Comments on: Tony, Tony, Tony: Beloved Losers and Disdained Winners http://blog.oup.com/2008/05/tony_winner_losers/ Introducing brilliant authors to the blogosphere. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:43:07 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Charles Donnelly http://blog.oup.com/2008/05/tony_winner_losers/comment-page-1/#comment-153581 Charles Donnelly Thu, 17 Sep 2009 01:06:32 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=1777#comment-153581 Would like to know what musical took Tony Award for best musical over Mary Poppins. Would like to know what musical took Tony Award for best musical over Mary Poppins.

]]> By: Bob Spitzer http://blog.oup.com/2008/05/tony_winner_losers/comment-page-1/#comment-145761 Bob Spitzer Mon, 12 May 2008 22:35:52 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=1777#comment-145761 I am always guided by Hischak's writing on the theater. But the most interesting competitive category for this year's Tony Awards will be for best musical revival, including such powerhouse productions as "Sunday in the Park," "Gypsy," "South Pacific," and "Grease" (the latter not such a powerhouse). Query to Hischak: have Broadway revivals overshadowed new productions? Is this harmful to Broadway's future? I am always guided by Hischak’s writing on the theater. But the most interesting competitive category for this year’s Tony Awards will be for best musical revival, including such powerhouse productions as “Sunday in the Park,” “Gypsy,” “South Pacific,” and “Grease” (the latter not such a powerhouse). Query to Hischak: have Broadway revivals overshadowed new productions? Is this harmful to Broadway’s future?

]]> By: Mark Robinson http://blog.oup.com/2008/05/tony_winner_losers/comment-page-1/#comment-145757 Mark Robinson Mon, 12 May 2008 20:47:37 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=1777#comment-145757 Hischak makes some very astute observations on what musicals have or have not deserved recognition. His inclusion of Passion in the list of musicals that should NOT have one is a courageous choice. I agree with him. What a dull, evening that musical was. It is mistitled, it should have been called "Obsession"...no character in that musical had a clue of what passion is. I don't know why the critics were as kind as they were. It was a case of "The Emperor's New Clothes." In my opinion, the musical that was most overlooked for Best Musical was Into the Woods. How did Phantom of the Opera beat this emotional wallop of a show? "Phantom" is all spectacle, recycled tunes and empty lyrics."Woods" is an in depth study of the human psyche, coupled with unforgettable characters and deep felt messages. Themes of forgiveness, the ache of loss, the power of jealousy, the intensity of parental control, the humor of life's complications and the fears that reside deep in our hearts are all explored with precision and poetry. I do have to argue that Avenue Q is the better musical over Wicked. Granted, Wicked is a powerhouse of show that had great performances, a mostly exhilerating score and a unique take on a classic story...but the story ambles about in the second act and the show's resolution is a cop out. When I truly thought Elphaba was dead, I felt the show tragic and full of meaning. Then she crawls out of the floor and runs off with a Scarecrow! I laughed...and humor is not the final emotion I should have walked away from the Gershwin with. It should have been the ache of the loss of a beautiful, unique friendship. Avenue Q, as ribald as it is, had a better through line to its story, it balanced humor with sadness, it gave us a cast of unforgetable characters and explodes with shear joy! The songs do exactly what they need to, and anyone who thinks of the score as sedond rate humor need only listen to "A Fine, Fine Line" to knwo that these composers are writing from the heart. Hischak makes some very astute observations on what musicals have or have not deserved recognition. His inclusion of Passion in the list of musicals that should NOT have one is a courageous choice. I agree with him. What a dull, evening that musical was. It is mistitled, it should have been called “Obsession”…no character in that musical had a clue of what passion is. I don’t know why the critics were as kind as they were. It was a case of “The Emperor’s New Clothes.”

In my opinion, the musical that was most overlooked for Best Musical was Into the Woods. How did Phantom of the Opera beat this emotional wallop of a show? “Phantom” is all spectacle, recycled tunes and empty lyrics.”Woods” is an in depth study of the human psyche, coupled with unforgettable characters and deep felt messages. Themes of forgiveness, the ache of loss, the power of jealousy, the intensity of parental control, the humor of life’s complications and the fears that reside deep in our hearts are all explored with precision and poetry.

I do have to argue that Avenue Q is the better musical over Wicked. Granted, Wicked is a powerhouse of show that had great performances, a mostly exhilerating score and a unique take on a classic story…but the story ambles about in the second act and the show’s resolution is a cop out. When I truly thought Elphaba was dead, I felt the show tragic and full of meaning. Then she crawls out of the floor and runs off with a Scarecrow! I laughed…and humor is not the final emotion I should have walked away from the Gershwin with. It should have been the ache of the loss of a beautiful, unique friendship.

Avenue Q, as ribald as it is, had a better through line to its story, it balanced humor with sadness, it gave us a cast of unforgetable characters and explodes with shear joy! The songs do exactly what they need to, and anyone who thinks of the score as sedond rate humor need only listen to “A Fine, Fine Line” to knwo that these composers are writing from the heart.

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