The Tony Awards: Anatomy of the Best Musical Nomination

With only 4 slots open in the Best Musical category, and (usually) several more shows than that eligible, some shows just can't make the cut.  Every year, it seems, at least one show makes the cut unexpectedly; the rest are deemed "givens" or "space fillers," depending upon who is doing the talking.  Last year, there was plenty of shock when Leap of Faith got a nod, but Bonnie and Clyde (a fan favorite) and Lysistrata Jones (the best reviewed musical of most of the season) were left out.  Though it always seems to register as a surprise, one thing that is not unusual is that, like Leap of Faith, at least one of the nominees has closed already.  It isn't an every year thing, but it isn't all that unusual, either.

I thought it might be interesting to look at the Tony nominees for Best Musical over the last 10 seasons.  In doing so, I have found that, more or less the shows can be divided into 5 categories, with the understanding that many shows have characteristics that make them overlap categories.

Bonnie and Clyde didn't make the cut

• The Traditional: Singing, dancing, book scenes.  Comedy, a little drama, with an emotional component, and elements of spectacle.
• The Artistic Boundary Pusher: Often the musical that people say belongs "off-Broadway," is usually a critical, not commercial success, that has most agreeing that it has pushed the art form into a new, challenging direction.
• The Jukebox: Whether it is a biographical trip down memory lane or an original story has been crafted, this type includes a songbook of popular music .  Often critics and passionate fans jump on the lamenting the death of originality bandwagon, but the truth is, about half the time, the shows work.
• The Family Show: Again, fans seem to automatically dismiss these shows... "too Disney" blah, blah, blah,  BUT when these shows offer both an emotional quality and stunning spectacle, the crowds keep coming.
• The Crowd-Pleaser/Spectacle:  These shows are often described as "critic proof."  And more often than not, there is one big element that is the draw despite a wholesale dismissal for the rest of the show.  And nearly 100% of the time, these shows are a triumph of style over substance.

How did the nominees and winners shake out over the last 10 seasons?  The winner is in red.  An astrix (*) indicates which show I thought should have won.  Here's chart for your consideration:

SEASON/ SHOW TITLE	PRIMARY TYPE	SECONDARY TYPE	NOTES
2003
Hairspray *	Traditional	Crowd-pleaser	Still some of the best song and dance in years; off beat enough to be fun, but still accessible; longest-running
Amour	Artistic Boundary Pusher		Very unusual plot...; Already closed at Tony-time
Movin' Out *	Artistic Boundary Pusher	Jukebox	Artistic, creative, stunning
A Year with Frog and Toad	Family	Traditional	A kid show that requires imagination on the part of the audience proved a tough sell; already closed at Tony time
2004
Avenue Q *	Artistic Boundary Pusher		Edgy, smart, sophisticated and still emotional; Still running
The Boy from Oz	Jukebox	Crowd-pleaser	What would it have been without Hugh Jackman?
Caroline, or Change	Artistic Boundary Pusher		Completely original; definitely an artistic achievement; Already closed by Tonys
Wicked	Crowd-Pleaser	Spectacle	Still Running; a cultural icon at this point
2005
Monty Python's Spamalot	Traditional		Edgy just to be edgy; my last choice of all 4[ longest-running
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels	Traditional		More sophisticated than The Full Monty; not as beloved
The Light in the Piazza *	Artistic Boundary Pusher	Traditional	Definitely the artistic achievement of the season
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee	Artistic Boundary Pusher	Traditional	Completely original
2006
Jersey Boys	Jukebox	Crowd-pleaser	Biographical; Still running
The Color Purple	Traditional	Crowd-pleaser	Stunt casting and Oprah should have been enough.  It wasn't.
The Drowsy Chaperone *	Traditional	Crowd-pleaser	Completely original
The Wedding Singer	Traditional	Crowd-pleaser	This 80'sfunfest was better than its run suggests
2007
Spring Awakening *	Artistic Boundary Pusher	Crowd-pleaser	The show's fans are legendary; a whole new generation of actors in one show
Curtains	Traditional
Grey Gardens	Artistic Boundary Pusher		Biographical
Mary Poppins	Family	Spectacle	Longest-running of the four
2008
In the Heights *	Traditional		Original story, longest runner of the four
Cry-Baby	Traditional		Odd ball John Waters characters
Passing Strange	Artistic Boundary Pusher		Way out of the box; original story
Xanadu	Jukebox	Traditional	Silly fun with lots of style; surprise hit
2009
Billy Elliot: The Musical	Traditional	Family Show	Uber-talented child actors rule this show
Next to Normal *	Artistic Boundary Pusher		Bi-Polar disorder shouldn't sell, but did; Pulitzer Prize; original story
Rock of Ages	Jukebox	Traditional	You can drink at your seat.  What else could it be? Only show still running
Shrek: The Musical	Family	Spectacle	Some spectacle.  Too many different things at once?
2010
Memphis	Traditional		Longest runner of all; original story
American Idiot *	Artistic Boundary Pusher	Jukebox	Modern, edgy rock on Broadway; Original story
Fela!	Artistic Boundary Pusher		Biographical
Million Dollar Quartet	Jukebox	Traditional	Historic event
2011
The Book of Mormon	Traditional	Artistic Boundary Pusher	Mega-hit!
Catch Me If You Can	Traditional		Highly stylized; biographical
The Scottsboro Boys *	Artistic Boundary Pusher	Traditional	Historical Event; Already closed by Tonys
Sister Act	Traditional
2012
Once *	Artistic Boundary Pusher	Traditional
Leap of Faith	Traditional		Already closed by Tonys
Newsies: The Musical	Traditional	Crowd-pleaser	Rabid fans
Nice Work If You Can Get It	Traditional	Jukebox	Star Vehicle

Notice any patterns?  Notice that more often than not, traditional shows win, but that they have unique hooks?  Notice that family musicals rarely take home the prize, but run the longest?

Who'll take the 4 nominations this season? A crowd-pleasing family show or two?  A boundary-pushing artistic endeavor? A jukebox musical? Or a traditional show with a twist?  Which shows won't make the cut?  We'll see in a few days!

Jeff

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