Best Musicals and The Tony Awards

Not necessarily the same thing.

Still, predictable Tony awards last night for the Play categories but some surprises in the Musicals. Happy for LaChanze who was so good in Company a few years back on Broadway and always deserved to win at some point, just thought Patti LuPone had it in the bag for being in Sweeney Todd AND playing the Tuba for it. Christian Hoff from Jersey Boys looked TRULY ASTOUNDED by his surprise win.


Basically, people voted with their hearts again this year, since fun and bouncy The Pajama Game won over the critically acclaimed Sweeney Todd, sort of the War and Peace of musicals, important to see, and much appreciated, but do people love it? This of course sets up Company that will be revived this fall, in the same actors/orchestra manner that Sweeney Todd is, will win next year (apparently the device works even better for that show, and that show is about love and relationships so much more loved).

So, Don McKellar and Bob Martin won best Book for Drowsy! Too bad it lost to Jersey Boys in the Best Musical category, though I can't exactly fault it, cause while it's a Jukebox musical, apparently its actually quite good, and Drowsy, while amusing, is not the perfect musical either.

So while I'm at it. What ARE the Best Musicals to see? Here are my all-time picks, because as you know. I love making Lists... (these however are only based on musicals I have seen live on stage so it leaves out some classics that I havent seen yet or Avenue Q which I still haven't actually seen yet, but based on the soundtrack, sounds fantastic. Also leaves out Opera's like Baz Lurhman's Pucini's La Boheme and "events" like Da La Gaurda, or dance shows like Matthew Bourne's The Car Man).

1. Rent (still playing on Broadway and around the world)
2. Ragtime
3. Company (back on Broadway in the fall)
4. Into the Woods
5. The Who's Tommy
6. Cabaret
7. Chicago (still playing on Broadway)
8. Billy Elliot (still playing in London's West End)
9. Urinetown
10. Les Miserable (must be playing somewhere in the world right? Re-opening on Broadway soon)
11. Mamma Mia (still playing on Broadway)
12. Crazy for You
13. The Lion King (still playing on Broadway)
14. Oh What a Lovely War!
15. The Full Monty
16. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
17. Top Gun The Musical
18. Hairspray (still playing on Broadway)
19. Show Boat
20. The Drowsy Chaperone (still playing on Broadway)
21. Hedwig and the Angry Inch
22. My Fair Lady
23. Miss Saigon
24. Guys and Dolls (still playing in London’s West End)
25. Boygroove
26. Jolson
27. Little Shop of Horrors
28. The Rocky Horror Picture Show
29. The Lord of the Rings (still playing in Toronto)

Shows that were okay

The King and I
Once upon a Matress
Kat and the Kings
Beauty and the Beast

Most Disappointing

Wicked
Smokey Joes Café
Fosse
The Producers
Starlight Express (quite possibly the worst musical EVER)