Why did Bernadette Peters win the Tony for Annie Get Your Gun?
Why did Bernadette Peters win the Tony for Annie Get Your Gun?
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/18/10
Why did Bernadette Peters win the Tony for Annie Get Your Gun?#1
Posted: 6/9/26 at 6:13pm
I was trawling through the Best Actress in a Musical Tony winners, and wondered why voters decided on Bernadette Peters as the 1999 winner for the revival of Annie Get Your Gun? As far as I'm aware that revival was not widely well received, although Peters was a Broadway treasure by that point. Looking at the other nominees, I'm surprised Carolee Carmello didn't get her due that year for Parade. Peters had won already for Song and Dance over ten years prior. Can anyone chime in and offer any discourse as to why Peters prevailed?
Why did Bernadette Peters win the Tony for Annie Get Your Gun?#2
Posted: 6/9/26 at 6:37pm
The Annie Get Your Gun revival was a hit, running over 1000 performances, winning Best Revival and getting pretty positive buzz (sure, some critics thought the production was so-so, but even most of them raved about her). Parade, meanwhile, had been closed 4 months by the Tonys after not even running 100 performances. No surprise they went with Bernadette.
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/18/10
Why did Bernadette Peters win the Tony for Annie Get Your Gun?#3
Posted: 6/9/26 at 6:38pm
Ah, thanks!
Why did Bernadette Peters win the Tony for Annie Get Your Gun?#4
Posted: 6/9/26 at 6:43pm
Real simple to me. Annie was a big hit riding on BP's name as much as anything; plus, she had already been a big star for decades (and many shows) yet she only had one Tony award...she was frequently better than her shows,
She had lost the much deserved Tony for SITPWG IMO because Chita Rivera was 'overdue.' Rivera was very good in a thoroughly mediocre show, but it should have been BP's. Then, they didn't even nominate her for her performance in Into the Woods. So it was time. She won in a really bad year (Dee Hoty for Footloose!), Sian Phillips in the 25 performance run of Marlene).
Parade was a 10 week flop that was long-closed.by the time the Tony's rolled around. BP was a lock before the nominations even came out, despite mixed reviews for her performance. (I thought she was very good, especially as the innocent Annie).
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/18/10
Why did Bernadette Peters win the Tony for Annie Get Your Gun?#5
Posted: 6/9/26 at 6:51pm
Have we ever got the information on this Tony snub for Into the Woods for Bernadette? Why wasn't she nominated?
Why did Bernadette Peters win the Tony for Annie Get Your Gun?#6
Posted: 6/9/26 at 6:58pm
The real robbery was not having Reba McEntire originate the role, she would have won deservedly.
Why did Bernadette Peters win the Tony for Annie Get Your Gun?#7
Posted: 6/9/26 at 7:03pm
Musicaldudepeter said: "Have we ever got the information on this Tony snub for Into the Woods for Bernadette? Why wasn't she nominated?"
I personally think she got lost in the orgasmic adoration of Joanna Gleason's Baker's wife, which was so over the top that it was ridiculous. Gleason was lovely in the not-huge role, but the reviewers got carried away. Gleason beat Patti Lupone for her incredible performance in Anything Goes. Never a Lupone-zealot, I have always felt that her performance in AG was one of the 'all-time' great performances I have seen in a musical.
Why did Bernadette Peters win the Tony for Annie Get Your Gun?#8
Posted: 6/9/26 at 7:03pm
Peters was a critical success, but only played about the first half of the run. As I recall, Cheryl Ladd replaced her for a few months, followed by Reba McIntire, who made a spectacular Broadway debut and set the box office on fire all over again just as it was petering out.
Why did Bernadette Peters win the Tony for Annie Get Your Gun?#9
Posted: 6/9/26 at 7:45pm
It's very hard for actors from a closed musical to win. Granted it did happen that same year in 99 with Martin Short for Little Me but I believe that's the most recent time it happened.
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/27/06
Why did Bernadette Peters win the Tony for Annie Get Your Gun?#10
Posted: 6/9/26 at 7:55pm
SisterGeorge said: "Peterswas a critical success, but only played about the first half of the run. As I recall, Cheryl Ladd replaced her for a few months, followed by Reba McIntire, who made a spectacular Broadway debut and setthe box office on fire all over again just as it was peteringout."
Susan Lucci filled in during Peters’ vacation then Ladd replaced Peters when she left. McEntire replaced Ladd then Crystal Bernard replaced McEntire and closed the revival on September 1, 2001.
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