Joanna Gleason winning Tony for "Into the Woods" (video)

[StageManager2]

Posted: 1/5/15 at 5:29am

She seemed genuinely shocked. I wish the Tonys did split screens like the Oscars, so we could see the other nominee's reactions when the winner is called. Particularly, Patti LuPone. In her 2010 memoir, she stated that she expected to win, because everyone was telling her so, especially after she won Drama Desk, and was so disappointed when she lost. So for those who remember, was Gleason really an upset?

Updated On: 1/5/15 at 05:29 AM

[Bucky Builder]

Posted: 1/5/15 at 6:43am

Lupone was "devastated" each time she didn't win. I think it's interesting how some (younger?) posters on the ITW thread were going on about how they thought Streep was better than Bernadette or Blunt was better than Joanna and blah blah. But I seriously doubt any of them saw the original show live.

[imeldasturn]

Posted: 1/5/15 at 6:45am

They probably gave the tony to Joanna because they knew Bernadette and Patti couldn't stay on the same stage...

No, really, Joanna was outstanding in Into the Woods (and totally deserved the Tony), but all the expectations were on Patti that year.

Updated On: 1/5/15 at 06:45 AM

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 1/5/15 at 7:05am

Kind of like some of the more recent surprise winners like Idina Menzel (Wicked) and LaChanze (The Color Purple).

[StageManager2]

Posted: 1/5/15 at 7:16am

Lupone was "devastated" each time she didn't win.

Why the quotation marks?

They probably gave the tony to Joanna because they knew Bernadette and Patti couldn't stay on the same stage...

Is there a LuPone-Peters rivalry?

[Jay94]

Posted: 1/5/15 at 8:23am

May have been more of a vote against Lupone than a vote for Gleason? Sort of like The Academy's anti-Streisand slant.

[D2]

Posted: 1/5/15 at 8:40am

Or it may have been that Gleason deserved the win?

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 1/5/15 at 8:57am

Or maybe due to the fact that Phantom was dominating that year, Tony Voters at the time probably wanted to find ways to acknowledge Into the Woods.

[sing_dance_love]

Posted: 1/5/15 at 10:30am

What a wonderful and genuine speech.

[J_Jammer]

Posted: 1/5/15 at 10:40am

"But I seriously doubt any of them saw the original show live."

Oh, hold up...you can't handle people disagreeing with you? Wait while I gather my shock.

[J_Jammer]

Posted: 1/5/15 at 10:48am

Good thing she said Cinderella before she said slipper, otherwise I would have thought she was about to go and have a child...

Great speech. When she sings Moments after her romp with the Prince, it's one of my favorite moments. It's a combination of her putting herself back together and her realizing what just happened and then what needs to happen...which makes her putting her hair back as it was more memorable. I can't recall everything she did during that song, but that's the part I recall the most and when I see other productions I expect the same thing. I like that few seconds. A lot.

Updated On: 1/5/15 at 10:48 AM

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 1/5/15 at 11:20am

lol. A lot.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 1/5/15 at 11:31am

It was a surprise (for many of us a highly welcome and delightful one). But it wasn't so completely unexpected a surprise as to render it an "upset."