The strangest Tony win- Page 2

[magruder]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 8:59pm

So, which Smokey Joe's Cafe performer deserved the Tony over Gretha Boston, in your esteemed opinion?

[LittleFish8386]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 9:12pm

John Lithgow winning for Sweet Smell of Success
Contact winning Best Musical, when clearly it sucked
Mille beating Urinetown--sure, Millie is great and Sutton Foster deserved her Tony. But Millie is just like every other "come to new york and make it big" stories. Urinetown was different, it changed the face of Broadway.
Without it, shows like Avenue Q would never have had their chance to be on Broadway, let alone win the Tony.

I mean, how in the world can a show have the Best Book, Best Lyrics and Best Director, but not be the Best show? It doesnt make any sense.

[KMF_NYC]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 9:25pm

LF -- unfortunately that happens too often -- if memory serves me (without going to the TOny website), Passion and Falsetto's were in that league of "best musicals" that did not get the final award....

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 9:27pm

Millie over Urinetown
Fosse over Parade
Contact for Best Musical

Posted: 9/15/04 at 9:50pm

"So, which Smokey Joe's Cafe performer deserved the Tony over Gretha Boston, in your esteemed opinion?"

I have never been shy about stating and standing by my opinions, particularly in regard to theatrical experiences since it's impossible to reassess a live performance. However, I won't respond to sarcasm. You're behaving like a sullen schoolboy. I'm not even annoyed by you though. It's still amusing at this point :) but I would rather not continue debating this with you. Lest your one trick posts grow tiresome to me. Sorry but I'm not in the mood to stop smiling today. It's been too good of a day! Yes, I have an opinion on who deserved to win over Gretha Boston but there's really no need for me to voice it to *you* because I believe you're looking to prolong a disagreement. Based on the short glimpse of your personality you've exposed in this thread, I have a feeling it doesn't matter how I respond to any of your questions. You will most likely disparage anything I say because you seem to take it personally when someone has a different opinion than yours. If that's how you want to behave, so be it, but don't expect me to play along. I graduated from junior high a long time ago and have no desire to revisit certain aspects of that social setting. Although I am extremely flattered though that my opinion seems to trigger such a strong response from you. I had no idea there were strangers out there who valued my opinion so much! Thank you. It makes today even better. Updated On: 9/15/04 at 09:50 PM

[magruder]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 10:20pm

No, I'm just fascinated that in the list of great Tony injustices over the years, that anyone would list first and foremost, Gretha Boston winning over the three girls from Smokey's Joe's Cafe as one for the books. It's not that I don't think you are entitled to your opinion...I'm just puzzled how you got there and I'm trying to comprehend why.

[GovernorSlaton]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 10:32pm

Actually, KMF, Passion did end up winning Best Musical.

[KMF_NYC]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 10:43pm

thanks gov -- I should have googled....

Kuhn-- I have to agree with Magruder on this -- you put out quite a trong opnion and don;tback it up -- THAT is what the boards are about -- to have and sahre an informed and backed opinoin -- not just I think X....

[touchmeinthemorning]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 10:48pm

Why did john lithgow win for Sweet Smell?

Someone must know, cause God knows I have no idea. I saw the show, and found him incredibly forgetable (except for the affected pronunciation of his sisters name in the song "Susan")

Posted: 9/15/04 at 10:53pm

Did Gretha Boston's win anger me? No. Did it puzzle me? Yes. Nowhere did I claim it was one of the great Tony injustices of all time, as you're suggesting I did. Those are your words. Not mine. I'm not going to list out which Tony wins angered me. I have already expressed my opinion on TLK vs. Ragtime or TMM vs Urinetown or Miss Saigon vs. Will Rogers Follies once. I have no desire to revisit those debates when they pop up each month. But, yes, I did find Boston's win "strange" and I will never understand it. Big difference.

Posted: 9/15/04 at 10:59pm

"don;tback it up -- THAT is what the boards are about -- to have and sahre an informed and backed opinoin"


Do you also agree with someone taking a post to a personal level because somone doesn't agree with their opinion? Is that with this board is about? Updated On: 9/15/04 at 10:59 PM

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 11:01pm

Lion King won over Ragtime because at that point we did not have the Tony for best theatrical event...

