Why Did Wicked Lose Best Musical? — Page 2

Avenue Q was always a strong contender and Wicked was never in as strong a position as people seem to think it was.

This. Wicked was the bigger show and more popular with the general public, but that doesn't always equate to a Tony win. I remember when Avenue Q received the best reviews of a new musical that season and raves for its book and score. The campaigning was really a clever extension on the show's concept. To believe that Tony voters simply vote how their told by the productions themselves is just more of the same theoretical nonsense and conspiracy theories we get every year when fans of a show are mad that their show didn't win Best Musical. The "tour conspiracy" was a big hit with bitter Wicked fans for a long time. You don't need to search the Wicked season threads for examples of bitter conspiracy TONY SNUB theories. You see it all the time. The last one I can recall that appeared to hold a smidgen of truth in it would have been the season of Beauty and the Beast simply because the snobbery against Disney from the Broadway community was rather openly brazen. I love Passion and felt it deserved to win, but at the time, there was so little love for the show in general, its win raised a lot of eyebrows.

ive always loved wicked and Avenue Q

its not often two outstanding musicals come out in the same year. we are lucky to have them both.

As a fan, I would have voted for Wicked. As a Tony voter, I would have voted for Avenue Q as the more innovative and clever show....

PS the tony "people" have always hated Stephen Schwartz, so that probably didnt help... IMO he has composed some beautiful songs and strong scores, and I really liked the Pippin revival

The PR folk at AVENUE Q ran a brilliant campaign, and it rightfully won over WICKED, which is a loud, bloated musical loaded with Stephen Schwartz anthems (yes, I like "For Good" too, but not much else). AVENUE Q, may I remind everyone, is still running, albeit off-Broadway, after doing 2534 performances on Broadway, and it has already racked up several thousand more at New World Stages. So take that, WICKED!

Avenue Q is simply a better show. Point blank. Wicked has a lot of issues to it. Just because it's popular with the public does not equate to quality. Most who go to see it are tourists who don't know any better anyway. If it didn't have the Wizard of Oz theme it would've been gone a long time ago.

They simply got it wrong. Avenue Q has not held up...kind of a one trick pony show and Wicked has aged so nicely. I just saw it a few months ago and found the production thrilling. I'm not sure anyone could sing one song from Avenue Q...maybe it sucks to be me? But think of Wicked. Defying Gravity, For good, Popular. Wicked was robbed the Tony...but laughing all the way to the bank with packed houses!

Stephen Schwartz has always been pretty hit or miss with his lyric-writing but he should be downright embarrassed of the lyrics for about 80% of Wicked.

Haha! We're not talking about Book of Mormon. Which is not a one trick pony show. Wicked wins hands down. It's a great show. Isn't showing any signs of slowing down and still feels fresh and relevant and beautiful. Simply cannot say that about the Q. Once the novelty wore off it faded.

Jimmyb1969 said: "Haha! We're not talking about Book of Mormon. Which is not a one trick pony show. Wicked wins hands down. It's a great show. Isn't showing any signs of slowing down and still feels fresh and relevant and beautiful. Simply cannot say that about the Q. Once the novelty wore off it faded.

It faded for YOU, not for me, and not for many others. Also, coincidentally, AVENUE Q was prominently featured in the recent HBO series BIG LITTLE LIES. You might not be talking about it anymore, but there are people who think it's still quite relevant.

Wicked was the FIRST Broadway show I ever saw and even though I loved it, my mom who was sitting right next to me LOATHED it and the reasons she didn't like it were the reasons most people don't like it. And now that I've gotten to be in shows and see more shows I realize too why it didn't win back in 2003.

1)Its LONG and I mean LONGGGGGGGGGGGGG like woah and I'm not saying "long" shows can't be good or can't win but....it has to keep up and Wicked (a 2 hour and 45 minute show) doesn't really....

2) Okay I LOVE the music and let's be honest, Defying Gravity, and Popular are two iconic musical theater songs....I just think the book is dulllllllll like at first its like oooo cool were in Oz we see Glinda and Elphaba oooo aaaa but throw all these melodramatic elements into it and it becomes meh

3) As cool and amazing the BIG FLASHY sets and costumes are.....it relies to much on them I mean it kind of has too because its OZ for crying out loud and they did a GREAT job making Oz on stage but its very style over substance throughout the show

4) To me Avenue Q is a much more superior show to Wicked and 10000000000000% more clever, witty, and thought provoking compared to Wicked and yes Avenue Q IS a parody and a comedy but at lest its FUN and interesting

5) Finally if I was a NYC theater critic in 2003 I'd give this show a pretty mixed lukewarmish review....the talent is amazing, the production elements (set, lighting, costumes, orchestra) is 10 out 10 the score is fun and the story is interesting....its just the LENGTH and BOOK that make it bleh

*****BUT if you have never seen Wicked.....GO SEE IT when I saw it it BLEW me away go see it!!!! It's not an AMAZING musical (at all) but its cool man!

^ you got me giggling, Kad.

mailhandler777 said: "I've seen Wicked more than most people have."

Twice?

I have slept through it, TWICE. AVE Q better show.... Look at Matilda and Kinky Boots. One was great in England and then Americans voted. And Kinky was an English movie.



BTW, I saw Matildon't in London, before it came here it sucked there as well.

Both shows had talented casts and a few great songs.

Avenue Q has a fast, funny book that develops multiple principal characters.

Wicked has a terrible book. The show is more interested in Elphaba's relationship with Glinda than it is in her political activism or her turn to the dark side. These are vital to her character but the key moments happen off stage. That makes the show a bit incoherent by the time we get to "For Good."