the shows are so different, it's hard to compare. i loved both LION and RAGTIME. As to ROGERS' year, that horse race was un-handicappable. i do agree that the ROGERS book had a little more going for it than SECRET GARDEN, but i don't agree that the GARDEN book is bad. But don't just blame B'way...MISS SAIGON was also beat out for an Olivier on the West End by RETURN TO THE FORBIDDEN PLANET (a revue-like show of 1950's rock and roll, though clever---it also beat out BUDDY, similar in subject matter). Maybe some people thought SAIGON, though commercial, as not as memorable as its predecessor MIZ, or that it only really re-worked MADAME BUTTERFLY. GARDEN was coming from a first-time nominee (who's finished nothing since) and i've also heard rumors since that it was truly finished by the orchestrator and ghost-composers (though i find it entirely beautiful and coherent). Flaherty/Ahrens hadn't quite hit stride yet, but got robbed again for RAGTIME (and Danielle's ISLAND production deserved some kind of recognition). Coleman was an established but often-overlooked composer of some longevity. There are so many factors it's hard to judge...look at the Oscars: did Kidman win really for THE HOURS or for that movie, THE OTHERS, and MOULIN ROUGE (not to mention her private drama "Surviving the Midget")? a topic for endless debate. Many deserving shows didn't get Tonys, but that's no reason to denigrate those that did, is it?
Will: They don't give out awards for helping people be gay... unless you count the Tonys.
"I guarantee that we'll have tough
times. I guarantee that at some point
one or both of us will want to get out.
But I also guarantee that if I don't
ask you to be mine, I'll regret it for
the rest of my life..."
Updated On: 10/9/03 at 11:30 AM
