OMG GEEZ I LURVE WIKUD IT SHULDVE WUN IT WUZ SOOOOOO GOOOOOOOD!1 WAH!!!'. We are just saying that is was a surprise.

Updated On: 9/20/08 at 09:10 PM