Tony award for choreography 2007

[JohnyBroadway]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 1:22am

I always wonder how spring awakening won the award for that category over Legally blonde or Mary Poppins. Both shows had far better, stronger dance sequences (legally blonde had Jerry mitchell's fun catchy steps, while Mary Poppins had a stunning tap break. Spring awakening was jumping and down. I don't get it. Was it just a stack up year for Spring awakening?



Updated On: 5/29/12 at 01:22 AM

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 1:50am

But it's not really just jumping up and down. It was super organized chaos that melded together perfectly. It was inner emotions that couldn't be expressed through word or song, so it traveled slowly through their bodies and would eventually erupt into explosive movements. I would have given it the Tony. I mean, "Bitch of Living" is pretty amazing. For that alone did it deserve the award. Bill T. Jones's work created a vocabulary of movements to tell the story through choreography in addition to the classic text and rock music. That's why Spring Awakening won the Tony Award.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 1:51am

This is probably what is gonna happen with Newsies this year -Sadly, I don't think any show stands a chance against the gymnastics/spectacle choreography of Newsies. Evita's choreography is stunning, and definitely worthy of a win IMO. Either that or Nice Work.
Anyways, I digress, I actually think Spring Awakening rightfully won that year. Definitely not traditional choreography, but that's what I liked about it.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 5:40am

I don't see the comparison at all with Newsies -- the choreography while impressive on its own, does nothing to enhance the story OR the characters.


If you judge the choreography as a stand out component, separate from piece, SA should NOT have won -- but I think it should be judged WITHIN the piece, not as a separate entity.

If they give it to Newsies, and I think they very well might, it will be judged strictly on its athleticism and stunts and nothing to do with its artistry.

[After Eight]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 7:38am

"Was it just a stack up year for Spring awakening? "

Exactly.

[ClumsyDude15]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 7:56am

I personally loved Spring Awakening and saw it many times, but I still think the award should have gone to Mary Poppins or Legally Blonde. However, HeyMrMusic's reply to this is such a great argument for why it did deserve the Tony.

Updated On: 5/29/12 at 07:56 AM

[After Eight]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 8:01am

^

It deserved nothing.

Another joke, like Once's soon-to-occur Tony wins this year.

Except, neither joke is funny.

[Patash]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 8:15am

I went to Spring Awakening having heard it was amazing and "unlike anything you've ever seen before". I spent most of the evening thinking of Rent -- young people jumping up and down and screaming lyrics you can't understand into microphones -- so over amplified that everything just ends up being noise. And the story -- how cutting edge! -- a young couple want to have sex and their parents disapprove! Wow. Talk about a new idea!!!

[After Eight]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 8:18am

^

Unfortunately, I understood many of the lyrics.

I wish I hadn't.

[mamaleh]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 9:13am

Agree with After Eight. I was fortunate enough to attend the '07 Tonys. The moment SA won for choreography, the person next to me and I involuntarily simultaneously sputtered an incredulous "What?!"

Also agree about ONCE. Charming in concept but overall a great big repetitive blah.

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 9:36am

I always thought the choreography for Spring Awakening was something that worked in context but wasn't worthy of that award...I thought Mary Poppins should have won.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 9:49am

All awards categories should be judged within the contexts of the respective shows. This is one instance in Tony history that you can tell they were paying attention to the show and not just handing the award to the flashiest nominee. I commend the voters for that.

[After Eight]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 9:54am

"This is one instance in Tony history that you can tell they were paying attention to the show and not just handing the award to the flashiest nominee."

This should be placed in the joke of the day thread on the off-topic board. Then others could enjoy the the same guffaw that I did.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 10:04am

Please tell me in which way Spring Awakening was the flashiest nominee. Technically none of the movements are difficult to perform.

[ClumsyDude15]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 10:11am

I'd also like to know how in comparison to a jump rope number and the magic of Step-in-Time that Spring Awakening was considered the "flashiest" of the nominees.

