Does Avenue Q owe Urinetown for The Tony for Best Musical?

In an interview with Hunter Foster, and Jennifer Laura Thompson, they both said that Avenue Q owes Urinetown for their best Musical Tony. I don't think that's necessarily true. What is everyone's opinion on the board?

I'm confused. Why would AQ owe Urinetown, which was 3 years before?? I mean, I think Urinetown should have won over TMM, but Avenue Q doesn't owe them anything!!

That is SO weird! The 2 shows have nothing to do with each other!

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I can see that in a way. Avenue Q was the triumph of the ironic musical over the traditional blockbuster. But of course thats not to say that Ave Q should hand over the tony by any means. But Urinetown did help lay the path for the Avenue Q win. BTW, where is this interview?

"I do think that Wicked/Avenue Q was a MUCH closer race in terms of which show was the best..."

I actually thought that Wicked had it in the bag: it was the most talked about show at the time and received the most nominations. I was disappointed that Ave Q won, but congratulations to them on a job well done!

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I actually thought that Wicked had it in the bag: it was the most talked about show at the time and received the most nominations. I was disappointed that Ave Q won, but congratulations to them on a job well done!

So did I, but don't forget that this "most talked about show" wasn't always talked about in a positive light.

I don't think Wicked would have benefited much from winning, and neither would have Broadway, so I'm very happy that Avenue Q won. Maybe this means we'll have edgier, more "grassroots" musicals on Broadway.

To answer the original question, I don't think Avenue Q owes Urinetown a Tony; what a silly thought! Although Urinetown certainly opened doors for off-Broadway transfers like the one Avenue Q enjoyed, Avenue Q won on its own merits. It's a more palatable show, being warm and identifiable, which is why it would appeal more to Tony voters than the dark and cold (but hilarious!) Urinetown did two years back.

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my opinion:

what was expected to win: wicked
what did win: ave q
what should have won: caroline.

where does ave q owe urinetown? i dont get that at all.
the end

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i did read them, it just doenst make much sense to me.

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I'm sorry but I fail to see how Caroline was robbed. It was hardly robbed. The show just wasn't that good. In all honesty, maybe if it came in a slow year but last year was a relatively big year for musicals. It isn't often to have two large (in success terms) shows in one year, and Caroline- as much as you people love it- really was not a success.

Everyone thought Wicked had it in the bag Millie, I was at the Tonys and even the Tony people thought Wicked had it. When they announced the winner as Avenue Q all the screens in Radio City said WICKED as the winner. Once someone realized that it was taken down but that was the immediate posting on the screens.

To compare Q and Urinetown makes a lot of sense. They're both little shows. They're both shows which are hardly what would be considered common themes, and they both have a unique style to them. They were both not thought to be a big deal before they moved to Broadway. Then they both not only moved, but became large successes because of their originality. Urinetown revolutionized the idea of little shows making it up throw the ranks to ultimate success, then Avenue Q was able to do the same thing. Holding the two up as comparisons is completely logical. No one is saying the shows in and of themselves are the same, but more that their situations were similar and it's true.

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Yes Ave. Q owes a debit of gratitude to Urinetown for their tony. The same would hold true if Ave. Q came first and got screwed by a big, flashy, cardboard cutout of a musical. Like Urinetown did.

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I didn't like Millie.

However, whether I liked Millie or I didn't like Millie, no one can deny that Urinetown was by far more unique, innovative, and new. Well, people can deny it all they want, but I won't ever agree with them. Millie was based on a movie and it did what it was supposed to do in that it followed the classic "girl comes to NY to make it big" theme. Urinetown was a completely new deal. It deserved it on that alone. Aside from the fact that it was just a superior show.

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Regarding Marisa Tomei:

Hollywood loves to give SUPPORTING Oscars to wacky comedy performances - look at Mira Sorvino in Mighty Aphrodite, Dianne Weist in Bullets Over Broadway and Whoopi Golsbert in Ghost. But they almost never give a leading Osciar for a comedy - In the past 30 years, only Diane Keaton (Annie Hall) and Helen Hunt (As Good As It Gets) have won.

I kinda agree that w out Urinetown I don't think this show woulda/coulda got the attention "Q" did end up getting. I remember very well Hal Prince exhorting to " not sell the audience short" to give them original, provoking work & they would come. The votes were already counted so it was too late for Urinetown but did it(his speech) influence the voters? I kinda think so & "Q" drew the benefit. (Not that I agree that they deserved it but that's another can o worms!)

Updated On: 10/15/04 at 04:58 PM

Urinetown closed in January of this year.

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