So what is the story around this. In 1996 She didnt accept her Tony for Victor/Victoria, instead it was given to Donna Murphy for the King And I. What where her reasonings for this? has this ever happened before?
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/27/05
She didn't give back a Tony, she refused the nomination. She was nominated anyway, but didn't win.
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/20/04
She was the sole person nominated for Victor/Victoria. She didn't like this and denounced the nomination and the ceremony. They didn't take her off the ballot. As it turned out, Donna Murphy won. It wasn't given to her because Julie didn't accept it.
She basically stuck up for a ****ty show when she should have stuck up for Camelot being snubbed in deserving categories like Musical and Score back in 1960.
Broadway Star Joined: 1/20/06
Well, I don't believe she could've done that back in the 60s because she was only a legend-in-the-making, in the 90s she was already a established legend so it mattered a lot more. I honestly thought Donna Murphy was more deserving of the award regardless, with Daphne Rubin-Vega being a distant second place.
I love your avatar, Foscas.
Broadway Star Joined: 1/20/06
Thanks, I guess it shows my bias towards Ms.Murphy
Actually, she was right. V/V did deserve to be nominated for more than one category. It had wonderful set design, choreography, costumes, and supporting actors, among other things. Considering what did get nominated that year, she was right. I do think that had she not declined the nomination, she would have, easily, won. Although she remained on the ballot, I think most voters just went with Murphy (who I thought was very mediocre in THE KING AND I). I would have gone with Daphne.
I believe the phrase she used was, "egregiously overlooked."
Methinks Lestat was egregiously overlooked
Yes! She brought back a word that nobody used; and, afterward, you saw it everywhere.
She lost the Tony and her voice in one show. Geez!!
Actually, and this is the real Julie fan in me coming out now, My Fair Lady did the damage to her voice, she just happened to have the surgery while in V/V.
So was it something that had started and escalated over the years? Or was it always just a soft of minor thing?
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/30/04
What happened in My Fair Lady?
She waited forty years to have surgery?!?!
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/31/69
Donna Murphy was a crtics and audience darling until she started missing performances of Wonderful Town. Andrews certainly should have won for Victor/Victoria. She did a marvelous job. Murphy's was merely lackluster...her "take" on the role, I guess
There have been threads on this...
Eh, I thought Andrews was nominated simply for recreating one of her most beloved cinematic roles on stage, but I found her performance to be rather dull. She was better in the film. I actually preferred Liza in V/V who added much needed energy and to the character and delivered a better vocal performance. But I do agree that while V/V was not the best show, it defintely deserved noms for scenic design and Rachel York's performance, which stole the show. And yes, I agree that Donna Murphy's Tony was well-deserved that year. She took The King and I to whole new level of maturity and honesty that I had never before seen. It was a gorgeous production.
I want to no more about her voice problems too, because I've heard many different takes on the whole situation.
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