Award Snub: There was a strong feeling that the show deserved a Tony nomination for Best Musical for the show itself and for Steven Pasquale for Leading Actor in a Musical. Later, frustration arose over the by-now-legendary Kelli O'Hara's eventual loss in the Leading Actress category.[
Tear Jerker: The last 10-15 minutes of the show are pretty much non-stop tearjerkers:
The truck scene from the movie plays out with Francesca and her family going into town instead, then spotting Robert watching them. Francesca runs to him, they embrace, she tells him she loves him and to take her away. And then it's revealed that is just her fantasy- instead, she goes with her family and shares one last look with Robert.
"It All Fades Away", as Robert, now older, graying, and dying of an unspecified illness sings of his unending love for Francesca as the one thing in his life that has never faded from memory.
"Always Better," in which Francesca reads Robert's letter and reflects on love and loss. Then, the final moments: on the bridge, Robert appears, he and Francesca younger again, and he reprises "One Second and a Million Miles" before wrapping his arms around her as the lights dim.
They Changed It, Now It Sucks!: The most polarizing aspect of the adaptation was the expansion of the story world beyond the two leads, in particular giving what many felt was too much time to Francesca's family and town.
