Ragtime vs. The Lion King

[ceebeegee]

Proposition:

The Lion King definitely deserved the Tony for Best Musical that year, since (IMO) it was the better-directed, tighter, more theatrically overwhelming piece of musical theater. (When the audience started applauding during the "Circle of Life" number, I knew right then which show would win. That number works beautifully, I wept when I finally saw the show.)

However, Ragtime should've won the Pulitzer, since it's a great example of American playwriting and tells its story better (better score, better book) than TLK. (I have no idea what won the Pulitzer that year, just saying I think Ragtime should've gotten that award instead of the Tony).

Thoughts?

Comments

[dry-2olives.livejournal.com]

I believe the Tony for Best Musical should be based on the book, music and lyrics because that's what fills the blank page and when the production closes that's all you have left for the next production. The award for best director is the one that honors the production as a whole.

And I hated the fact that the audience was applauding all throughout The Circle of Life. It's the song that sets the theme of the play and I couldn't hear any of the lyrics because Julie Taymor seemed to think that parading her costumes around and getting applause was more important than the text.

[ceebeegee.livejournal.com]

As I said, it was the most theatrically overwhelming piece of theater, not just due to the direction. While TLK's score isn't as good as Ragtime's, it is certainly strong enough (especially with the addition of the African music--I love "Shadowlands" in particular) to contribute to a Best Musical Tony, as were the performances, the costumes, etc., all of which make up the award.

Have you seen TLK? The number as staged for the Tonys wasn't substantially different from its staging for the show. I have no idea what Taymor was thinking but I seriously doubt she was doing it to milk applause. And I can only speak for myself but I wasn't applauding the costumes--I was applauding the incredible dignity with which she invests the animals. It's a beautiful number.

[dry-2olives.livejournal.com]

Yes, I saw TLK on Broadway and during Circle of Life the entrance of each new costume got such long and loud applause that the lyric was unintelligible. From what I've heard that's a regular occurrence. I thought the score was fine but there was an inconsistency between the score and the cheap humor of the book. ("Hey, this didn't happen in the movie!") They didn't seem to be written for the same show. Take away the production values and I think the material of TLK is average at best and to me that doesn't make a best musical.

[nswakko15.livejournal.com]

They do have best book of a musical as a category, so i would think that is for book, music, and lyrics. And then best musical is everything put together and how it interacts (production values, etc.)
Oh and 1998 Pulitzer for Drama went to How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel

[dry-2olives.livejournal.com]

See, I wish they would go back to giving the Best Musical award to the bookwriter, composer & lyricist instead of having separate awards for book & score. The three elements of writing a musical are totally dependent on each other. The score (as well as everything else in a good musical) draws from the book. The Best Play award goes to the author (as well as to the producers) and I see no reason to judge plays and musical plays differently.

[king-duncan.livejournal.com]

Columbia University, on the recommendation of The Pulitzer Prize Board, annually awards a Pulitzer Prize in drama of $10,000 "for a distinguished play by an American author, preferably original in its source and dealing with American life."

I think because it was an adaptation, it was less likely to be considered.

Doctorow himself has won two Pulitzers, for his novels Billy Bathgate and The March, but not for Ragtime.

[ceebeegee.livejournal.com]

Interrressssting. Because South Pacific was an adaptation, as was Rent (okay, sort of) and (I believe) How to Succeed. Maybe they just decided that one-musical-per-decade slot had already been taken.

Even more interesting, now that I think of it, because as great as South Pacific is (one of my favorite musicals, and I'm one of the few who likes the movie as well), can one really say it deals with American life? It takes place in the South Pacific, and several of the main characters are non-Americans.

[dry-2olives.livejournal.com]

I think South Pacific absolutely deals with American life. It's about what happens when Americans go abroad and find their accepted morals and prejudices in conflict with those of a different culture. In 1949 you had a huge number of Americans who had returned from the war and their exposure to other cultures did affect their lives.

[dry-2olives.livejournal.com]

How to Succeed... is, in a broad sense, based on Shepherd Mead's book, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Mead's book is a humorous spoof of self-help books and the musical is an original story of how Finch uses the book to advance his career.