Best, Best Musical Tony Losers??

[BwayDreamer00]

Ah it happens pretty much each year but I'm talking about shows that really deserved to win but somehow didn't?

For example-In 1991 The Will Rogers Follies beat Miss Saigon, Once On This Island, and The Secret Garden (three musicals that have great songs, memorable characters, and powerful stories)  and really should've won......also IMO Avenue Q hands down deserved that award in 2004 

Some other shows that deserved the win

Dreamgirls lost to Nine in 1982 

Chicago lost to A Chorus Line in 1976

Sunday In The Park With George lost to La Cage Aux Folles in 1984

Any others???

[ljay889]

1972, Two Gentlemen of Verona beating Follies. 

[VotePeron]

Next To Normal losing to Billy Elliot seemed to upset a good number of people. But they got their revenge when Kinky Boots beat Matilda, which I also see as one of the worst Tony losses in recent memory. (Then again, I also think Great Comet, Come From Away, and Groundhog Day are superior musicals to Dear Evan Hansen, so will anyone care about my thoughts?)

[ZellMorrowsPledge]

MATILDA THE MUSICAL

[BroadwayConcierge]

All three shows that lost to Dear Evan Hansen.

[GeorgeandDot]

Dear Evan Hansen deserved Best Musical.  It baffles me that there are actually people who think Come From Away and Groundhog Day are better musicals than Dear Evan Hansen.  The Great Comet is equally as great as Dear Evan Hansen, IMO, but it isn't as accessible to some, which is why it didn't leave the Tonys with more love (definitely deserved score, book, and orchestrations).  Dear Evan Hansen was both a critical and a huge financial success.  Those kinds shows should be awarded.

Shows that ACTUALLY deserved to win Best Musical:

Follies over Two Gentlemen of Verona

Sunday in the Park with George over La Cage Aux Folles (even though I love it)

Next to Normal over Billy Elliot

Matilda over Kinky Boots

Caroline, or Change over Avenue Q

West Side Story over The Music Man

Gypsy over The Sound of Music and Fiorello!

Edit:

Ragtime over The Lion King

Spelling Bee or The Light in the Piazza over Spamalot

 

 

[leighmiserables]

^ Everyone's entitled to their own opinion, mate, even if you find it baffling. I personally thought DEH was superior only to Groundhog Day, and would've preferred either TGC or CFA. But that's just my opinion. I can understand why DEH won. Nothing baffling about it. 

Anywho: 

- Gypsy should've won. 

- Matilda should've won over Kinky Boots. 

- SITPWG over LCAF. 

Also: while I love N2N dearly and am not a fan of Billy Elliot at all, I still think Billy Elliot should've won Best Musical. N2N had the superior score/orchestrations by far imo, but overall I think BE was a more impressive production (that also had a very timely message like N2N!), even if I'm not personally a fan. 

[CoolDogeGuy]

Here are the musicals that should've won Best Musical from to now (UPDATED 8/2/2017):

*NOTE: YOU DON'T HAVE TO AGREE WITH ALL. THESE ARE BASED ON MY OPINIONS & OTHERS!

1958 - West Side Story (lost to The Music Man)

1960 - Gypsy & Once Upon a Mattress (lost to The Sound of Music & Fiorello!)

1963 - Oliver! (lost to A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum)

1964 - Funny Girl & She Loves Me (lost to Hello, Dolly!)