[KMF_NYC]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 11:05pm

I guess I didn't see it as a personal shot -- Magruder was just asking you to back up your claim as to WHY she didn't deserve the Tony and who should have won it over her and why.....

Posted: 9/15/04 at 11:12pm

Bringing up age (which is ridiculous BTW. Why should the validity of someone's OWN opinion hinge on a silly birthdate anyway? ) and criticizing my faulty and selective memory is taking it to a personal level, imo. I'm off to rent a video now. Nite all. :) Updated On: 9/15/04 at 11:12 PM

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 11:15pm

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????????

Updated On: 9/15/04 at 11:15 PM

[wickedfan]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 11:17pm

In my opinion two odd wins were from 2003. When HAIRSPRAY won best actress and best actor. not saying that harvey and marissa were terrible but I thought that Antonio and Bernadette played far superior roles with just as much energy and probably more pizazz. So I thin kthat Bernadette Peters should have won for GYPSY and ANtonio Banderas should have won for NINE. my two cents. Oh yes, The Sound of Music and Fiorello over Gypsy. why?

[~FloweryFriend~]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 11:21pm

"The Will Rogers Follies winning over Once On This Island, Miss Saigon, and The Secret Garden"


Dear Lord, how did THAT happen?!
(and why is this the first time that I've read that?)

Posted: 9/15/04 at 11:23pm

With all due respect Ms. Channing, it's not your place to tell me what I do or don't find strange, just as it would be equally wrong for me to tell you that you're incorrect for thinking her win wasn't strange. Awards are always subjective. We all have the right to react to them however we like.

And you probably missed my post preceding yours where I already acknowledged that her win did not fall into Tony injustices thread. Scroll up. I've already discussed it in detail.

And for what it's worth, I wouldnt have given the Tony to any of the women from SJC either.

Updated On: 9/15/04 at 11:23 PM

[uncageg]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 11:33pm

Avenue Q over Caroline or Change.

[GovernorSlaton]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 11:40pm

That one will be remembered as being up there with the Music Man/West Side Story example, uncageg.

And at least Patty and Barbra won Academy Awards for their roles to make up for the Tony snubs.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 11:40pm

I thought you were going to go rent a video?

So, you'd have simply eliminated the category that year, since, according to you, no one in any of the shows apparently deserved the trophy? Fine -- as long as we're clear on that one, now (?????)

Remember that YOU ARE the one the started a thread about the strangest Tony wins of all time, not any of the rest of us. If you want to now backpedal and say, "oh it's really strange how this woman I don't even remember won, but, then, it's not really important" .... well, that's fine..... feel free to redefine all of the parameters of the thread (you started it after all)..... we'll all be here just waiting to respond when you figure out what the hell it was you felt the need to start a discussion about in the first place ........

[dry2olives]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 11:42pm

Here's one I always found strange. In 1985 the category of Best Actor in a Musical was eliminated, supposedly because of lack of potential nominees. Ben Vereen (Grind) would certainly have been nominated. However, of the 4 actors in the Best Supporting Actor category, 3 of them (Dan Jenkins and Ron Richardson for Big River and Kurt Knudsen for Take Me Along) were playing leading roles in their shows. They could have easily filled the Best Actor category.

[KMF_NYC]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 11:46pm

thank you Margo -- you beat me to it....and said it 10 times better!

[Up In Won]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 11:49pm

" In my opinion two odd wins were from 2003. When HAIRSPRAY won best actress and best actor. not saying that harvey and marissa were terrible but I thought that Antonio and Bernadette played far superior roles with just as much energy and probably more pizazz. So I thin kthat Bernadette Peters should have won for GYPSY and ANtonio Banderas should have won for NINE. my two cents. Oh yes, The Sound of Music and Fiorello over Gypsy. why?"

Okay! Out of Gypsy, Hairspray and Nine, can you tell which ONE of those THREE is the only one of the three remaining on Broadway? Coincidence it won everything? I think NOT!

Also, to those going on about the Avenue Q over Wicked win: If you took a poll of a hundred peple coming o ut of Wicked, and a poll of a hundred people coming out of Avenue Q, I'm sure you'll find a higher percent loved Avenue Q. That isn't to say Wicked isn't great, I love the show, but it isn't for everyone.

[~FloweryFriend~]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 11:55pm

Up In Won, that is a very weak AQ/W argument.
I'd rethink it if I were you.