Let me give you all my thoughts on some of these 'controversial' Best Musical winners:
*The Phantom of the Opera-It being one of my all time favorite shows, I absolutely think it deserved to win. Into the Woods is a show I personally admire more than I actually like it. Not that I have problems with it, it's personally just not one of my favorites.
*The Lion King-A show I know a number of you just love to hate on, but please keep in mind that this was considered to be a huge artistic undertaking for Disney as they were just coming off of Beauty & the Beast, a hit that was criticized for being way too overproduced. Yet, (almost) everyone in the industry felt that every bit of hard work on The Lion King had paid off.
*Thoroughly Modern Millie-An old fashioned musical comedy which also happened to have been a love letter to New York City in the wake of 9/11?
*Avenue Q-There was that story about how the producers tried to gain some support from the road voters by announcing a national tour, but after winning it was revealed that they only made an exclusive deal with Las Vegas, which irritated a lot of voters. As much as I am a bigger fan of Wicked (another show I know a number of you love to hate on), I actually think Avenue Q did deserve to win for its relevance and originality.
*Billy Elliot-In the race between this and Next to Normal, Billy Elliot was so much more of a juggernaut. As someone who has seen both shows, I'm much more in favor of Billy Elliot as it is another one of my all time favorite shows.
*Kinky Boots-There was that story about how the Royal Shakespeare Company apparently pissed off a lot of theatre producers who literally went after Matilda with their best possible offers as an effort of bringing it to Broadway. But with that being said, I actually think Kinky Boots deserved to win for its heart and relevance.
*A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder-I haven't seen it (yet), but I do think it looks so overhyped. Of course, it opened in a very mild Broadway season (some shows were more well received than others).
The most glaring year was the year (2011 I believe) Book of Mormon won MANY awards it did not deserve because Scottsboro Boys was closed:
Score: Should've gone to Scottsboro
Direction: should've gone to Stroman for Scottsboro
Featured Actress: should've gone to Benanti for Women on the Verge instead of that awful BOM girl
Lighting: Should've gone to Scottsboro (one of my favorite lighting designs of all time)
Orchestration: Scottsboro
Choreography: (went to Anything Goes), should've gone to Stroman --- this one, I think people forgot how much dance there was in Scottsboro and how beautifully it was woven into the rest of the staging. That Electric Chair tap dance will never leave my memory. And that final soft show with the shadow of Rosa Parks the height of the stage.
I actually do understand Avenue Q's victory in Best Musical, but I'm still perplexed how it took Score away from Wicked.
I also think Sunday's dearth of original production Tonys (and the 2008 revival, for that matter) is a sad matter of circumstance. What a brilliant and under-awarded piece of theatre.
Matilda should have won most definitely. It has a smart yet lovable feel towards it. It's thought provoking which a show should do. And the set, music, costumes, lighting, dance and actors blended so well which made it the best overall production. Also Lauren ward and Bertie deserved the awards in their respective categories. Same with the creatives.
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gypsy101 said: "As I mentioned earlier, the good music of Wicked (and it's very good) is hindered by the terrible lyrics."
Sorry, didn't read fully! I totally get that. It's pretty sad, though, since the score alone to the show is brilliant.
Corine2 said: ""ON THE TOWN""
TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT THAT. PREACH. The 2014 revival is/was pure gold, and it was simply a matter of a very clogged, very talented season on Broadway. It deserved more. Way more.
"Sorry, didn't read fully! I totally get that. It's pretty sad, though, since the score alone to the show is brilliant."
That's fine! I love Wicked but I'm sometimes embarrassed by it. The lyrics are so literal (and not in the good way) and forced. My major problem with Stephen Schwartz is the severe difference between his good lyrics and his bad ones. How the man who wrote the lyrics to Meadowlark, Just Around the Riverbend and Rags can then write stinkers like When You Believe, A Sentimental Man and Topsy Turvy is completely beyond me.
PS: I also love On the Town! That score is fantastic and the dancing is terrific and the show is funny. I don't get why people didn't love it.
