Why Didn't Urinetown Win Best Musical?

[A Director]

Posted: 8/12/15 at 9:38pm

The 2002 Tony for Best Musical went to Thoroughly Modern (Forgettable) Millie.  Urinetown is a much better show.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 8/12/15 at 9:40pm

Because it didn't get enough votes.

[Hamilton22]

Posted: 8/12/15 at 9:45pm

Cause everything Sutton Foster touches turns to gold. 

[mattporter17]

Posted: 8/12/15 at 9:49pm

This is an interesting topic because Urinetown is a rare case because it won Best Book and Best Score and not Musical. Most Best Musical winners this century got at least Book or Score with the exception of Contact, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Spamalot & Jersey Boys. Personally, I think Throughly Modern Millie won because of a fun, strong score (Tony winner Jeanine Tesori), killer performances (it got four acting nods, and duh mother f-ing Sutton Foster who won almost every award in town that year), and due to showstoppers like "Forget About the Boy" & "Gimme Gimme".  I love the show, and I'm not too familiar with Urinetown, so I can really only support Millie on this argument

Updated On: 8/12/15 at 09:49 PM

[sabrelady]

Posted: 8/12/15 at 9:51pm

Hunter Foster  felt it was bcos the out of town members of the Producers Guild felt that TMM would tour (ie sell) better, than a darkly funny musical that satirises and sends up its own musical conventions ( asks too much of it's audience). and that was his sis that won so  ?

 

Doesn't matter Urinetown  gets produced all over making $$$ for the creators and when was the last prpdction of TMM u heard about?

[mattporter17]

Posted: 8/12/15 at 9:53pm

TMM gets produced in high-schools all over the country. This is especially true with the Jr. version that MTI offers, which makes the show much easier to do.

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 8/12/15 at 10:10pm

Please keep in mind that when Throughly Modern Millie opened, it was six months after 9/11. The show was such a love letter to New York City, that it probably seemed that Tony voters at the time really wanted a show like that to bring business to Broadway.

 

It seemed that it was a trend back in the day to vote for the commercial juggernaut over the more ambitious new work (Thoroughly Modern Millie winning over Urinetown, Spamalot winning over The Light in the Piazza, Jersey Boys winning over The Drowsy Chaperone, In the Heights winning over Passing Strange, etc.). But lately, we've been seeing the more ambitious works winning over the commercial juggernauts (Once winning over Newsies, Gentleman's Guide winning over Beautiful, Fun Home winning over An American in Paris, etc.) 

 

I think if the Thoroughly Modern Millie vs. Urinetown was taking place today, Urinetown would probably win.

Updated On: 8/12/15 at 10:10 PM

[JoseLee_]

Posted: 8/12/15 at 10:47pm

I listen to Thoroughly Modern Millie almost everyday. The score is so good. I've tried/can't get into Urinetown.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 8/12/15 at 10:53pm

"I've tried/can't get into Urinetown."

Have you seen it live? I didn't especially care for it until I saw it live for the first time. 

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 8/12/15 at 11:03pm

I love both shows and both scores to pieces, I think either would have been worthy of the prize.

 

?I also believe both are pretty regularly produced, Millie in high schools and Urinetown in colleges (I swear every University in Western PA did Urinetown last year).

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 8/12/15 at 11:06pm

From: http://www.jodielangel.com/book.html

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 8/13/15 at 12:14am

""I've tried/can't get into Urinetown."

 

Have you seen it live? I didn't especially care for it until I saw it live for the first time. 

 

"

See it live and know the shows it is parodying, the early "operas" of Brecht and Weill. I'm sure that's partly why it's such a favorite on college campuses where kids are studying THREEPENNY and MAHAGONNY. I loved it when our local community theater finally did it.

 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 8/13/15 at 12:40am

I want to know why Ragtime lost over The Lion King and why Matilda lost over Kinky Boots.

[JoseLee_]

Posted: 8/13/15 at 1:08am

Get over it.

[brdway411]

Posted: 8/13/15 at 1:16am

I don't remember what the producers of Matilda  did but they pissed off the Tony voters. Also I thought Kinky was the better show IMHO. 

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 8/13/15 at 7:25am

^When Matilda had its debut at the Royal Shakespeare Company, nearly every single theatrical producer literally went after it placing the best possible offer they could. The RSC kept those producers dangling until they went with the Dodgers who came out of nowhere at the last minute. And so, those producers were so pissed off at the RSC, they kind of got their revenge by voting against them.

[tazber]

Posted: 8/13/15 at 7:29am

That's the theory at least.

 

Matilda is also a more challenging show that the feel good "let's all get along" theme of Kinky Boots.

 

Plus there was a lot of love for Lauper.

Updated On: 8/13/15 at 07:29 AM

[Brian07663NJ]

Posted: 8/13/15 at 8:21am

When Urinetown lost do you think they were pissed?

[Kad]

Posted: 8/13/15 at 8:37am

"That's the theory at least. Matilda is also a more challenging show that the feel good "let's all get along" theme of Kinky Boots. Plus there was a lot of love for Lauper."

Kinky Boots had the homefield advantage, certainly- and it certainly had a lot of love on its own. The whole "the Matilda producers pissed everyone off!" is pure, Riedel-driven nonsense.

As for Millie/Urinetown- Millie was a light and fluffy show in a time when people needed a light and fluffy show. I would imagine a lot of producers may have felt uncomfortable, immediately post 9/11, voting for a show that ends telling people their way of life is unsustainable.

 

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 8/13/15 at 8:39am

It lost for every reason other than voters voting for the show they feel is the Best Musical.  Unless of course, we approve of the winner.  Then the voters actually voted for the best that year.  We sound like we know the answer, which is what's really important when asked this question.