People Who Won Tonys for the Wrong Projects — Page 2

So you’re saying Idina is someone else who won a Tony for the wrong role. 😜

''Oh, also Andrew Lloyd Webber shoulda won Best Score for 'Jesus Christ Superstar' instead of freaking 'Cats' ''

It should be remembered what else was in competition. Not all Broadway seasons are created equal. Some are more competitive. Some are skimpy. So if Lloyd Webber and Rice won Best Score for ''Jesus Christ Superstar,'' that means Stephen Sondheim would've lost for ''Follies.'' And I'm no fan of ''Cats,'' but which other score should've won that season: ''A Doll's Life,'' ''Merlin'' or ''Seven Brides for Seven Brothers''? My favorite score that season would've been ''My One and Only,'' but alas, the Gershwins were not eligible.

As for Aaron Tveit, he should've won for ''Next to Normal'' AND he deserved to win for ''Moulin Rouge!'' If COVID-19 didn't ruin what would've been the 2020 Tonys, Tveit's competition would've included Isaac Powell in ''West Side Story'' and Rob McClure in ''Mrs. Doubtfire,'' and I believe Tveit still would've won. Whatever you think of his acting (and I think he's terrific), Christian is a role that demands a vocal tour de force, and Tveit delivered. How he sang that show 8 times a week and seldom missed is amazing, and he's still the yardstick by which all Christians are measured.

Updated On: 12/12/23 at 12:42 PM

I would've loved to have seen Bernadette Peters win for ''Sunday in the Park With George,'' but there was no way she was going to beat Chita Rivera in ''The Rink.'' That was Chita's 5th Tony nomination and she was overdue to win. Actually, it should've been Chita's 6th Tony nomination. Believe it or not, she was never even nominated for her iconic performance in ''West Side Story.'' Anyway, Bernadette's loss in 1984 probably helped pave the way for her win 2 years later for ''Song and Dance,'' in which she beat out Chita in ''Jerry's Girls.'' (And let's not forget that Bernadette didn't get a Tony nod for ''Into the Woods.'' )

Updated On: 12/12/23 at 03:17 PM

Oh my lord Chita Rivera

One of the best performers on this Earth

How The Rink was her first win is baffling

She at least deserved the Awards for Bye Bye Birdie and West Side Story

Like obviously I wasn't alive back then but we all know she was legendary

BeingAlive44Ever said: "Oh my lord Chita Rivera

One of the best performers on this Earth

How The Rink was her first win is baffling

She at least deserved the Awards for Bye Bye Birdie and West Side Story

Like obviously I wasn't alive back then but we all know she was legendary"


I’m guessing you weren’t alive to see THE RINK either? Her performance was legendary and certainly worthy of the Tony!

Most of the obvious answers have already been said.

Kelli O’Hara should’ve won for BRIDGES. Danny Burstein should’ve won for FOLLIES or DROWSY.

Some others I’d throw in - Annaleigh Ashford should’ve won for KINKY BOOTS. Not an actor, but I’d give Michael Arden the win for SPRING AWAKENING or ONCE ON THIS ISLAND over PARADE.

The great Michael Blakemore (RIP) not winning for City of Angels remains an absolute travesty. I can't say he shouldn't have won for Kiss Me Kate or Copenhagen either, but if you had to pick one show of the three to reward him, it should have been Angels.

And speaking of directors, I'm probably in the minority here, but I much prefer Bartlett Sher's work on plays than musicals. Yes, his work on South Pacific was large and sweeping and epic, but I actually thought his work on Awake and Sing, Golden Boy and Oslo were all superior and he should have won for one of those instead.

Musicaldudepeter said: "Arthur Laurents should've won for directing Gypsy in 2008."

Arthur Laurents was a brilliant, brilliant man

I mean he was also horrible

But exceptionally skilled at everything he did

I can't say if I think he deserved a win for Gypsy more than his other wins, though

I mean there's some other much more aggregious losses, like Gypsy not winning Best Book

Wayman_Wong said: "''I mean there's some other much more aggregious losses, like Gypsy not winning Best Book ''

Alas, ''Gypsy'' falls into those early years of the Tony Awards, when they didn't have a regular category for Best Book. As it was at the 1960 Tonys, ''Fiorello!'' and ''The Music Man'' TIED for Best Musical, beating ''Gypsy''(plus''Once Upon a Mattress'' and ''Take Me Along'' ). Wow, what a season!"

I adore Music Man but like how in the world did it beat Gypsy for Best Musical

They both are enduring classics but Music Man feels dated in some aspects

Gypsy feels classic but I think it's aged incredibly well

I think it goes to show that Tony Awards don't always reflect the show that winds up having the biggest impact

I mean look at Wicked

Avenue Q beat it for Best Musical, Book, and Score

I mean honestly I like both a lot and could see a case for either

But I don't think either show deserved all three

That being said, I'm satisfied with Avenue Q getting all the Tonys and having a long running Off Broadway transfer and Wicked getting a few for the creative aspects and acting and then running over twenty years

I think sometimes Tony Awards are like getting roles in high school

Shows or people need a career boost or a status boost so they get awards

Like we all know Sunday and Into the Woods are unbelievable shows and most people agree the shows that beat them at the Tonys are inferior or at least less sophisticated shows

And I love La Cage

But like

Sunday was going to survive no matter what

I think La Cage secured Harvey Fierstein's career, honored Jerry Herman in a way he hadn't really been in a long time, and secured a huge win for the gay "community"

The more I think about, the more I realize that winning the Tony isn't really what matters for a show

I mean I bet Waitress has more than made back its initial investments

But I'm pretty sure it won literally nothing

Meanwhile look at literally every Sondheim show

Eight Tonys for Best Score (or maybe it's seven plus a Lifetime Achievement Award) and I believe five for Best Musical (Forum, Sweeney, Passion, Night Music, and Follies)

But none of them have ever run over a thousand

Even some actors

I mean how many people on here remember BD Wong, Michael Rupert, and Roger Bart, all Tony Award Winning actors, compared to Andrew Rannells, Jordan Fischer, and Jeremy Jordan?

Especially with the internet now, it's easily possible for shows to be very successful commercially and have a place in theatre history without even being nominated for any Tonys

Be More Chill, which I don't like, ran for like eight months and was literally only nominated for Best Score, which it handily lost to Hadestown, but for a show like Be More Chill to get to Broadway and actually run long enough that it could conceivably make back its investments (considering the relatively low budget)

I mean that is just absolutely remarkable and only happens because of the internet and forums like this

LuckyDipster said: "BeingAlive44Ever said: "I mean how many people on here remember BD Wong, Michael Rupert, and Roger Bart, all Tony Award Winning actors, compared to Andrew Rannells, Jordan Fischer, and Jeremy Jordan?"

As someone who paid almost no attention to Broadway before this year, I'd like to answer this from my perspective. Of those names listed, the one who feels most famous to me isBD Wong.I knew him from Law & Order: SVU and Jurassic Park. Pre seeing him in BTTF, I recognised Roger Bart from Hostel; Part II, but didn't remember his name. Andrew Rannells I had seen in the NetflixBoys In The Band,but he was another one I couldn't put a name to until a few months ago. Michael Rupert, Jordan Fischer and Jeremy Jordan could all walk past me in the street and I would never know.

"

I'm glad to know BD Wong is still known even by the newer generation

That actually makes me very hopeful

Maybe Tony Awards actually do mean something then

I'd need to ask other people also though I guess

BeingAlive44Ever said: "I'm glad to know BD Wong is still known even by the newer generation"

Mr. Robot. SVU. Mulan. Jurassic Park. BD is a legend to generations ;-)