Tony for best score that didn't deserve it

[ji813]

Posted: 11/30/15 at 11:41am

Pretty simple idea - what show that won best score didn't deserve it in your opinion and who should've won?

[Hamilton22]

Posted: 11/30/15 at 11:45am

First that comes to mind was Kinky Boots winning over Matilda. That beautiful song "When I grow up" actually got beat by "Everybody say yeah X's 50". Just gross.

[ljay889]

Posted: 11/30/15 at 11:45am

In a different and stronger season, we would have laughed at the possibility of MEMPHIS winning best score.  

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 11/30/15 at 11:54am

Aida

[LarryD2]

Posted: 11/30/15 at 11:57am

MEMPHIS definitely benefited from an exceptionally weak year -- two of the four nominated scores were from plays, and the only other nominated musical was universally panned. In the same vein, I've always been bothered by SUNSET BLVD "winning" Best Score when there were no other eligible nominees that year. There should have been no award.

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 11/30/15 at 11:59am

What about when The Who's Tommy tied with Kiss of the Spider Woman? How much of the Tommy score was actually written for the stage?

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 11/30/15 at 12:07pm

I would also like to mention that State Fair (a collection of old Rodgers & Hammerstein songs) was nominated for Best Original Score.

[hork]

Posted: 11/30/15 at 12:07pm

Kiss of the Spider-Woman (the most boring thing I've ever heard in my life)

 

Next to Normal (I tried to like it but it gets worse the more I hear it)

[Kad]

Posted: 11/30/15 at 12:08pm

I don't think we can fairly assess the wins of State Fair or Tommy now that the Tonys have revised their qualifications for Best Score.

[broadwaysfguy]

Posted: 11/30/15 at 12:12pm

i think most tony nominated or winning scores deserve to be there, and this is an area the Tony voters do a good job on.

I let my itunes listens guide me

I listen to Merrily We Roll Along songs all the time, and seldom listen to Nine

I also listen to dirty rotten scoundrels songs way more than light in the piazza

 

I think tony got it right with Kinky Boots over matilda so respectfully agree to disagree and premise of holding up everybody says yeah as kinkys strongest song is faulty.

The really strong songs in kinky boots include:

not my fathers son, step one, soul of a man, hold me in your heart, the history of wrong guys, the sex is in the heel, what a woman wants, raise you up, take what you got. 

The really strong songs in matilda:

Naughty, when i grow up, revolting children, miracle

kinky boots obc has over 200 amazon reviews vs 80 for matilda...and im sure a comparable ratio of sales. On itunes, 10 kinky boots songs have high popularity of listens and downloads vs 4 for matilda. popular opinion, clicks and dollars spent are clearly voting for kinky boots as the more popular score....

 

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 11/30/15 at 12:19pm

^Not to mention that I do sometimes like to see a split between book and score.

[Kad]

Posted: 11/30/15 at 12:21pm

"kinky boots obc has over 200 amazon reviews vs 80 for matilda...and im sure a comparable ratio of sales. On itunes, 10 kinky boots songs have high popularity of listens and downloads vs 4 for matilda. popular opinion, clicks and dollars spent are clearly voting for kinky boots as the more popular score...."

Kinky Boots is also written by Cyndi Lauper and won the Tony. How many views it has is not indicative of its quality, just its popularity.

[After Eight]

Posted: 11/30/15 at 12:25pm

This past season's winner; Company; Follies;  A Little Night Music; Sweeney Todd; Into the Woods; Passion; A Chorus Line; Spring Awakening; Light in the Piazza; Parade; Bridges of Madison County

And this year's pre-ordained winner.

Updated On: 11/30/15 at 12:25 PM

[Kad]

Posted: 11/30/15 at 12:27pm

At least the winner for Smuggest Bore is always rightfully won.

[gypsy101]

Posted: 11/30/15 at 12:42pm

lol After Eight listed every Sondheim win but Night Music, at least we can say we now know that's his favorite Sondheim score.

 

One that I believe didn't deserve the win is Spring Awakening. It had a sweep (of 8 wins) and I love the show, but the score of Grey Gardens is so much better and deserved the win. That year was a very strong year, in my opinion. Curtains and Legally Blonde also both have terrific scores.

 

Another that I think was a victim of the Best Musical sweeping many awards is A Chorus Line winning Best Score over Chicago. No offense to Marvin Hamlisch (who wrote a lovely score) but the score for Chicago is fantastic. Once on This Island is a better score than Will Rogers' Follies.  I prefer both The Rink and Sunday in the Park with George to the score of La Cage aux Folles.

