"110 In The Shade" - Will Audra Get The Best Reviews of the Season?- Page 2

[jbdc]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 1:41pm

Valid point. But she will get raves. It is impossible to see 110 and not fall completely in love with Audra. It's a very brave performance. And while Grey Gardens is a new show--it, too, is mediocre material (according to every review) for everyone except its lead actress.

[bwaygal1]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 1:49pm

Everyone here knows where my sympathies lie-with Christine Ebersole, whose performances are amazing, transforming, in fact.
I think she'll win for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the fact she's creating a role that's hers in every sense of the word. Also, I think longevity in the role helps-110 is a limited run, which could hurt Audra rather than help her. Also-since Christine has stuck with her roles so long, she has developed the characters incredibly (moulding them, in fact).
Also-she's won pretty much everything else she can-kinda like Helen Mirren this year at the Academy Awards.
I doubt enough sympathy votes will go Audra's way to make a difference. And she won't get the "legendary" reviews Christine has. I guarantee it. This has been Christine's award for awhile-as someone said-Patti's reviews weren't universally great (or as strong.) This is Christine's to win. I predict Audra and Donna will split the pre-Tony awards and Christine will win the Tony.

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 1:53pm

I disagree with your assesment of Grey Gardens, jbdc. You might want to read th reviews again. Yes, the critics loved Ebersole, but they also loved Wilson, and most of them said the material had improved a lot since Off-Broadway. Most were very positive.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 1:55pm

It's possible...but unlikely.
Ebersole's reviews are once-in-a-lifetime reviews; it's highly unlikely that McDonald (while brilliant in the show) will recieve reviews to rival Ebersole's.

I DO think she'll get raves but not nearly as enthusiatic remarks as Ebersole got.

[bwaygal1]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 2:00pm

most of them said the material had improved a lot since Off-Broadway. Most were very positive.

Yes, that's right. Don't forget, GG beat out Broadway shows last year to win the Outer Critics' for best musical. (It also got best actress.)
I think both ladies will win, as a matter of fact.

[Testing1232]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 3:13pm

Not a go a bit off-topic here, but think I saw that Steggert got an Outer Critics Circle nom... Great to see !

Thought he was excellent !

[defyingravity11]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 4:20pm

Testing, I saw the same performance and I agree that she is Christine's biggest competition! I was so excited to finally see her live (I have practically every recording she has done, but have never seen her perform live). She blew me away! The whole production was just wonderful. I always thought that Company would eaisly win best revival, but now I think it has some steep competition. While I don't think that Audra will win the Tony this time, she certainly equals Christine in excellence!

[wickedfan]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 4:25pm

Have yet to see Audra in 110, but I'm very much looking forward to it. I have no doubt that she's fantastic (she's Audra, it's very rare when she's not), but Christine really is giving the performance of the century.

If any actress takes the Tony this year who isn't Christine, I don't care if it is Audra or Donna, it would be the biggest travesty that Tony's have made since not awarding Merman the award for Gypsy.

[Testing1232]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 4:31pm

<< it would be the biggest travesty that Tony's have made since not awarding Merman the award for Gypsy. >>

And topped later on when "Ragtime" didnt win Best Musical.

[Testing1232]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 4:36pm

Liked "Company" and Raul is excellent, but think "110" is better---

Didnt feel moved by "Company"-

[FOAnatic]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 4:40pm

I don't think RAGTIME not winning Best Musical tops Merman not getting the award for GYPSY.

[Testing1232]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 4:53pm

Guess what I meant to say that Merman not winning wasnt the most recent travesty. That went to "LK" winning Best Musical.

[popculture37]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 5:14pm

"Don't forget, GG beat out Broadway shows last year to win the Outer Critics' for best musical. (It also got best actress.)"

Unless I'm much mistaken, GG won best OFF-Broadway musical at the outer critics last year, so it didn't beat out Broadway shows. I think Jersey Boys won best Broadway musical. But yes, Ebersole did win best actress over people from Broadway shows.

Personally, I think Ebersole had so much more to work with-Edie Beale has a ton of depth and quirks to play around with, so I don't really find it surprising that she found so much poignancy in the character. She's still amazing, but I was actually more impressed by Audra's finding so much depth in a character that I always thought of as kinda boring. Granted, they won't necessarily reward Audra for having a harder job, but if they do take the nature of the roles into account, I think Audra does a lot more with what she's got. But then, she has won four Tony Awards-maybe it's time to give someone else a chance.