[bdn223]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 10:13am

HEYMRMUSIC I am a huge Spring Awakening fan, but you could also argue that its win for Best Choreography is not that it was the best, but it was the sweep mantra. On another note of Spring Awakening's choreography, it is one of the few shows in history to have a "signature" dance even if it is just touching yourself....

[After Eight]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 10:13am

The SHOW was the flashiest nominee. It had "the vibes," it was the trendy, hip, little-engine-that-could, "artsy" thing of the moment, beloved of the critics and the look-how-cool-I-am-for-liking-this-thing crowd. We have another of these things this year.

[ClumsyDude15]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 10:17am

That makes sense, but to be fair - your original post made it sound like you were inferring that Spring Awakening had the flashiest choreography, but I misunderstood.

However, how can you say that Spring Awakening was flashier than the big pink juggernaut Legally Blonde and the Disney spectacle of Mary Poppins? If anything, I'd say Spring Awakening was pretty low maintenance - sure it had all of the things you mention, but overall - you can't say it was flashier in comparison to it's far more overly produced and hyped competition. In that case - would In The Heights be "flashier" than Xanadu?

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 10:25am

I remember the episode of Theater Talk when they discussed and predicted the Tonys that year. Across the board, Michael Riedel et al. were throwing around strong conditionals like "If Spring Awakening doesn't win for choreography..." In their mind, it was the only option.

[After Eight]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 10:28am

ClumsyDude,

I explained what I meant by flashier. It has nothing to do with production values, but with "buzz."

And as far as hype is concerned, with respect to the media, that was the show that was hyped to the max, just like Once this year.

So this whole "little engine that could" business is in reality all a sham, because things like Rent, Spring Awakening and Once are in fact the juggernauts.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 10:30am

Okay, I guess my memory exaggerates things, but they discuss the choreography around the 23:00 mark.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uOI5xUc4TU

[JohnyBroadway]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 10:32am

I just found Poppins choreography to be quite innovative, Magical and a strong addition to the story telling that worked seamlessly through out the show not overblown. With legally blonde the choreography was just a great example of a splashy hard working dancing musical, that was fun and put a smile on your face. So I was quite surprised sitting in front of the TV when SA won. I thought both shows were snubbed that season
Updated On: 5/29/12 at 10:32 AM

[bdn223]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 10:38am

Once has never been the underdog, its producers are ruthless, which is sad when you think how horribly Disney has treated NEWSIES,only when they saw their grosses did they slowly start to accept it as a success. Its funny to think that but Newsies is truly this seasons underdog/david/little engine that could. It is in no way a miracle that Once made it to Broadway, that was its producers/writers goal, unlike other off Broadway transfers such as RENT, SPRING AWAKENIng, and NEXT TO NORMAL where it was their reviews that got producers to give these shows a chance. Once's producers didn't give a crap about the reviews. After all they announced the transfer before it technically opened and any reviews came in. Newsies is truly the show this season that was a miracle it even made it to Broadway, the Neaderlanders had to be Disney to get it to Broadway.

Updated On: 5/29/12 at 10:38 AM

[Kad]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 11:00am

Disney has treated Newsies "horribly"?

If you think, even for one second, that they never intended to transfer, or contemplated a transfer, to Broadway from Papermill initially, you are deluded.

Disney has been CAUTIOUS with Newsies, sure. Why? Oh, probably just because they were burned in a monumental way with both Tarzan and Little Mermaid and didn't want to risk another costly and public failure. So instead of shouting from the rooftops about Newsies, they played it safer for once. It managed to pay off.

But treat it "horribly"? Come on.

Newsies can never be described as the "underdog" here. Not with Disney backing it. It will be able to have a lengthy run regardless of its award pedigree.

[bdn223]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 11:08am

Ok maybe not horribly i will concede. By horribly I meant Disney did not have faith in NEWSIES. Newseis is the underdog though. Being an underdog does not have to do with its producers, but the shows journey to the great white way. Technically this seasons underdog would by LJ, but come awards season its Newsies. Its ironic that the plot if Newsies is a underdog story, but if you disagree that Newsies is the underdog, you have to at least consede it is the little engine that could.