2005 Tony for Best Actress in A Play

[LMcC95]

Posted: 9/4/15 at 4:29pm

Cherry Jones won for Doubt but she was nominated against Phylicia Rashad in Gem of the Ocean, Kathleen Turner in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Laura Linney in Sight Unseen, and Mary-Louise Parker in Reckless. That is a lot of big names all nominated for the same award in the same year. Was Cherry the favorite going into the night? Was it a shock when she won? 

Updated On: 9/4/15 at 04:29 PM

[Steve C.]

Posted: 9/4/15 at 4:37pm

While all of the actresses nominated that year, are phenomenal in the right role, if you saw "Proof" and Cherry Jones, that is an evening you will long never forget. CJ definitely deserved to win.

[mar6411]

Posted: 9/4/15 at 4:41pm

In answer to the questions:  Yes, No

This was the Doubt year not the Proof year.

It would have been helpful to include the roles.

[Steve C.]

Posted: 9/4/15 at 5:24pm

Thanks and oops; I don't know why I get those confused

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 9/4/15 at 5:39pm

According to Broadway.com's coverage, every listed pundit predicted Cherry Jones would win.

http://www.broadway.com/buzz/94521/broadway-pundits-predict-the-2005-tony-awards/

[mar6411]

Posted: 9/4/15 at 5:50pm

Steve C

I didn't mean to be critical.  The original post didn't have the roles when posted and I wasn't sure about what the nominated roles were (and guessed wrong on several) so I looked it up.  That's the only reason I knew for sure.

[Steve C.]

Posted: 9/4/15 at 6:35pm

Mar6411

No problem, there are definitely people on here that are more knowledgeable than myself. I think it's nicer in here when we play together....but you're right, Cherry Jones for the win!

Updated On: 9/4/15 at 06:35 PM

[Melissa25]

Posted: 9/4/15 at 10:52pm

Cherry as Sister Aloysius was undoubtedly the best performance in 2005.

[LarryD2]

Posted: 9/4/15 at 11:04pm

A very strong category. Yes, Cherry was definitely the favorite. DOUBT was the play of the year. That said, you could probably make a case for the award-worthiness of any of those women. In particular, Mary-Louise Parker's performance is RECKLESS is still so vividly memorable to me after more than a decade.

[EthelMae]

Posted: 9/4/15 at 11:07pm

Yeah but Kathleen Turner was pretty damn good in Virginia Woolf! I saw that performance twice, once in the first row of the Orch and she was really great.

[LarryD2]

Posted: 9/4/15 at 11:13pm

That whole production was top-notch -- as evidenced by all four cast members being nominated for Tonys.

[Steve C.]

Posted: 9/4/15 at 11:49pm

There's no DOUBT this was an incredible year. I saw WAOVW too; Kathleen Turner was absolutely worthy of a win. But if you saw Cherry Jones, she is/was so jaw droppingly amazing and imo, did deserve to win.

Ethel Mae, is your name in reference to Ethel Mae Potter?? Did you see the thread about a Lucy movie with Cate Blanchett playing Lucy? Don't know who's playing Ethel yet...Big shoes to fill...  

 

[darpierce]

Posted: 9/5/15 at 12:41am

Cherry Jones was very powerful but I remember Brian O'B literally yelling the role. Of course the film was a disaster with all the plays problems amplified and the absurd casting of the 4 principals.

[EthelMae]

Posted: 9/5/15 at 1:07am

You caught it Steve! Yes. Love that show. It's tipping my hat to Vivian Vance's character's maiden name.
Not too excited about this new bio flick. At least Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz, Jr. are involved. But I think Ms. Arnaz did such a beautiful job with her Home Movie film about her parents that I don't understand why we need another. I gotten way off topic in this thread!

[LMcC95]

Posted: 9/5/15 at 3:00am

I like Doubt the movie. It gave us Voila Davis and the best Meryl Streep performance in a long time.

[RaulisCompany]

Posted: 9/5/15 at 6:06am

Wasn't Proof with MLP for which she won a Tony in 2001? Doubtful would have a Tony nomination for two plays in the same category in the same year!  

 

 

Updated On: 9/5/15 at 06:06 AM

[Melissa25]

Posted: 9/6/15 at 12:26pm

I really liked Doubt the movie too.  I actually feel a little traitorish by saying that I think I may have liked it more than the play and I adored Cherry. The Roger Deakins cinematography just complemented this story so much for me that I truly found it haunting.  That outdoor Parkchester scene with Viola Davis was so vivid.

What a cast though.  Sorry but I couldn't find fault with Meryl, Amy Adams, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Viola Davis.  Who doesn't love to see some Streep scenery chewing?

[The Other One]

Posted: 9/7/15 at 7:44am

DOUBT lost a lot of its power in its translation to the screen.  I wish Shanley had not directed it, and I wish even more that Hoffman had not made his guilt so obvious.  This was probably Shanley's directorial choice.

 

Cherry would have had my vote for the Tony had I been a voter, but Phylisha Rashad was magnificent in GEM OF THE OCEAN and I would not have been disappointed had she been the eventual winner.

[PatrickDennis92]

Posted: 9/7/15 at 10:32am

I know I will be in the minority for saying this, but I actually really preferred Eileen Atkins in Doubt. However, as pertains to the thread, I believe CJ deserve to win. But... I think any amazing actress would have won with such a great role. If Judith Light, or Eileen Atkins, or Maggie Smith or Jessica Lange etc had been cast, the award would have gone to them. Me thinks.