Hobbled as it was by a long newspaper strike, 1962-63 was a rather thin season, especially since She Loves Me opened so "late" (April 23!) that it was forced by Tony deadlines to compete in 1963-64 (against Dolly, Funny Girl, et al). That said, there's nothing odd about Oliver! winning against those other nominated shows. Though my own vote would probably have gone to Little Me, I recognize that that show has its shortcomings, and Oliver! has proved a durable classic, if more so in England than here. Bravo, Giovanni, by the way, was a short-lived vehicle for opera star Cesare Siepi that had closed long before the Tonys were announced. It had an implausible book, but a very attractive score; you can find the cast album on YouTube, and it's worth listening to.
No Strings beat How To Succeed in the score department because it deserved to. I'm with Snowysdad, below. For me, How To Succeed is decidedly lesser Loesser. Greater Loesser would be Guys and Dolls or The Most Happy Fella. |
