Jersey Boys...why best musical?

[mediakilled]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 12:01pm

sorry,...but I simply have to disagree with TONY rules.
Best musical should go to a show that is NEW and original with original music.

Just like CONTACT won..years ago..(a dance show with canned music and absolutely NO singing).....I think to put Jersey Boys there in this category was so unoriginal.

They should divide the categories if that's the case.

best ORIGINAL musical

and

best JUKEBOX musical


Jersey Boys may be a phenomenal great show ...
but the music should be written for the musical.

that year...for the stage.

and that's my vent....


(not to knock of Jersey Boys....)

but still.....

[worrell4077]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 12:29pm

Just because a show doesn't have an original score doesn't mean that it shouldn't be able to win Best Musical. I mean sure the story is about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, but it's a great story about struggling for success and then finally getting it. I mean, where is it written that the winner of Best Musical must have an original score and story?
________________________________________________________________
"You know how somethings have the title based on a true story, but you never read based on a good story. This is a really good story, and we didn't make it up."
-Marshall Brickman

Updated On: 6/12/06 at 12:29 PM

[popular_elphie]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 1:08pm

For the 100th time, Jersey Boys tells the story using the music that is FROM the story. As Daniel Reichard said, "There's no character named Sherry!".

The whole package makes it best musical. The Tony voters thought that the whole package of Jersey Boys was better than Drowsy, Wedding Singer, and Color Purple.

[TimeSuckage]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 2:02pm

Ain't Misbehavin', Swinging on a Star, Crazy For You, Black & Blue, the Anything Goes revival, My One and Only, and Smokey Joe's Cafe all used music not written expressly for the show.

Hairspray, The Lion King, Ragtime, Beauty and the Beast, and Tarzan also contain music not written expressly for the show.

Few musicals are truly original. Some of the best modern musicals are based on material from elsewhere (Phantom, Cabaret, Chicago, Cats, A Little Night Music).

You want to knock Jersey Boys, do it on something tangible, not some random ridiculous argument about the origins of the music.

[DreamFlyer22]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 2:07pm

Congratulations, mediakilled... you just created about the 50th post and at least third thread on this. How about searching next time. Seriously.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 2:08pm

What music in Hairspray and Ragtime was not written JUST for the show?

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 2:11pm

JERSEY BOYS (like CONTACT), won best musical because it actually deserved to.

[me3]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 3:12pm

I DISAGREE The Wedding Singer WAS the best musical there... IT DOESNT HAVE TO WIN IT TO SAY THAT

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 3:14pm

I agree with me3!!! But im happy about the winner. It was my 2nd favorite.
The Wedding Singer was my favorite, but it wasn't a very strong season of new musicals. I'd have nominated The Woman in White too.

Updated On: 6/12/06 at 03:14 PM

[BROADWAYFAN3]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 3:18pm

TONY voting needs to be revamped big time. Road presenters have too much clout and all they care about is what will play in their house. Not the best show.

How about each group votes for their own carrying 50% of the total, ie: lighting desiners would vote for the best lighting award. 50% of the designers winner would count towards that award the other 50% would be from the current voters.

Best Actor, Actress, Play and Musical would be choosen by the public, many models to choose from here such as the All Star game, People's Choice Awards. etc

[Dirty Rotten Scoundrel]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 4:04pm

Having not seen the show, not asking in order to get a rise out of anyone, just general curiosity. Does the music in Jersey Boys enhance the plot, or are there scenes that are supposed to be a concert of sorts?

I seem to be gettig the vibe based on other posts, that it's like Walk the Line, where the music is just there. I still don't get why Walk the Line was considered a "movie musical" when the music didn't enhance the plot. *Ends rambling*.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 4:09pm

A musical revue doesn't even have a plot, but it's still a musical.

"They should divide the categories if that's the case.

best ORIGINAL musical

and

best JUKEBOX musical"

You mean like "separate but equal"?

[WickedOne2]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 4:11pm

The whole plot of Jersey Boys is how 4 blue collar kids become the Four Seasons. Its narrated through monologues breaking the 4th wall and through song. The songs are performed in clubs, the recording studio, on stage at a concert and others as reactions to events (December 1963, Fallen Angel, My Eyes Adored You) Jersey Boys is well told and makes you care about each of the characters. With the exception of Nick Massi (the "Ringo" of the group), I thought the character traits/flaws were well developed.

