"Excuse me? Oh and, above all else, I can say whole heartedly without a doubt in my mind that LESLEY Odom Jr. will be nowhere on the list of Tony nominees this year. "
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
On a serious note, does anyone think Odon isn't a lock to win? As much as I like HAMILTON, this is seriously going to be one of the most boring, predictable award ceremonies of all time. The only award with any "suspense" to it is Leading Actress in a musical.
I think Lead Actor in a Musical could be one of those categories where Tony voters could end up spreading the wealth to other shows. Lin-Manuel Miranda and Leslie Odom, Jr. could split the vote and Tony voters would be doing just that (like Robert Lindsay winning for Me & My Girl over Colm Wilkinson and Terrence Mann in Les Miserables and Norbert Leo Butz winning for Catch Me If You Can over Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad in The Book of Mormon).
I think best actress in a musical is between Mueller and Erivo. I loved Laura in She Loves Me but it didn't stay with me the way those other two performances did.
For me, the problem with Erivo is that she's giving a very good performance in an awful show, just like LaChanze did. The actress playing Celie (if she's good) can really elevate the weak book and score to seem much better than it actually is. And as I've always said, I think THE COLOR PURPLE is one of the greatest books ever written and also one of the greatest American films of all time, so I know the material very very well.
I think Shuffle Along will actually be forgotten if it succeeds in being deemed a revival. I honestly can't believe that the nominating committee would completely forget the truly ground breaking revival of Spring Awakening, in the one catagory where they can easily throw it a bone. Add to that of the fact all 4 of the ACTUAL REVIALS (I am not including Dames at Sea as it is a Classic not a revival) opened to raves to the point where the is not clear front runner except for discounting Spring Awakening as it is no longer open.
His acting nominees are also out of wack as if either of the male leads of Hamilton were to be nominated it would be Lesley Odom Jr. I say either because it is such a strong catagory this year I honestly don't think Lin Manuel Miranda will make the cut since he will already be nominated for score where he will easily win.
Best Actor:
Danny Burstein- FIddler giving the performance of his life
Alex Brightman- School of Rock is the soul of the show and actualy makes it work. He is giving the *Bright New Star* performance
Benjamin Walker- American Psycho- Is this even a question and in all honesty I think he might be the front runner
Zachary Levi- She Loves Me- I haven't seem She Loves Me Yet, but from what I have heard he is giving an amaizing performance
Leslie Odom Jr- Hamilton- He truly carries the show and is the much more showy part. He is the Norbert Leo Butz to Miranda's Aaron Tveit.
Telly Leung- Allegiance- Very much a dark horse but is the unsung hero of the season
Miranda is easily one of the weaker leading men of the season even in his own show.
It's Erivo's to lose. Benanti is incredible, but the performance (nay, the role) isn't particularly moving and it just doesn't hold a candle dramatically to what Erivo, Mueller, Cusack and Soo are doing. Though I think Erivo is a lock to win, I think there is major suspense in seeing which ladies will join her in the category, as there are at least six women this year giving MUST-SEE performances and five slots to fill.
As of this week, I have now seen all contenders for Leading Actress in a Musical. And I maintain that it is absolutely Erivo's to lose. I do hope Cusack gets nominated, though, as she is absolutely stellar in a less than stellar musical.
I also find it hard to believe the Tony Awards will consider Shuffle Along a revival. It feels very much a new work, and one that I hope (after last night's performance) will pick up a nomination for Best Musical. I actually can see an outcome where the three Musical Revival nominees are Color Purple, She Loves Me and Spring Awakening.
"Sing the words, Patti!!!!" Stephen Sondheim to Patti LuPone.
I sent a correction into Riedel regarding BLACKBIRD...the article now reads:
As for Best Play, the nominees will be “The Humans” (it will win), “The Father,” “King Charles III” and “Eclipsed.”
"Oh look at the time, three more intelligent plays just closed and THE ADDAMS FAMILY made another million dollars" -Jackie Hoffman, Broadway.com Audience Awards
I know it's just opinion, but to be honest, I'm really surprised by how a lot of you think that Lin is giving one of the weaker leading performances. When I saw him last week, he completely blew me away and didn't seem tired or phoning it in in the least. If I hadn't read this board beforehand I wouldn't have even thought of it. Because of the slightly low expectation, it almost distracted me of Leslie Odom Jr's tour de force because I was so shocked by how good of an actor Lin was too. I felt that both Lin and Leslie were equals when they were on the stage, and I'd be happy to see either one win Best Actor. But that's just me, and I respect how you guys feel as well.
I don't think Lin will be locked out of Best Actor. His performance, by any metric, is very good and worthy of nomination. He will also be riding the Hamilton wave.
"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."
bfreak said: "I know it's just opinion, but to be honest, I'm really surprised by how a lot of you think that Lin is giving one of the weaker leading performances. When I saw him last week, he completely blew me away and didn't seem tired or phoning it in in the least. If I hadn't read this board beforehand I wouldn't have even thought of it. Because of the slightly low expectation, it almost distracted me of Leslie Odom Jr's tour de force because I was so shocked by how good of an actor Lin was too. I felt that both Lin and Leslie were equals when they were on the stage, and I'd be happy to see either one win Best Actor. But that's just me, and I respect how you guys feel as well.
"
I agree. I thought leslie was amazing but Lin was very good as well. I know he doesn't have like the most magnificent voice ever but he was really good. He deserves the nom for sure in my honest opinion.