Will Cerveris Top Esparza?- Page 2

[folkyboy]

Posted: 5/4/07 at 10:30am

looking at that picture Craww posted, it's like i'm staring at them and going "which one of you will be my baby's daddy?"

::swoon::

i want Raul to win but only because his performance is amazing. Cerveris is just charming as ever, even as a shy little German guy, but i think Raul topped him this year.

i'm betting they wanna recognize Company with some award and Best Actor is going to be it. i don't suspect it'll win for Revival (as much as it should) so this'll be their little gift.

Cerveris has won a Tony before so it'll put it in Raul's favor. i'm more in love with Cerveris than Raul but that's not what we're giving awards for. Raul all the way.

[Weez]

Posted: 5/4/07 at 10:32am

Can we please not have such innuendo-laden subject headings? I read this place at work sometimes, and won't be able to concentrate on work this afternoon thanks to the not-undelightful mental images now running through my head. ^_^

I honestly couldn't choose between Esparza, Cerveris, or even Pierce. I think I'll be happy whoever wins and am definitely intrigued to see who takes it. (Of course, if one or more of them fail to even be nominated, then I will be very angry and shouty. I'm sure others will too...)

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 5/4/07 at 1:02pm

My problem with Esparza is that he is doing a fantastic job in a role that many other people have done a fantastic job in (excuse the preposition, please).

Yes, this is a different COMPANY and a different Bobby - but it is still COMPANY. I think is work is great, but not necessarily ground breakingly different. Yeah, he can sing. And he can act. And do oth at the same time - and very well.

What Cerveris is doing is the difficult task of portraying a man in a love musikal (sorry, had to) who isn't - or wasn't - the most outrightly romantic man. And he is doing that very well. (And yeah, he can sing and an act and do it all at the same time.) He also grows as a character throughout the piece and his accent never wavers.

I haven't seen CURTAINS - but Pierce is a great actor and perhaps even deserves a Tony just for that.

Martin Short also did a fantastic job playing himself in dreamland. Seeing that show was the most fun I've had at a show in a long time. But I'd rather see the production itself win a Tony than the man himself.


Then again - if the Tony's decide to heap awards on Hal Prince and all, it may hurt the chances of the actors. I do think LOVEMUSIK deserves an award for costumes.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 5/4/07 at 1:01pm

Updated On: 5/4/07 at 01:01 PM

[folkyboy]

Posted: 5/4/07 at 1:13pm

i'd be fine with Cerveris winning the Tony if COMPANY wins revival. like i said, i think they're gonna give it to Esparza because they're gonna dick COMPANY out of a revival spot.

[jpbran]

Posted: 5/4/07 at 1:16pm

The title and D2's comment are giving me the vapors...

[D2]

Posted: 5/4/07 at 1:37pm

What'd I say?

*looks around, innocently*

[FosterChild]

Posted: 5/4/07 at 2:02pm

BsoBw just saved me time typing a long response as I feel the exact same way.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 5/4/07 at 2:03pm

Martin. Short.

[Al Dente]

Posted: 5/4/07 at 2:16pm

Not having seen either, Esparaza while a phenomenal performer, isn't breaking any new ground which Cerveris seems to be.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/4/07 at 3:06pm

That's the scenario I always had in mind.

[toomeytwopiece]

Posted: 5/4/07 at 3:22pm

Cerveris is creating a role in a new musical - that is more difficult than recreating a role others have done (in the case of Esparza). I don't feel moved by Esparza when he sings, it always seems like a chore for him, as though he is costantly conscious of having to make technical choices as a singer, whereas with Cerveris, it's more natural, and therefore serves the acting better. This is such a subjective topic!!

Therefore, to get away from subjectivity, if that is at all possible with regard to the Tony Awards: since the Tony Awards are about touring and money, I would say that the best bets are GAVIN LEE and DAVID HYDE PIERCE... both are in shows that would best work on tour (Mary Poppins for obvious reasons, and Curtains because it's fun and by Cabaret creators Kander & Ebb).
Plus, both men would deserve the award.

What IS nice about this is that all four of these men are quite talented. Cerveris is my favorite to win, though I might be a bit biased based on the material he performs, and the fact that he's the only one I know. See? It's all subjective.