[LorelaiGilmore]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 4:19pm

I have a question, if for some reason all of the musicals that came out this year with original music were "In My Life" quality, and then there was Jersey Boys which is at the same quality that it is, would people still be saying these types of things?

[overthemoon419]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 4:20pm

I don't think JB was ANY kind of "Best Musical." But as much as I enjoyed WS, I don't think it was, either, and I've yet to see DC or TCP. Perhaps JB was simply the "best" of these four. From where I sit, I don't think that's saying very much.

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 4:36pm

i have not seen either Jersey Boys nor The Drwosy Cahperone, but this is just my judjement, based on clips, TV performances, etc.

I think just because the music in JB was not written for the show, this does not make it "unworthy" of the Best Musical award. Jersey Boys did something that not many other jukebox musicals have done, and that is to put the existing songs into a comprehendable and non-generic stroy. Jersey Boys used the songs of the Four Seasons to tell their story. It was one of the first recent jukebox musicals to actually have a good story.
Jersey Boys was also well-crafted, and well-performed. It did deserve its award.

I personally enjoyed Drowsy more, but I think both of these shows deserved the award.

As for the "Best Book and best Score, but not Best Musical" debate, obviously JB could not be nomianted for Best Score, and I think Drowsy won because their book, like Jersey's book, was well written, and it also allowed Bob Martin to get some credit for writing his role Man in Chair.

Just my two cents.

[musicman89]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 4:44pm

The award of Best Musical is the award for the best PRODUCTION of a musical, hence why the award is given to the producers of the show. The overall effect of the show is better than the overall effects of the others, even if the other shows have superior books, scores, or direction.

Voters make their picks holistically, that is, they look at the musicals nominated and the one that they enjoyed the most or had the most fun at, is the one they choose. This is also why THE PAJAMA GAME won Best Revival of a Musical. Business also plays a large role in it as well, but I think those bases have been covered.

[WickedOne2]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 4:51pm

I enjoyed Jersey Boys much more than the Drowsy Chaperone -- enought to see it more than once. Don't get me a wrong, I did enjoy the Drowsy Chaperone, but it didn't blow me away. I left Jersey Boys on such a high, even after the second time, that I had to immediately get the cast recording and play all of the songs. That is saying a lot for a musical that contains my parents "music."

[Ruth Sherwood]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 4:56pm

I think "Drowsy" should have taken the Tony for Best Musical because it is a true representation of the Musical Theatre. "Jersey Boys," in my opinion, is more like a concert that is performed by very good impersonators. Certainly, it was enjoyable, but no better than "Mamma Mia." "Drowsy" is a love letter to musical theatre, and it provides a reason for loving the musical theatre despite all of its flaws. "Drowsy" took home best book and best score, and logic would say that that equals best musical.

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 5:02pm

Doesn't really have anything to do with this but I didn't know where else to post it.

Found this off of JLY's Blog:

Monday, October 4, 2004

Spent the day watching the 45-minute presentations of this year's selections for the NAMT Festival, held at Dodger Stages. A standout amongst the presentations was the new show, friend Roy Miller's, THE DROWSY CHAPERONE.

Later, attended a CD launch party at the theatre district's Angus McIndoe restaurant for the a cappella group, Pieces of 8. Friends Jose "Chach" Francisco and Mandy Linden are members of the group. Their website.

[sanda]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 5:06pm

that means it is the best among all new shows this year. And it also means other shows, although have original score, are not very good. And this is a mediocre year so far.

I bet if there is another show which is as good as Jersey and also have an original score, Jersey has no chance at all.

For example, if Jersey opened last year with Piazza, Scoundrel, and Spamalot. Do you think it could win?

[popular_elphie]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 5:11pm

Jersey wouldn't have won last year because it was well known that Spamalot would've probably been the winner, because of the huge Monty Python following. If Spamalot wasn't around, Piazza probably would've won.

You can't talk about best book and best score equaling Best Musical. JB wasn't eligible for Best Score.

[sanda]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 5:16pm

Where did I say best book+best score equals best musical? I am saying Jersey , without an orginal score, even being a good show, cannot beat another good show with an original score. The reason it wins is because other shows are not good enough.

And if best book+best score doesnot equal best musical, I don't know what does.

[jv92]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 5:18pm

It won because the schmucky money making pricks from out of town want it to go on tour and be a hit.

[new_philosophy_girl]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 6:09pm

sanda...that's not always true. In 1988, Into the Woods won Best Book and Best Score, but lost Best Musical to Phantom of the Opera. So it's not always going to work out the way you think it should.