 

And one that is a travesty that it didn't win (and wasn't even nominated) was She Loves Me. The musical categories were obviously dominated by Hello Dolly! but She Loves Me is one of the finest score of the 20th century.

Updated On: 11/30/15 at 12:42 PM

[Sauja]

Posted: 11/30/15 at 12:44pm

I find that the winning scores that I like least (i.e. Memphis) really did come from the weakest years. So looking back, the scores that won when I think it should have gone elsewhere seem to come in particularly strong years. I love Avenue Q, but for me Caroline, or Change is one of the best of the past 25 years. I really, really love The Book of Mormon and agree with the wins for Musical and Book but think The Scottsboro Boys had the more perfect score. Back in '91, I think Once on this Island should have bested The Will Rogers Follies, but in other years, I also would have happily seen that year's other nominees (Miss Saigon and The Secret Garden) win it. And further yet, I think Nine is a beautiful score but Merrily or Dreamgirls would have had my vote. 

 

I do think Kinky Boots winning over Matilda is one of the few times that I believe the winner was just flat out wrong. But Kinky Boots left me cold, and I was over the moon for Matilda, and while all of this comes down to personal taste, this feels like an instance where I'm particularly just more partial to one style than the other.

[gypsy101]

Posted: 11/30/15 at 12:51pm

That weak year thing is true. no offense, but Woman of the Year??? Glad Kander & Ebb got another Tony but that score isn't a Best Score to me; its competitors were Copperfield, Charlie & Algernon and Shakespeare's Cabaret...what the heck is that last show even? it doesn't even have a wikipedia page.

[broadwaysfguy]

Posted: 11/30/15 at 1:06pm

jeffrey-what score from 2000 would you give the win to over Aida, Wild Party? personally love the aida score...

Kad-more popular often, though not always, is also better. I cant fall in love with matilda, no matter how hard i try, and the Kinky score connects for me...I know this board has a big split on these two shows, so agree to disagree.....

gypsy101-Agree She Loves Me should have won and so excited about the revival!!!

love the posts...lots of passion when it comes to the score........

[broadwaysfguy]

Posted: 11/30/15 at 1:06pm

jeffrey-what score from 2000 would you give the win to over Aida, Wild Party? personally love the aida score...

Kad-more popular often, though not always, is also better. I cant fall in love with matilda, no matter how hard i try, and the Kinky score connects for me...I know this board has a big split on these two shows, so agree to disagree.....

gypsy101-Agree She Loves Me should have won and so excited about the revival!!!

love the posts...lots of passion when it comes to the score........

this is going to be an active thread

[broadwaysfguy]

Posted: 11/30/15 at 1:06pm

jeffrey-what score from 2000 would you give the win to over Aida, Wild Party? personally love the aida score...

Kad-more popular often, though not always, is also better. I cant fall in love with matilda, no matter how hard i try, and the Kinky score connects for me...I know this board has a big split on these two shows, so agree to disagree.....

gypsy101-Agree She Loves Me should have won and so excited about the revival!!!

love the posts...lots of passion when it comes to the score........

this is going to be an active thread

[broadwaysfguy]

Posted: 11/30/15 at 1:06pm

jeffrey-what score from 2000 would you give the win to over Aida, Wild Party? personally love the aida score...

Kad-more popular often, though not always, is also better. I cant fall in love with matilda, no matter how hard i try, and the Kinky score connects for me...I know this board has a big split on these two shows, so agree to disagree.....

gypsy101-Agree She Loves Me should have won and so excited about the revival!!!

love the posts...lots of passion when it comes to the score........

this is going to be an active thread

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 11/30/15 at 1:10pm

Totally agree re Chicago should have beat Chorus 

 

 

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 11/30/15 at 1:17pm

These are the following scores I would have voted for if I was a Tony voter:

1988:
Winner: Into the Woods
My Vote: The Phantom of the Opera

1991:
Winner: The Will Rogers Follies
My Vote: Miss Saigon

2004:
Winner: Avenue Q
My Vote: Wicked

2015:
Winner: Fun Home
My Vote: Something Rotten!

 

Not that I didn't like the scores that did win, this is just how I would have voted.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 11/30/15 at 1:21pm

Agree with #1 & #4

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 11/30/15 at 1:27pm

Has Roxy  ever liked a show with major gay content?  It is a puzzlement. 

Updated On: 11/30/15 at 01:27 PM