Posted: 12/1/15 at 7:32pm
Kinky Boots over Matilda
Spring Awakening over Grey Gardens
Memphis over... well, I guess they had to give it to Memphis, but GOD.
Posted: 12/1/15 at 8:35pm
I personally thought Bridges deserved the Tony. I Wouldn't describe myself as a JRB fan but that score to me perfectly captured the process of falling in love in a way that I haven't heard before. And given how common that theme in musicals is, that's pretty impressive. It's what the content of a show called "Passion" should be. Ignoring the obvious clunkers of course (that rodeo song comes to mind).
Posted: 12/1/15 at 9:16pm
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.
Exactly. Everybody Say Yeah is not the strongest song in the show, it just a fun song. When weighing the strongest songs in both shows, Matilda's score just wasn't as good.
I also think Avenue Q didn't deserve it over Wicked. In fact in most any year I can think of, Avenue Q shouldn't have ever won. It's just not very good, in my opinion.
Posted: 12/1/15 at 10:05pm
1964, 1976, 1984, 1991, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2013 were years where there was at least one equally strong or stronger score I could have seen winning. But I think the more disappointing years are where the field isn't strong enough so an average score wins and you can't argue that much.
Posted: 12/2/15 at 6:03pm
As many have said, Kinky Boots should not have won over Matilda.
The Bridges of Madison County, the award should've gone to A Gentleman's Guide, even though I dont love the show. I just think that the Bridges is score is boring, except for a song or two.
As much as I love Spring Awakening, I think that Grey Gardens should have taken the award home. Some of the lyrics are plain pretentious and don't make sense, while Grey Gardens has a very subtle and beautiful score.
And I'm probably in the minority, but I think Godspell should have won the Tony instead of Annie. In the right production and with the right cast, Godspell's score can be joyful, uplifting, and moving, while I don't like the political propaganda that there is in Annie, nor do I think its score is very good.
Updated On: 12/2/15 at 06:03 PM
Posted: 12/2/15 at 6:51pm
1975...The Wiz won. Mack & Mabel wasn't even nominated.
Posted: 12/2/15 at 7:02pm
Not even nominating Mack & Mabel was the worst oversight ever committed by the nominating committee.
Posted: 12/2/15 at 9:22pm
I thought Thoroughly Modern Millie deserved score over Urinetown. I thought Millie's best aspect was it's score, while Urinetown had a good score, but not as good and the strengths of that show are in it's book.
Next to Normal really deserved it over Billy Elliot, which I can only really remember 3 songs from.
In the pathetic year of 2010, I would've given it to The Addams Family over Memphis, which is a total borefest. Likewise, judging just the songs from the stage show, I would've given it to Bonnie and Clyde over Newsies in 2012.
I think Matilda deserved to beat Kinky Boots as well.
Posted: 12/2/15 at 10:21pm
When Into The Woods won over Phantom
When Avenue Q won over Wicked's innovational original
And The American Theater Wing's work mistake of all is giving Best Score to Kinky Boots and not Matilda
Posted: 12/2/15 at 10:27pm
What made Wicked's score "innovational"?
Posted: 12/3/15 at 12:35pm
RaiseYouUp said: "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.
Exactly. Everybody Say Yeah is not the strongest song in the show, it just a fun song. When weighing the strongest songs in both shows, Matilda's score just wasn't as good.
great Raise you Up! we are in a minority on this thread and its good we dont all agree on everything or else the discussions would get old fast....
Posted: 12/3/15 at 2:55pm
I think everyone is forgetting a important aspect of the Best Score Category especially when it comes to the Kinky Boots vs Matilda debate. Best Score is not the same as Best Cast Recording, it is the best score heard while watching the production, which is one of the main reason Matilda lost. One of the running jokes of Matilda early in its run was the absolutely horrible sound design and its one of the best arguments as to why Best Sound Design is a necessary award. I remember when I saw the production there were times when I couldn't here or even understand the lyrics, and Matilda's score is not a wordy one alla Hamilton, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, or Company. How can a voter chose a score they cannot even understand? I have not seen the production since, but I know they have worked to correct this problem.
Kinky Boots on the other hand was an electric pop Top 40 score written by a music legend that is successful in its goal, and is easily understood by its audience. "Everybody Say Yeah" is not the best of songs, but then again it is a production number so it doesn't have to be.
