Theatre’s best losers – these musicals didn’t win big awards when they first opened

This week marks 22 years since Avenue Q famously “beat Wicked” to win Best Musical at the 2004 Tony Awards.

But really, both shows were winners. Wicked has defied all odds, as well as gravity, to become one of the world’s most beloved musicals and was celebrated with a star-studded, record-breaking two-part movie adaptation. Meanwhile, Avenue Q is back in the West End, enjoying a new revival and marking its 20th anniversary.

Wicked received a similarly disappointing response from awards voters when it flew over to the West End (joke is on them, the Victoria Apollo Theatre is still the most swankified place in town). It was nominated for four Olivier Awards in 2007: Best Director, Best Costume Design, Best Lighting Design, and Best Set Design, but left empty-handed. The Best New Musical that year went instead to Caroline, or Change (which was also nominated for the same Tony in 2004!).

The tale of the two witchy best friends isn’t the only mega-musical that was left out in the cold by awards voters. Les Misérables, now celebrating its 40th anniversary with an epic arena world tour, a new recording and more, lost out to the Olivier Award for its world premiere in 1985. Even more surprisingly, there were only two musicals in contention that year, with Me and My Girl taking home the trophy. It fared much better on Broadway two years later, winning eight of the 12 awards it was nominated for.

Les Mis has since picked up audience awards from the Olivier Awards and has won the WhatsOnStage Award for Best West End Show, highlighting its continuing influence. The same can be said for Wicked, which continues to thrillify audiences. Both shows have since been honoured at the WhatsOnStage Awards for their continuing productions and casting.

Les Mis isn’t the only Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil musical that was initially snubbed. Miss Saigon lost the coveted Best Musical Award at the Oliviers in 1990, with the prize going to Return to the Forbidden Planet. Likewise, the Tony went to The Will Rogers Follies. Stars Lea Salonga and Jonathan Pryce did, however, get recognised for their leading performances, adding an Olivier and a Tony to their mantelpieces. The musical will return to the West End reimagined, following its tour.

Additionally, the UK and US voters aren’t always in agreement. Matilda The Musical broke records at the Olivier Awards (Eleanor Worthington-Cox remains the youngest Olivier Award winner to date) and was named Best Musical, as it continues to play to sell-out crowds. Meanwhile, on Broadway, the Tim Minchin stage adaptation lost out to another British import, Kinky Boots. 

Continuing to prove that awards aren’t everything, Chicago failed to paint the town and pick up any Tony Awards for its original production in 1976, losing to another dance classic, A Chorus Line. Its revival 20 years later is now a Broadway institution and did win the Best Musical Revival Tony.

Interestingly, in 2000, both juggernaut musicals The Lion King and Mamma Mia! lost out on the Olivier Award to a little-known musical called Honk!. The year before that, Rent failed to take home the trophy. The adored musical West Side Story and its many iterations have largely failed to win prizes at the Tonys, all except for the original production’s set design and choreography. In 2009, KO became the first – and only – performer to earn an acting Tony for their performance, and also picked up the award from the Drama Desk, too.

Grease is another crowdpleaser which has never won a competitive Tony Award for any of its productions, having only been recognised by the Drama Desk for its original production. In the UK, the musical has only ever received two Olivier Award nominations, winning none. Despite this, it continues to be a UK staple, selling out tours across the country, regularly visiting the West End, and even playing an immersive summer season in London. WhatsOnStage Award winner Arlene Phillips won a Special Olivier Award in 2023 for her contributions to the theatre industry, and the occasion was marked with a classic Grease megamix performance at the ceremony.

Despite its revival sweeping at this year’s Olivier Awards, Into the Woods didn’t receive the Tony or the Olivier Award for its original production. In fairness, on Broadway, it was up against The Phantom of the Opera, which went on to become the longest-running musical on the Great White Way, and here, the musical lost out to Sunday in the Park with George. Any result where Stephen Sondheim wins is a good one.

In years to come, we will surely look back at some of the most fantastic pieces of theatre and wonder aloud how it could have been “snubbed”. Possibly because there is simply so much great art that resonates with different groups of people, or because sleeper hits become cult favourites. One year that comes to mind is the 2017 Tony Awards bloodbath, which saw new musicals: Come From Away, Groundhog Day and Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 lose out to a Dear Evan Hansen sweep.

As financial and economic pressures mount against the theatre industry, awards are becoming increasingly important to help keep the lights on for some shows. On Broadway, in particular, the Tony Awards fallout sees productions issue closing notices based on nominations alone. All of this is to say that sometimes it is the audiences and fans that can keep productions playing eight times a week, rather than voters.