[fflagg]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 5:18pm

why does everyone on this board have such a love Jones for Audra?

she is not an earth-shattering talent; and once again we have PC casting for this good not great musical.

she will get her 904th nomination and she will lose to Christine.

the sad thing is that the Tony will do nothing for Christine's career just as nothing great happened to Audra's.

[bwaygal1]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 5:24pm

"why does everyone on this board have such a love Jones for Audra? She is not an earth-shattering talent..."

Thank you! I've always thought she had a nice voice, but her acting was only okay. I saw her in "Ragtime" and thought Mary Louise Wilson should have won for her amazing performance in "Cabaret. Saw her in "Marie Christine" and thought she was fine, not superior. I think she'd have been better off staying an opera singer, personally; a pretty voice with little acting skills, IMO. (I know hailstones will come down on me for this!)

But, I must disagree with the fact that you think the Tony won't do anything for Christine's career. It will elevate her, I think. She'll get more choices and better roles.

[Ourtime992]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 5:26pm

"But then, she has won four Tony Awards-maybe it's time to give someone else a chance."

If you're just looking to share the wealth, you need to look farther than Ebersole, who already owns a Leading Actress statue and was nominated for a featured role a mere two years later. At least this win for Ebersole will be for a role that is actually a leading one...

Those two ladies are both swimming in awards and recognition for their talents. Not that they don't deserve every bit of it, but "giving chances" has little to do with this argument.

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 5:29pm

"It would be the biggest travesty that Tony's have made since not awarding Merman the award for Gypsy."

You have to look at who won, though.

Mary Martin for The Sound of Music. I'm not saying I'd have given it to Martin over Merman, but someone would be justified in doing so, I think.

It is like when someone mentions what a travesty it is that, say, Pippin didn't win Best Score. Well, it was beaten by A Little Night Music. I would have voted the same way.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 5:29pm

"I think she'd have been better off staying an opera singer, personally; a pretty voice with little acting skills, IMO. (I know hailstones will come down on me for this!)"

Right. That would explain why two of her four Tony's are for plays, now wouldn't it?

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 5:33pm

"But, I must disagree with the fact that you think the Tony won't do anything for Christine's career. It will elevate her, I think. She'll get more choices and better roles."

Sadly, I don't think winning another Tony for Grey Gardens will really have much of an impact on the direction of Ms. Ebersole's career.

Winning a Tony just doesn't necessarily translate into more and better opportunities. And she has already won once before.

[popculture37]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 5:38pm

Yes, ourtime, it's pretty much inevitable that a former tony winner will win best actress-there's no way that it will go to anyone other than Ebersole, McDonald, or Murphy. And I don't necessarily think that Audra's previous wins should count against her-they were all well-deserved, as this one would be. But awards voters to tend to take the past into account, and to think about the entire careers of the people they're voting on. Given that it's such a close race this year, and both actresses are going to have fantastic reviews, Tony voters trying to figure out to whom they should give the edge might think "well, Audra's won four times, does she really need a fifth statue?" Not entirely fair, but it could definitely be taken into account.

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 5:40pm

While she has won four times, she has yet to win a Leading Actress Tony. All four of her wins were for Featured Actress.

[popculture37]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 5:44pm

True. Hopefully the voters will think about that-I would love love love to see Audra win. I'm just not too confident that it will happen because in spite of her one Tony, the GG role seems like the huge defining moment in Ebersole's career, while Audra has been hailed as a brilliant actress and singer over and over again.

[defyingravity11]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 6:34pm

Wasn't Ebersole considered a leading actress for 42nd Street?

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 7:09pm

Yes, but most consider her role in 42nd to be a featured role.

[NYC4Life]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 7:33pm

"why does everyone on this board have such a love Jones for Audra? she is not an earth-shattering talent; and once again we have PC casting for this good not great musical."

Well I love Audra because I believe her performances and feel like she is always honest. To say her talent is not earth shattering is only your opinion. I am, like most moved by what she does. Clearly she makes a connection with people, you just happen not to be one of them, not your fault but don't take that away from Audra. You just don't get it, not a bad thing just the truth. AND WHAT THE HECK DOES PC CASTING MEAN HERE!?

As for saying "think she'd have been better off staying an opera singer, personally; a pretty voice with little acting skills, IMO".
Clearly you are just wrong, the fact she has four tony's and emmy nomination means that she would not heve been better off staying an opera singer and that by doing that she would have been limiting herself to one medium. If she was failing as a broadway star and actress that would make since. How would she be better off, if you are one of the few people that feel that way?
Updated On: 5/6/07 at 07:33 PM