I would say Matilda's lyrics are much wittier than Kinky Boots', but Kinky's music is slightly better. Although Matilda's lyrical prowess most certainly outweighs Kinky Boots slight musical edge, if you can't understand the lyrics in the theater like most Tony Voters couldn't how could you vote for it? Remember Best Score is not best composition on the page, but what sounds best on the stage, which in 2013 was Kinky Boots.
Posted: 12/3/15 at 3:02pm
Not sure what you guys see in Matilda's score. Kinky Boots' is much better, and clearly the voters agreed with me.
Re: 2010, Memphis pretty much won by default. If they had decided American Idiot was eligible, it should have won. For the most part, though, I think the best score winner is almost always spot on.
Posted: 12/3/15 at 3:06pm
What is it about the score of Kinky Boots that makes it much better than Matilda? I personally enjoy listening to Kinky Boots more because of the tunes, but I think Matilda is a stronger score.
Updated On: 12/3/15 at 03:06 PM
Posted: 12/3/15 at 3:53pm
I saw both Matilda and Kinky Boots on Broadway and while I respect your opinion, I disagree. Matilda, while having a great score, I believe it's not developed fully yet, while Kinky Boots has a great, developed score.
Posted: 12/3/15 at 4:04pm
"Developed?" You mean it has boobs?
Posted: 12/3/15 at 4:06pm
This entire thread is about opinions so there's really no point in arguing the merits of the Matilda score vs the Kinky Boots score. I prefer the latter and also think it is better written, but obviously some of you disagree. And that's fine.
Posted: 12/3/15 at 5:24pm
How do you determine if the Kinky Boots score is more "developed"? And why does Matilda seem otherwise?
Personally, I enjoy the dexterity and genius behind such songs as Miracle, Naughty and The School Song in Matilda, and the joyous When I Grow Up had me in goosebumps and tears, but it's Quiet that I'd consider once of the most profound, beautiful and poignant songs of the 21st century thus far. Kinky Boots has some fun songs, but none of them really resonated with me nor did they engage me emotionally either on CD or in context of the show.
Posted: 12/3/15 at 5:32pm
To beat a dead horse....
Kinky Boots over Matilda... (although I agree with sound issues... I had a hard time understanding it all)
And I would add:
Avenue Q over Wicked and Will Rogers Follies over Miss Saigon
Posted: 12/3/15 at 6:26pm
Jeffrey Karasarides said: "Aida
"
Really? I really enjoyed Aida. What was it up against that year?
Posted: 12/3/15 at 7:06pm
bdn223 said: "I think everyone is forgetting a important aspect of the Best Score Category especially when it comes to the Kinky Boots vs Matilda debate. Best Score is not the same as Best Cast Recording, it is the best score heard while watching the production, which is one of the main reason Matilda lost. One of the running jokes of Matilda early in its run was the absolutely horrible sound design and its one of the best arguments as to why Best Sound Design is a necessary award. I remember when I saw the production there were times when I couldn't here or even understand the lyrics, and Matilda's score is not a wordy one alla Hamilton, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, or Company. How can a voter chose a score they cannot even understand? I have not seen the production since, but I know they have worked to correct this problem.
Kinky Boots on the other hand was an electric pop Top 40 score written by a music legend that is successful in its goal, and is easily understood by its audience. "Everybody Say Yeah" is not the best of songs, but then again it is a production number so it doesn't have to be.
I would say Matilda's lyrics are much wittier than Kinky Boots', but Kinky's music is slightly better. Although Matilda's lyrical prowess most certainly outweighs Kinky Boots slight musical edge, if you can't understand the lyrics in the theater like most Tony Voters couldn't how could you vote for it? Remember Best Score is not best composition on the page, but what sounds best on the stage, which in 2013 was Kinky Boots."
I've said similar in the past (the poor sound design mixed with the accents left a lot of people complaining about not being able to understand the lyrics, including Tony voters). I adore Matilda, and was already extremely familiar with the RSC recording before going to the second preview, so I didn't have the same difficulty in deciphering the show, but the muddy sound design was a very common complaint (as it was for the tour when that started, and I seem to recall that complaint coming in from the West End reports as well).
