Most forgotten Best Musical Winner?- Page 2

[Gothampc]

Posted: 5/20/09 at 12:27am

"CONTACT was not a Musical."

Call it whatever you want to call it, it still won the Best Musical Tony Award.

[blaxx]

Posted: 5/20/09 at 12:45am

I don't see Jerome Robbin's Broadway and Fosse around much either.

Updated On: 5/20/09 at 12:45 AM

[BroadwayBound062]

Posted: 5/20/09 at 12:54am

Redhead for sure...

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 5/20/09 at 1:37pm

JEROME ROBBINS' BROADWAY was more of a special event. It was done so that all his major numbers could eventually be taped but when teh show closed with such staggering losses, the proposed taping was scrapped. I don't think the rights to it are available even if one wanted to mount a production. The same may be true of FOSSE, since the point of these shows is to re-create the works of those choreographers. CONTACT may be a similar situation since it was all about Stroman. Putting it in the running for Best Musical was a mistake but at the time there was not a Best Special event category. And, frankly, that season teh choice of new musicals was slim.

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 5/20/09 at 3:56pm

Hallelujah, Baby had a fairly decent score and both Uggams and Lillian Hayman were fine. The book was problematic, to say the least, although the show was considered some kind of breakthrough at the time. Because of the subsequent shifts in political, sexual and social attitudes, the show doesn't have anything all that groundbreaknig to say now. But I've enjoyed the album for years. It was up against an AWFUL array of competitors that year in the Tony race and I believe it was the only musical that won the Tony long after it had closed.

[Josh Freilich]

Posted: 5/20/09 at 4:14pm

I'd say it's either REDHEAD or THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 5/20/09 at 4:15pm

What the hell is Redhead? I guess it wins for me.

[Renart]

Posted: 5/21/09 at 1:53pm

Nominees for Most Forgotten Best Musical Winner:
Redhead
Fiorello!
Hallelujah, Baby!
Two Gentlemen of Verona
Raisin

Winner: Redhead. Considering its stars (Gwen Verdon, Richard Kiley) and director/choreographer (Bob Fosse) it is really strange that this is forgotten but anyone who has heard the cast album would have to agree. There's no "there" there.

Of course it's competition for Best Musical included the winner for Most Forgotten NOMINEE for Best Musical: La Plume de Ma Tante.

Two Gentlemen of Verona would be my second pick. I just don't find it very musical. (It doesn't take much effort to rhyme "love" with "love".) Fiorello, Hallelujah Baby and Raisin at least have a few nice songs.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 5/22/09 at 1:14am

FIORELLO - which tied with SOUND OF MUSIC - is hardly forgotten. It is still done in regional and community theatres. The cast album is still in print. And the show won the Pulitzer Prize - only the 3rd musical to do so.

[wickedfan]

Posted: 5/22/09 at 1:18am

It was also performed at City Center Encores.

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 5/22/09 at 1:39am

I think TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA tends to be overshadowed by the other shows from that season (Follies, Grease, Jesus Christ Superstar) that are far more well known shows.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 5/22/09 at 3:20am

What about nominated Best Musicals? I'd put Quilters on that list. I've only seen a regional production advertised once in my entire life and thought nothing of it at the time. Now I wish I'd gone.

[TBD2]

Posted: 5/22/09 at 9:02am

I forget...

[madbrian]

Posted: 5/22/09 at 9:34am

First one that came to mind was Fiorello, but Redhead is probably the right choice. Will Thoroughly Modern Millie be on this list in the future?

Updated On: 5/22/09 at 09:34 AM

[jasonf]

Posted: 5/22/09 at 9:47am

I don't think Fiorello is forgotten at all. When I was in college they did a full scale mounting and it was hugely successful. There aren't many productions of it now, but the score is certainly NOT forgettable.

I would have to vote for Redhead also - I have the cast album, but I think listened to it once, said "meh" and put it away. The score for Hallelujah Baby actually isn't terrible.

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 5/22/09 at 10:02am

Millie's being done in community theaters and at high schools pretty steadily, I doubt it will be forgotten at all.

[Renart]

Posted: 5/22/09 at 1:02pm

There are two levels of "forgottenness" here.

One is the "I have never heard of that musical in my life" kind and the other is, "I have a vague knowledge of that one. It won Best Musical? Really?" One thing that most, if not all, of the really forgotten ones have in common is that they were never made into movies. That is what helps a show, even a bad one, live on in the consciousness of the public.

While some people (some humdrum people) might have heard of Fiorello, they'd probably be shocked when told that it tied The Sound of Music and beat Gypsy for Best Musical. Same with Two Gentlemen of Verona being overshadowed by the shows that it beat. Others like Hallelujah Baby, Applause and Raisin appeared in such weak years that most people haven't heard of ANY of the nominees (Coco, anyone?).

[DMsquared2]

Posted: 5/22/09 at 6:15pm

My vote definitely goes to Two Gentlemen of Verona.

[ahmelie]

Posted: 5/22/09 at 8:39pm

I think Two Gentlemen of Verona is up there. And of the more recent years I'd say Big River

[EugLoven]

Posted: 5/22/09 at 9:12pm

My vote's for VERONA

But gonna have to correct you on that one, frontrowcentre2... There have been 7 musicals to win the Pulitzer. Fiorello! stands among the likes of Rent, Sunday in the Park with George, South Pacific, Of Thee I Sing!, A Chorus Line and How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 5/22/09 at 10:20pm

I also vote for Two Gentleman of Verona.

why hasn't Encores done it yet?

[wickedfan]

Posted: 5/22/09 at 10:25pm

EugLoven-I think frontrow meant that at the time Fiorello won the Pulitzer, it was the third musical to have done so.

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 5/24/09 at 2:09pm

The reason why the Tony Awards created the "Special Theatrical Event" Award was because of the uproar Contact cause when it won Best Musical. Contact's music was all canned.

[DickonDefysGravity]

Posted: 5/24/09 at 2:41pm

Gonna have to go with Titanic.

[laura is broadway]

Posted: 5/24/09 at 3:47pm

How and why did Fiorello tie with Sound of Music? I've always wondered how they can do that and if they ever will again.