What was the most shocking Tony Win/loss ever?- Page 2

[LuminousBeing]

Posted: 3/16/13 at 12:13pm

How about "Nine" beating "Dreamgirls?"

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 3/16/13 at 12:26pm

LuminousBeing, that's a good one! Apparently Michael Bennett was livid.

I remember in 2004 everybody was predicting Brian F. O'Byrne to win for DOUBT but then Bill Irwin won and seemed pretty surprised. I'd also say Scarlett Johansson winning for A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE was a surprising win (though very well deserved).

[JohnyBroadway]

Posted: 3/16/13 at 12:29pm

Sister Act winning zip.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 3/16/13 at 12:38pm

I agree with James Naughton winning over Robert Cuccioli. I saw both performances live (wow...fifteen years ago now) and Cuccioli was simply amazing in a role that has proven to be merely hilarious in a lesser man's hands. He lost simply because voters hated the show itself (it wasn't even nominated for Best Musical).

The win for Bill Irwin, who was in way over his head playing George in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? was also ridiculous. Tracy Letts (who might win for the same role this year) was much, much better (perfect, really).

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/16/13 at 12:42pm

And that is clearly your opinion of the amazing performance Irwin gave as George.

[mamaleh]

Posted: 3/16/13 at 1:02pm

ONCE as Best Musical (arrghh--the emperor has no clothes); and though not technically a "loss," William Daniels' snub for the original production of 1776, which I saw four times, just to see him. He would not have taken his name out of Tonys contention had he not been perplexingly misplaced in the Featured rather than Leading category.

Updated On: 3/16/13 at 01:02 PM

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 3/16/13 at 1:05pm

"Sister Act winning zip."

I don't know if that was in jest, but it was hardly shocking.

[Leadingplayer]

Posted: 3/16/13 at 1:08pm

Raul Julia and Anita Morris losing for Nine to Ben Harney, Dreamgirls and Lillianne Montevecchi, Nine.

[jv92]

Posted: 3/16/13 at 1:18pm

"It was hands down when Patti Lupone lost for Sweeney Todd the year Oprah bought the Tony for the young lady in The Color Purple."

I feel that happened because IF The Color Purple had won nothing, Oprah would have either A) Call the Tonys racist or B) Called the Tonys something else unpleasant. I do think LuPone should have won that year, though. Not a fan of LaChanze or her attendance record(s).

The NINE/DREAMGIRLS thing doesn't baffle me that much, because weren't a lot of people angry that the Shuberts allowed the Morosco and Hayes to be torn down for the Marriott? I had heard that there was some Shubert-backlash.

[madlibrarian]

Posted: 3/16/13 at 2:02pm

As an oldster let me note one big surprise from the 1970s: Michael Moriarty winning Best Actor in Find Your Way Home over Jason Robards Jr in an acclaimed hit production of A Moon For The Misbegotten. Theater critic Jack Kroll expressed his dismay in Newsweek.

[Wynbish]

Posted: 3/16/13 at 2:09pm

I was a two year old when it happened, so this is based on presumption.

Colm Wilkinson and Terrence Mann not receiving a Tony for Les miserables, while Michael Maguire did. Frances, I understand

[NoName3]

Posted: 3/16/13 at 2:10pm

Ragtime winning best score, best book, best orchestrations then losing to a puppet show.

[ARTc]

Posted: 3/16/13 at 2:20pm

My vote goes to Dreamgirls losing to Nine, as reported above. Everyone I know was shocked and at that time I was working in the theater.

[beensince1987]

Posted: 3/16/13 at 2:24pm

I remember it was pretty weak season but Titanic won best musical over The Life

[MCfan2]

Posted: 3/16/13 at 3:05pm

For me it's a tie -- Colm Wilkinson not getting one for "Les Miserables," and William Daniels not getting one for "1776."

[nsguy45]

Posted: 3/16/13 at 3:44pm

FOLLIES losing Best Musical to Two Gentlemen of Verona in 1972.

John McMartin not even being nominated for FOLLIES.

Ethel Merman(Gypsy) losing to Mary Martin(The Sound of Music).

[goldenboy]

Posted: 3/16/13 at 3:45pm

Fiorello and Sound of Music winning in a tie for best musical over
Gypsy


Mary Martin (Sound of Music) beating Ethel Merman (Gypsy) for best actress in a musical.

Ethel's retort?? YOu can't buck a nun."

Ethel only won one Tony for Call Me Madam
She lost for Happy Hunting and Gypsy.

