2009 Best Musical v. 2015 Best Musical

[mattporter17]

Posted: 5/24/15 at 7:32pm

So I thought of an interesting idea that I'm gonna lay out. Does anyone notice some similarities to the 2009 Tonys? I honestly think this a very similar situation to the 2009 Tony's, cause all the Best Musical nominees line up in terms of content/type of show, ie,

Next to Normal = Fun Home

An American in Paris = Billy Eliott

Something Rotten = Shrek

The Visit and Rock of Ages don't really fit into my theory...

but:

N2N and FH: Both deemed "important", (as they were both Pulitzer Nominees and N2N won), as they deal with touchy social issues.

AAIP and BE: Both dance heavy musicals

SR! and Shrek: Both comedic musicals with Brian D'Arcy James lol

In my opinion, I would like FH to win, as I wanted N2N to win in 2009.

In the end Billy Elliott ended up taking the prize when many thought it would go to the "important" show. FH and AAIP are obviously the front runners, as the Visit and SR! have very little chances of taking home the prize. Thoughts? 

 

Updated On: 5/24/15 at 07:32 PM

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 5/24/15 at 8:24pm

I agree about FUN HOME and NEXT TO NORMAL but don't really think the other nominees match up.

[Broadway61004]

Posted: 5/24/15 at 8:31pm

And I also think this is much more of a true race. While a lot of people loved N2N, I don't think anyone really thought it stood a chance against Billy Elliot which was the far and away frontrunner. 

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 5/24/15 at 8:51pm

Interesting enough, I got to see productions of both those shows produced by North Carolina Theatre. While I thought both of those productions were terrific, I personally found Billy Elliot to be far superior.

Updated On: 5/25/15 at 08:51 PM

[mattporter17]

Posted: 5/24/15 at 9:07pm

Cool! I've only watched N2N on the internet of both, however I consider N2N my overall favorite musical, next to Spring Awakening or The Last Five Years. The cast album (of N2N) is so big you really get a feel for the show. That being said, I'd jump at my first opportunity to go see it. 

Updated On: 5/24/15 at 09:07 PM

[Mr Smith]

Posted: 5/24/15 at 9:42pm

Not really similar in many ways

crazy thinking

[Mr Smith]

Posted: 5/24/15 at 9:47pm

and Billy Elliot was not that dance heavy

[mattporter17]

Posted: 5/24/15 at 10:09pm

It is my understanding that Billy Elliott is indeed about dancing, and there's the fact that they did an all dance number at the Tony's.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 5/25/15 at 1:13am

But it's not dance heavy in the way that An American in Paris is. But it could be stretched to say so? 

But Something Rotten and Shrek? No way. One's original and being produced by some producers. The other was a huge franchise and being produced by Dreamworks. I think Something Rotten will have a much better future than Shrek. Although D'arcy James probably made more money off Shrek. 

[vfd88]

Posted: 5/25/15 at 1:23am

Whenever people talk about 2009, I feel like history has been rewritten to make it seem like it was a close, head-to-head battle between the big British import and the little "show that could", when it was never really a contest. Before it even crossed the pond, Billy Elliot was the front-runner. It got fantastic reviews and was a box office hit, plus the fact that it tied The Producers for most nominations ever really made it clear that the show had a ton of support. I think Next to Normal plays better on CD, which has really contributed to its favorable legacy (plus that fancy Pulitzer). 

Anyway, I feel like this season is much more of a face-off between two very well-received shows that the Tony committee loved. It'll definitely make for a more exciting race.

 

[kdogg36]

Posted: 5/25/15 at 11:01am

Speaking of Next to Normal vs. Fun Home, I've been curious about how they were treated differently regarding Pulitzer eligibility. Next to Normal had an off-Broadway production in 2008, but it was the 2009 Broadway production that was considered for (and won) the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. On the other hand, Fun Home was considered for the Pulitzer for its off-Broadway run in 2013, and so its Broadway production is now not eligible, I assume.

Why were the two shows treated differently in terms of the production that was deemed eligible for Pulitzer consideration?