"Contentment, it seems, simply happens. It appears accompanied by no bravos and no tears."
Caroline, or Change deserved everything that year. Score, Musical, and Actress. It's genius and heart-wrenching. Tonya's performance was incredible and the show is the best show created in the twenty-first century. I find it even a little better than Fun Home - and that sets a high bar!
The Wild Party should have won over the mediocre Aida and the non-musical Contact.
Bridges of Madison County deserved to at least be nominated for Best Musical (and to beat an old drum, Kelli should have won Best Actress over Jesse. They were both phenomenal, but Jesse's character is only a sketch of a person due to the atrocious book. It should have been THE JESSE MUELLER SHOW but we had some annoying blonde girl shoved in our faces for half of the show).
"Sticks and stones, sister. Here, have a Valium." - Patti LuPone, a Memoir
I really love Kinky Boots and I am reminded how euphoric I was leaving the theater. It deserved the best musical award. When I saw Matilda I did not enjoy the first act and was beginning to hate it until it was salvaged by the second Act which was beautiful and moving but still not enough for me to be convinced that it should have won the top award. But... I have to agree that it should have won best choreography. Jerry Mitchelle's work on Kinky Boots wasn't that impressive. Bertie should have won best featured actor and should have not been nominated as lead where he didn't have a chance against Billy Porter's excellent performance as Lola.
I really love Wicked and I am a big fan of it having watched it 7 times already. Avenue Q deserved that award though. It is truly an original, imaginative, and groundbreaking musical. But that's just pitting just the two musicals together since I wasn't able to watch Caroline.
I would like to say that Memphis shouldn't have won best musical because I didn't like the show that much but I wasn't able to watch American Idiot so I wouldn't know which show deserved to win (I only watched Fela and I thought that's one of the worse musical I have ever watched! Sorry Beyoncé!)
I thought The Full Monty deserved Best Musical unfortunately it went against The Producers juggernaut.
Next To Normal also deserved best musical but again Billy Elliot cannot be denied. (Maybe I just didn't like the boy who played Billy.... I didn't feel for the character at all unlike in the movie where I was moved by Bell's performance .... In the musical he was a brat from beginning to end!)
ZellMorrowsPledge said: "Matilda should've won Best Musical & Score. Wicked should've also won Best Musical and NO QUESTION Best Score. Legally Blonde was also painfully snubbed and if Jerry Mitchell had to win a Tony for best choreography it should've been for that show and not for Kinky's generic moves. Matilda's choreography is obviously much better and extremely genius but thats none of my business!
The Lion King was a masterful effort for Julie Taymour and she was properly rewarded for those...and Ragtime was properly rewarded in Book, Score, Orchestrations and for Audra McDonald....but it should have won Musical easily.
Parade should have won over Fosse.
I still stand by the fact that perhaps the hardest race to call may very well be (and someone brought it up already) was the Sunday/La Cage race...and you even had Baby in there as a very solid, underrated piece of work...though I suppose its Book brought it down.
I think I barely give my vote to Sunday, but I don't La Cage winning at all.
It was one of the most original pieces I have ever seen. What a great biography piece told in such an interesting way. Memphis was a blend of many things we've seen before. American Idiot was so contrived it upset me.
Fosse was a performance piece. Parade was a full fledged musical which should have won easily. Fosse was an easier sell to tourists and the general public than Parade was sad to say.
icecreambenjamin said: "Caroline, or Change (musical, score, book, and Actress)
Matilda (musical and score [sorry Cyndi])
Ragtime (musical)
Sunday in the park with George (everything)
Follies (everything)
Into the Woods (musical)
I agree with every single one of these. And add me to the chorus of people who thought Kinky got way more than it deserved. Actor and Sound Design I can understand, but Musical and Score far and away should have gone to Matilda. And Choreography and Orchestrations?! I feel like voters just got lazy and checked off Kinky for everything they couldn't make a strong decision on. Choreography should have gone to Matilda (or ANY of the other nominees) and Cinderella deserved Orchestrations.