1966 - Sweet Charity (lost to Man of La Mancha)

1969 - Promises, Promises & Hair (lost to 1776)

1972 - Follies & Grease (lost to Two Gentlemen of Verona)

1973 - Pippin (lost to A Little Night Music)

1976 - Chicago (lost to A Chorus Line)

1978 - Dancin' & On the 20th Century (lost to Ain't Misbehavin' )


1982 - Dreamgirls & Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (lost to Nine)


1984 - Sunday in the Park with George (lost to La Cage aux Folles)

1988 - Into the Woods (lost to The Phantom of the Opera)

1991 - Miss Saigon, Once on This Island & The Secret Garden (lost to The Will Rogers Follies)

1992 - Falsettos (lost to Crazy For You)

1993 - The Who's Tommy (lost to Kiss of the Spider Woman)

1994 - Beauty and the Beast (lost to Passion)

1995 - Smokey Joe's Cafe (lost to Sunset Boulevard)

1996 - Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk (lost to Rent)

1998 - Ragtime (lost to The Lion King)

1999 - Parade (lost to Fosse)

2001 - The Full Monty (lost to The Producers)

2002 - Mamma Mia! & Urinetown (lost to Thoroughly Modern Millie)

2003 - Movin' Out (lost to Hairspray)

2004 - The Boy from Oz, Caroline, or Change & Wicked (lost to Avenue Q)

2005 - The Light in the Piazza, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels & The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (lost to Monty Python's Spamalot)

2006 - The Color Purple, The Drowsy Chaperone & The Wedding Singer (lost to Jersey Boys)

2007 - Curtains, Grey Gardens & Mary Poppins (lost to Spring Awakening)

2008 - Passing Strange & Xanadu (lost to In the Heights)

2009 - Next to Normal, Rock of Ages & Shrek The Musical (lost to Billy Elliot the Musical)

2010 - American Idiot & Million Dollar Quartet (lost to Memphis)

2011 - Catch Me If You Can, The Scottsboro Boys & Sister Act (lost to The Book of Mormon)

2012 - Newsies (lost to Once)

2013 - Bring It On the Musical, A Christmas Story: The Musical & Matilda the Musical (lost to Kinky Boots)

2014 - Aladdin & Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (lost to A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder)

2015 - An American in Paris & Something Rotten! (lost to Fun Home)

2016 (A.K.A. "The Hamilton Season" - School of Rock - The Musical & Waitress (lost to Hamilton)

2017 - Come From Away, Groundhog Day & Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 (lost to Dear Evan Hansen)

*NOTE: AGAIN, YOU DON'T HAVE TO AGREE WITH ALL OF THESE. THESE ARE BASED ON MY OPINIONS & OTHERS!

Welp, THAT'S IT!

[froote]

Next to Normal and Great Comet are the two that bother me the most. Neither got their due from the Tonys for being innovative and original, losing to what I consider to be rather bland and basic shows and in Hansen's case, actually poorly constructed. I agree with others in that this is the one case I can remember where my least favorite of the nominees won.

At least the former got the Pulitzer Prize though.

[hork]

CoolDogeGuy - Are you just being contrarian for the sake of being contrarian? I'm having trouble believing that you think the Tony has consistently gone to the worst nominee every year since 2004.

[HamilHansen]

Urinetown should've won over Millie. Of course i'm biased since im a HUGE Urinetown fan but it honestly was better

[ggersten]

I prefer to look at this as not "who should have won in a particular year" but rather,what are the best shows that didn't win the Tony Award for Best Musical.  

On that list:  I'm not saying these should have won their season!

Chicago

Gypsy

Next to Normal

Urinetown

West Side Story

[Call_me_jorge]

Matilda is a big one

I think Great Comet is a better overall production than Dear Evan Hansen, but Dear Evan Hansen has a better story and Come From Away just had a great message. It really should have been a split between the three.

I like Next to Normal, but Billy Elliot just seemed far more intriguing. I also think Shrek is superior to both shows. 

[madbrian]

Light in the Piazza, Spelling Bee, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels were all better than Spamalot. 

[adamgreer]

In recent memory, the only really egregious one in my opinion was Billy Elliot winning over next to normal. 

I would also say that in 1988, Into the Woods should have beaten Phantom. 

And while this may be unpopular, I firmly believe Ragtime is a far superior show to The Lion King (which I quite enjoy, but it's not in the same league as Ragtime). 

