Most Overrated Tony Award Winning Best Musical

[yankeefan7]

Just curious what Broadway fans think is the most overrated Tony award winning Broadway musicals. For the fun of it, pick one from every decade since you have been attending Broadway shows. My choices below.

70's  - Annie

80's - Cats

90's - Kiss Of The Spider Woman

00's - The Producers

10's -  Once

[bwayphreak234]

The Lion King.

[Mr Roxy]

My votes go to Cats & Once

[jayinchelsea]

yankeefan7 said: "Just curious what Broadway fans think is the most overrated Tony award winning Broadway musicals. For the fun of it, pick one from every decade since you have been attending Broadway shows.

Easy to do:

1960: THE SOUND OF MUSIC (and FIORELLO!, still waiting for a first-class revival), over GYPSY

1972: TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA over FOLLIES

1984: LA CAGE AUX FOLLES over SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE

1991: WILL ROGERS FOLLIES over ONCE ON THIS ISLAND

2005: SPAMALOT over LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA

one more, because it continues to gall me:

1988: PHANTOM OF THE OPERA over INTO THE WOODS

 

 

[broadwaysfguy]

2000s

contact over Aida which wasn't even nominated

the most galling thing is contact had NO SINGING-they danced to prerecorded music

this was a massive intentional "dis" to disney

following the massive success of lion king

worst tony best musical decision in 20 years

 

 

[Mr Roxy]

Agree re 2 Gents and most definitely Lion King

[hork]

'00s - Spamalot

'10s - Book of Mormon

 

And, even though I wasn't going to Broadway shows in the '80s, I have to mention Phantom of the Opera.

[Wilmingtom]

Nine over Dreamgirls

[Brave Sir Robin2]

WILL ROGERS FOLLIES (which isn't a bad show), but over ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, THE SECRET GARDEN, and MISS SAIGON. What a season. 

 

Likewise, SPAMALOT over THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, SPELLING BEE, and DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS. 

[Cupid Boy2]

My pick would be Once. I just didn't know what I was missing after hearing all the hype. I've wondered for a while if it was just too intimate of a show to appreciate from the front row of the Jacobs' rear mezzanine, which is where I sat when I saw it a month after it won the Tony. It didn't engage me at all, and whether that was a result of my seat or the material, I suppose I'll never know. 

[Elfuhbuh]

Lion King. (I didn't go to shows in the 90's, but I did see this one on tour for the first time when I was a kid, so I guess it counts.)

Can't think of anything from the 2000's that I would consider "overrated." If you were to have asked me, say, four years ago or so, I would have said Avenue Q, but now that I'm a little older, I can appreciate Avenue Q more for its mature content and themes, so I can't really say it should've lost the Tony that year anymore.

Once. (While it was good, it felt much more like a play with music than it did a musical.)



 

[FBay]

Once, Gentlemans Guide 

"

 

[uncageg]

Avenue Q over Caroline or Change. I love Avenue Q, just wish it wasn't up against Caroline. Wish they had both won but in differednt seasons!

[After Eight]

This year's.

 

Next year's.

[Scarywarhol]

Cats, Once, Lion King

[woeisme3]

Phantom of the Opera is a good show, but Into The Woods is a much better show and I wish it got the tony.

Likewise, Spamalot is funny, but Spelling Bee is much funnier and The Light in the Piazza was absolutely gorgeous.

Snoozefest jukebox musical Jersey Boys beating love letter to musical comedy The Drowsy Chaperone will always bother me.

This is very teen girl of me, but Billy Elliot, a fine show, shouldn't have won against Next to Normal which was deeply affecting.

And while I think both are great shows, I wish Matilda took the win over Kinky Boots.

[The Other One]

Two Gentlemen of Verona (fine) over Follies (unforgettable).

Spamalot (good comedy) over The Light In The Piazza (wonderful musical)

Kinky Boots.  A decent show but not a "best" of anything.

[broadwayindie]

I'm one of those people that say Caroline Or Change got snubbed for everything. Not saying that Avenue Q is overrated Caroline should have just one Tonys for Score, Book, Musical.

Besides that Cats is an awful musical, but had a bad season. Ragtime should have definitely won over Lion King. Next To Normal over Billy Elliott as well.

 

[ebontoyan]

Avenue Q, Once, GG, this year 

[vfd88]

There's a difference between "overrated" and "undeserving".  For example, I too feel that Follies should have won, but I wouldn't call Two Gentleman of Verona overrated...mostly because nobody talks about it anymore.  That being said:

50s: The King and I (most of the songs range from boring to annoying)

60s: Forum (just not my type of humor)

70s: The Wiz (could never get into this score)

80s: La Cage Aux Folles (I understand why it was a big deal at the time, but besides the groundbreaking aspect of the original production the show itself is just fine)

90s: City of Angels (brilliant orchestrations masking a decent-but-not-outstanding score)

00s: Spamalot (the worst nominee that year)

10s: Memphis (one of the worst shows I've ever seen)

[KathyNYC2]

CATS!!!   There were other years I may preferred a different show than actually one - Newsies over Once, Light in the Piazza over Spamalot, Ragtime over Lion King, etc. But Cats is in a single awful league of it's own so I can't compare anything else in the same way.

[c0113g3b0y]

Spamalot

Billy Elliot

Passion

 

[chewy5000]

I'll second La Cage.

Oh, and Rent too.

[broadwaybabywannabe2]

NINE over DREAM GIRLS...i saw both before the TONYS,  and when NINE won i went HUH?...:)

[CarlosAlberto]

Dreamgirls was my first Broadway show so I naturally have a soft spot for it, but I also saw Nine and I love all things Italian - - - and Fellini is one of my favorite directors so I was really torn when Nine won over Dreamgirls.