The 1998 Tony Awards, Part 1

My Little Tonys

For our second episode, we’re tackling the first half of the 1998 Tony Awards. In this episode we explore whether Ragtime is the Show Boat of the 90s, the American Les Miserables, historical fanfiction, or all of the above; scream about the insane alternate second act Julie Taymor pitched for The Lion King; and shout out Seth Rudetsky, the Muppets, and American Girl Magazine. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram (@mylittletonys) for additional content about this season’s shows!

Works referenced/cited:

Brantley, Ben. “THEATER REVIEW; Cub Comes of Age: A Twice-Told Cosmic Tale.” The New York Times, 14 Nov. 1997.

DeVries, Hilary. “Julie Taymor: Giving Theater a Touch of Cross-Cultural Whimsy.” The Christian Science Monitor, 31 Oct. 1986.

Gussow, Mel. “The Looking Glass World of Julie Taymor.” The New York Times, 22 Mar. 1992.

Green, Jesse. “A Web and a Prayer.” New York Magazine, 21 Nov. 2010.

Kantor, Michael, director. Broadway: The American Musical. PBS, 2004.

Lyman, Rick. “Season's Last Hurrah, Live From Radio City.” The New York Times, 5 June 1998.

Martin, Douglas. “Disney Seals Times Square Theater Deal.” The New York Times, 3 Feb. 1994.

Rich, Frank. “Conversations With Sondheim.” The New York Times, 12 Mar. 2000.

Rose, Frank. “Can Disney Tame 42nd Street?” CNNMoney, 24 June 1996.

“Intercultural Theatre and Puppetry in the Works of Julie Taymor.” Intercultural Puppetry, 15 Dec. 2014.

Patinkin, Sheldon. "No Legs, No Jokes, No Chance": a History of the American Musical Theater. Northwestern University Press, 2008.

Bloom, Ken, and Frank Vlastnik. Broadway Musicals: the 101 Greatest Shows of All Time. Black Dog & Leventhal Pubs., 2010.

Filichia, Peter. Broadway Musicals: The Biggest Hit & the Biggest Flop of the Season 1959 to 2009. Applause Books, 2010.

Paller, Rebecca. “NY Times' Brantley Dissents on Ragtime.” Playbill, 19 Jan. 1998.

“Ragtime – Original Broadway Cast 1998.” The Official Masterworks Broadway Site.

Brantley, Ben. “THEATER REVIEW; 'Ragtime': A Diorama With Nostalgia Rampant.” The New York Times, 19 Jan. 1998.

Brantley, Ben. “I Hear America Singing, in Syncopation.” The New York Times, 15 Nov. 2009.

“Take Two: Hear the Fascinating History of Side Show from the Original Stars & Creators.” Broadway.com.

Pride of The Lion King | Behind the Scenes Documentary (Making of)

The Lion King: A Pre-Broadway Special

Julie Taymor: Spider-Man, The Lion King and life on the creative edge

Thomas Schumacher Chats About The 20th Anniversary Of "The Lion King"

Stephen Flaherty, Lynn Ahrens - How They Work

Stephen Flaherty, Lynn Ahrens - Ragtime (Live Performance)

Creating Broadway's Ragtime - PBS 1998

American Theatre Wing. “Production: ‘Ragtime’ (Working In The Theatre #272).”

“1776.” Muppet Wiki.

Fierberg, Ruthie. “9 Secrets Director Julie Taymor Revealed about The Lion King.” Playbill, 28 Jan. 2017.

Production: ‘The Lion King’ (Working In The Theatre # 270)

Morris, Hugh. “The Curious History of Times Square – and Why You Should Visit, despite the Chaos.” The Telegraph, 25 June 2018.

“A Conversation with David Henry Hwang and Julie Taymor.” Housing Works.

Evans, Greg. “A View From the Bridge.” Variety, Variety, 15 Dec. 1997.