Historically, the fact that neither West Side Story nor Gypsy won Best Musical is quite astounding. 

[JayC3]

adamgreer said: "In recent memory, the only really egregious one in my opinion was Billy Elliot winning over next to normal. 

I would also say that in 1988, Into the Woods should have beaten Phantom. 

And while this may be unpopular, I firmly believe Ragtime is a far superior show to The Lion King (which I quite enjoy, but it's not in the same league as Ragtime). 

Historically, the fact that neither West Side Story nor Gypsy won Best Musical is quite astounding. 

 

I second that. Like the Lion King, but Ragtime should have won the Tony.

 

[BwayDreamer00]

UGH West Side Story loosing to The Music Man in 1958 baffles me.....

[BroadwayMan5]

Matilda over Kinky Boots

Beautiful over Gentlemen's Guide (sorry...)

Ragtime over The Lion King (though, I get why LK won)

Into the Woods over Phantom (though, I get why Phantom won)

Aida over any Best Musical Nominee in 2000

Wicked over Avenue Q (love Avenue Q too though)

[HamilHansen]

Call_me_jorge said: "Matilda is a big one

I think Great Comet is a better overall production than Dear Evan Hansen


 I also think Shrek is superior to both shows. 

 

I AGREE WITH ALL THREE OF THESE STATEMENTS!!!!!

 

 

"

 

[BroadwayRox3588]

So happy those who tried to turn this into another DEH debate were thwarted.

Anyway...Bright Star is my favorite, but I can't deny that Hamilton's Tony was rightly earned, after what it's done for the theatre community.

[ashley0139]

I still believe Grey Gardens should have won over Spring Awakening.  I'm still pretty bitter about it.

[non-stop26]

Into the Woods, West Side Story, Gypsy, and SITPWG

[CorkySt.Clair]

^Hello fellow Sondheim lover! Non-stop, I wholeheartedly agree with your picks. Add Chicago, Ragtime, and Great Comet and you get my list. 

[Jarethan]

adamgreer said: "In recent memory, the only really egregious one in my opinion was Billy Elliot winning over next to normal. 

I would also say that in 1988, Into the Woods should have beaten Phantom. 

And while this may be unpopular, I firmly believe Ragtime is a far superior show to The Lion King (which I quite enjoy, but it's not in the same league as Ragtime). 

Historically, the fact that neither West Side Story nor Gypsy won Best Musical is quite astounding. 

 

There is no accounting for taste.  I agree with everything you said, with one exception.  I have seen Into The Woods 3 or 4 times and have hated it every time.  I kept going back thinking that 'this production will do the trick'.  I have finally concluded that, while there are a few songs that I like, I hate the score  -- the title song is absolutely my most hated title song or Sondheim song ever, mainly due to the number of times it was reprised in the show -- and that is not going to change; and, if you like / love most Sondheim musicals, and hate the score of one of them, chances are that you are not going to change your mind after all these years.  Sacrilege: I have seen the movie and have enjoyed it because I love the basic premise, but I have fast forwarded through some of the songs (and some have been eliminated as well).

Also, while it is far from perfect, I think that Phantom has gotten a bum wrap over the years.  There is some beautiful music, there are some very clever patter songs, and the staging is one of the greatest I have seen for a musical in 50 years of theatre attendance.  I remember getting goosebumps three or four times the first time I saw the show...something that has rarely if ever been equalled; and those moments were contributed equally by ALW and Prince, e.g., the title song when the candles rise out of the water (forget logic and think stage moment) and the organ is reaching its crescendo; Masquerade, when you realize that half the people on stage are dummies, yet you are still pulled into the magic; and etc.  So, I think it definitely deserved its Tony, independent of ITW.

 

[a-mad]

Far and away the biggest for me - Ragtime (over Lion King)

Honorable mention(s) - Matilda (over Kinky Boots) and Wicked (over Avenue Q)

[TotallyEffed]

Matilda losing to Kinky Boots still hurts.