[bobs3]

Posted: 3/16/13 at 4:23pm

^^For me it's a tie -- Colm Wilkinson not getting one for "Les Miserables," and William Daniels not getting one for "1776."**

You obviously did not see Robert Lindsay in "Me and My Girl". One of the best, if the not the best, musical comedy performances ever on the London and Broadway stage. None of his replacements (Jim Dale, James Brennan) came close to matching his brilliance. He won the Olivier and the Tony besting Wilkinson both times. He also won the Drama Desk, Drama League and Theatre World awards. Wilkinson was at best considered a longshot for the Tony. Updated On: 3/16/13 at 04:23 PM

[trentsketch]

Posted: 3/16/13 at 4:38pm

I have to imagine it was pretty surprising when City of Angels lost costumes to Grand Hotel, especially since the former had so many more elaborate costumes and had to deal with the full color/black and white conceit through multiple quick changes. I'd say the same about lighting design that year (Grand Hotel over City of Angels doing full-noir onstage) but really, how many people know lighting design well enough to be shocked by one show winning over another?

This I was less tuned into. Was Passion winning best musical a shock? I know it's a pretty polarizing show but I can't say if the victory was unexpected or not.

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/16/13 at 4:54pm

re: 1776 You realize William Daniels was nominated for Featured Actor in a Musical and had his name and the nomination removed from consideration, right?

It wasn't that he "lost" the award. He was upset that he (as the lead in the show) was nominated for (what was perceived at the time as) a supporting category. This was before any petitioning and actually had something to do with the rule change in the years ahead. (By 1975 and Donna McKechnie's nomination and win.)

As for this thread ... I'm not sure who the "shock" is supposed to be aimed at here. Some people are saying they thought another person deserved to win an award, but does that mean they were "shocked" by the person who actually won?

Marisa Tomei's was a shocker because of her heavy competition that year. She was up against Joan Plowright, Judy Davis, Vanessa Redgrave, and Miranda Richardson. Marisa didn't even receive a nomination for the Golden Globe (let alone a win), and she had been recognized only by the Chicago Film Critics with any precursor awards. Nobody else. In fact, most people listed her dead last on the list of favorites to win Best Supporting Actress that year.

But she won, so it was a shock. Does that mean her performance was bad? No. She's terrific in the part, and elevated that film every time she was on screen. It was tough competition that year, and the votes just split all over the place ... and she came out on top. Surprise!

So for this thread, I'm wondering why it's turned into another "Well, I think she should have won over the person who did" threads.

I'm actually curious as to what would be considered a "shock" (as in nobody predicted it) win. If you say Avenue Q, you would be wrong. Plenty of people predicted it would win over Wicked. It had all the buzz going into the awards that night.

I would think it must have been a shock when Firello! and The Sound of Music both tied for Best Musical, which meant that Gypsy was (at best) in third place.

Any other awards that weren't predicted at all?

[HenryTDobson]

Posted: 3/16/13 at 5:03pm

What about when The Music Man beat out West Side Story for Best Musical? That surely had to be unexpected.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 3/16/13 at 5:06pm

Bobs3 beat me to it but it is not at all shocking that Robert Lindsay won the tony for Me and My Girl, in a challenging triple threat role which dominates the show (which was very popular, although no Les MIs) he easily gave the most acclaimed and talked about performance on Broadway that year. and certainly it was no shame to Wilkinson and Mann that Lindsay got the tony.

[binau]

Posted: 3/16/13 at 5:17pm

"I feel that happened because IF The Color Purple had won nothing, Oprah would have either A) Call the Tonys racist or B) Called the Tonys something else unpleasant. I do think LuPone should have won that year, though. Not a fan of LaChanze or her attendance record(s). "

The thing is - I really don't see how it can happen like this. What I mean is, yes - the nominating committee probably sit down and conspire with particular reasons to nominate or not to nominate something (e.g. it makes it sad/shocking for me at least, that Bernadette was deliberately/intentionally left out of the nominations for FOLLIES).

But when it comes to voting - these are hundreds of independent people. They can't all sit there and conspire for something to win because of some underhand reason. Unless hundreds of people happened to have the same thoughts about the situation.

---

I'm also surprised no one has mentioned Bernadette in GYPSY yet. It was surprising enough at least for Michael Reidel to write an article about it - even if it's not exactly the most shocking loss ever.

http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/item_qHyzGPJzDronItexyjpLoJ

[broadwaybabywannabe2]

Posted: 3/16/13 at 5:48pm

NINE over DREAMGIRLS...omg that was huge!!!!

[chrisampm2]

Posted: 3/16/13 at 6:29pm

HTDobson, I don't think West Side Story's loss was even a surprise, much less a shock. No nomination for director. One performance nomination. Like Gypsy, the show's rep as an all-time classic has risen since its original run.