[raphael06]

Posted: 5/4/07 at 3:28pm

Raul Esparza is a great performer and I think his continual progress is apparent in each work he has done through the years. While, his Bobby was quite good I did not find it "mind blowing" by any means. (I think the true gem of the COMPANY revival is Barbara Walsh as Joanne!). I think it will be a close race for the Tony between Cerveris and Esparza. I have not seen MARY POPPINS, but apparently Gavin Lee is fantastic and a contender as well?

[WOSQ]

Posted: 5/4/07 at 3:39pm

Pierce

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 5/4/07 at 3:39pm

Cerveris is creating a role in a new musical - that is more difficult than recreating a role others have done (in the case of Esparza).

I disagree. I think it's more difficult to recreate a well-known role to the point where people don't just see you as a glorified replacement. Everyone has seen Company at this point, so they're going to immediately compare Raul Esparza to the actors that came before. He has to compete with every other Bobby ever seen by the voters, in addition to the other actors in his category.

Kurt Weill was a real person, but he's been dead for over 50 years. Very few audience members would have had any personal experiences with Kurt Weill and be in a position to compare Michael Cerveris to the "original". It's not like Kurt Weill portrayals are revived every 10 years and done in dinner theatres across America.

Updated On: 5/4/07 at 03:39 PM

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 5/4/07 at 3:46pm

I think that's the point. Cerveris is recreating the man on stage. There are enough personal accounts and recordings of Weill to get a sense of who he is. Maybe the general audience goer doesn't know, but that should all be taken into consideration for the voting.

Creating a role on stage is creating a role from words on paper. Esparza isn't necessarily doing anything exquisitely new with the role. And I know that's not fair. But that's also a reason replacements can't receive nominations. It's an unfair way of doing things - but even if Esparza was the first Bobby I would still prefer Cerveris to win. My reasons stated above.

[SorryGrateful]

Posted: 5/4/07 at 3:50pm

Well, this will definitely be an interesting "race."

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 5/4/07 at 3:53pm

Yes, but not all Tony voters across America ARE familiar with Kurt Weill's personality. They just know his music. That was my point; not everyone has seen enough of the personal accounts of Kurt Weill to be able to compare him to a portrayal.

And toomeytwopiece didn't even mention the fact that Cerveris is playing a real person; his point was just that since it's a "new character", it's harder, like it's no different than DHP creating a new role in Curtains.

[LaCageAuxFollesFan]

Posted: 5/4/07 at 4:02pm

Cerveris/Esparza
Ebersole/Murphy

Those are going to be two extremely tight and hot races. I think what Cerveris and Murphy do in that show is simply brilliant and completely astonishing. And Ebersoles work is within a class of its own. I'd give all 4 of them a Tony. What's wrong with a tie? They each deserve it.

[robbiej]

Posted: 5/4/07 at 4:03pm

It's an interesting debate.

Having done roles in well-known pieces as well as created things from scratch, I have to say that the 'unknown factor' in a new piece is probably the toughest part. In an established piece like Company, you know that it works...on a very basic level. Also, the emotional arc has already been charted for the role. Now, one can choose to go against what's come before or to do a new interpretation. But, in the end, the safety net of 'This has worked before' is there.

In a new piece, that doesn't exist. It's really walking the wire without a net. It's terrifying...and thrilling.

That said, should that come into play when deciding the Tony? The award is called Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical, not Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical Who Had the Toughest Job.

[SorryGrateful]

Posted: 5/4/07 at 4:30pm

Posted: 5/4/07 at 5:02pm

Brian said:

"I don't feel moved by Esparza when he sings, it always seems like a chore for him, as though he is costantly conscious of having to make technical choices as a singer"

I agree with Brian completely. When I voiced my thoughts on Esparza to a NY cabaret singer, she said "I don't like to watch a performer's technique." She hit the nail on the head also.

[gustof777]

Posted: 5/4/07 at 5:03pm

i'm just praying Groff gets a nod over Gavin Lee.

[Stop The Clock2]

Posted: 5/4/07 at 7:03pm

I hope David Hyde Pierce wins.

I think Lee should get the nom over Groff, but that's just me.

[TheaterAddict7652]

Posted: 5/4/07 at 7:10pm

Esparza and Cerveris went head to head just a few years ago, where they were both the frontrunners in their category. Esparza won the Drama Desk, and Cerveris won the Tony. This year Esparza will win the Tony.

Exactly