All Magruder is pointing out that, looking back over the Tonys' 57 year history there have been many snubs and mistakes far more outrageous than Boston -- who reinvented the role of Queenie in such a way that for the first time since it premiered in 1927, it didn't come across as yet another Mammy stereotype -- winning over three talented, but non-acting singers in a revue. There's nothing whatsoever "strange" about a great singer/actress giving a stunning, groundbreaking performance in a landmark musical getting a Tony over three Star Search-esque vocalists who had no acting demands of any kind. You want strange or controversial (or at least a list of great performers and shows who lost)? How about
-- Elaine Stritch never winning a Tony, despite being nominated for Bus Stop, Sail Away and A Delicate Balance
-- Jason Robards losing seven of eight times, including for all of his legendary O'Neill work (Long Day's Journey, Hughie, Moon For the Misbegotten, A Touch of the Poet et al)
-- Rosalind Russell losing for Auntie Mame
-- Julie Andrews losing for My Fair Lady
-- West Side Story losing to Music Man
-- Sidney Poitier losing for A Raisin In The Sun (and the play losing as well)
-- Ethel Merman in Gypsy losing to Mary Martin in Sound of Music (and Gypsy losing to Sound of Music and Fiorello)
-- Young Patty Duke not even getting nominated for her performance as Helen Keller in "The Miracle Worker"
-- Richard Burton's Hamlet losing
-- Streisand's Funny Girl (and I Can Get It For You Wholesale) losing
-- Gwen Verdon losing for Sweet Charity and Chicago (and the original production of Chicago being shutout for any Tonys)
-- Chita Rivera losing for Chicago and 4 other times before getting her first Tony for The Rink
-- Follies losing to Two Gentlemen of Verona for Best Musical
-- Dreamgirls losing to Nine for Best Musical
-- Sunday In The Park losing to La Cage for Best Musical (and Patinkin and Peters losing)
- I'm Not Rappaport beating House of Blue Leaves, Benefactors and Blood Knot for Best Play (talk about STRANGE)
-- The Will Rogers Follies winning over Once On This Island, Miss Saigon, and The Secret Garden
-- Lost in Yonkers winning over Six Degrees of Separation
-- Crazy For You being named Best Musical over Falsettos and Jelly's Last Jam
-- The Lion King over Ragtime
-- Thoroughly Modern Millie over Urinetown
Any of those would justify you being upset enough to start an entire thread about it. But Gretha Boston????????
"What a story........ everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." -- Birdie
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"The Devil Be Hittin' Me" -- Whitney
Updated On: 9/15/04 at 11:15 PM