Posted: 11/15/15 at 11:47pm
This may be in London/UK, but does anyone know how the heck HONK! managed to beat Lion King and Mamma Mia for Best Musical? Especially that Best Musical was the only nomination it got?
Updated On: 11/15/15 at 11:47 PM
Posted: 11/16/15 at 12:03am
I remember someone saying how the oliviers are weird sometimes. But then sometimes they get it right. You also have to consider many of their voters are not just theatre based, but also ballet and opera based.
Posted: 11/16/15 at 12:06am
Honk isn't that bad. What's the big deal? The real head scratcher is Lion King winning over Ragtime at the Tony Awards.
Posted: 11/16/15 at 12:07am
Maybe they voted for the most original?
Posted: 11/16/15 at 1:56am
CATSNYrevival said: "Honk isn't that bad. What's the big deal? The real head scratcher is Lion King winning over Ragtime at the Tony Awards.
"
It isn't that good, either.
Posted: 11/16/15 at 7:39am
CATSNYrevival said: "Honk isn't that bad. What's the big deal? "
Oh, I love Honk! I did it twice (my middle school & professional) and had a blast both times. But, no way better than Lion King & Mamma Mia
Sushi: Really great point!
Posted: 11/16/15 at 9:15am
HONK is certainly a cute show with some very sweet songs in its score, but it is definitely surprising that it was able to overtake The Lion King and also the more prestigious work of Spend, Spend, Spend which got most of the precursor attention.
I almost view this as a pre-Avenue Q/Wicked type scenario where the smaller show over took the big epic. I recall seeing a video of the moment Stiles & Drewe won for it and one of them said with much surprise something to the effect of "I guess the voters couldn't get tickets to see The Lion King".
Plus, that production is such a mystery because I cannot find a single video/audio recording of it and the most I can find are few pictures.
Posted: 11/16/15 at 2:21pm
I can not answer that except to say Mr Bean is one the biggest comedy act in England.
Posted: 11/16/15 at 2:47pm
No he's not- he's all but forgotten, and largely indulged because of Rowan Atkinson's superior work in Blackadder. I believe he is still quite popular in non-English speaking territories where the emphasis on physical comedy is appreciated.
As for Honk- which was produced by the NATIONAL THEATRE of course, was stylishly directed by a beloved English actress Julia McKenzie (see my avatar) and the show itself had genuine wit and warmth. The Lion King- the commercial juggernaut- seemed somewhat charmless and lacking wit by comparison.
I think the British voters might also have appreciated the way a minor short story had been musicalized with originality and sincerity, and The Lion King- having already made a big splash on Broadway- lacked an equal element of surprise.
Posted: 11/16/15 at 3:15pm
Mr Bean was always far more successful and popular in non-English speaking countries than the UK.
The vote for Honk may well have been a vote for the musical theatre writing course that Sondheim lead at Oxford University a few years earlier, which I believe Styles and Drewe were on.
Posted: 11/16/15 at 3:57pm
Honk never transferred did it? Regardless I could see this as the Oliviers wanting to award a show whose future life would benefit the most from being known as an award winner. Or maybe MM and TLK split the vote which seems truly weird but
Posted: 11/16/15 at 3:58pm
Hey and maybe Disney noticed and so hired them for MP. Though I doubt that was it...
