Posted: 5/14/15 at 12:10am
An incredibly strong lineup! Who was your pick?
Sutton Foster, The Drowsy Chaperone
Patti LuPone, Sweeney Todd
Kelli O'Hara, The Pajama Game
Chita Rivera, The Dancers Life
LaChanze, The Color Purple
Posted: 5/14/15 at 1:16am
Toss-up between Kelli and Patti. I think LaChanze won because their votes split, and there was probably some love for Sutton too.
Posted: 5/14/15 at 1:23am
LaChanze probably got it because she gave an emotionally raw performance (from what I've heard). The other ladies, I'm sure, were awesome. I saw Lupone do Sweeney and she was great, but I don't know that I'd say she should have won. However, when I saw her do Gypsy I was mesmerized. I saw her twice in one week, ha. And if I could have scored a ticket to PJ Game, I would have. Love me some O'hara.
Posted: 5/14/15 at 1:31am
I think that was one of my least favorite seasons on Broadway...all those shows were terrible. I was so happy when LaChanze won, it was a complete surprise. Everyone thought Patti was going to win for playing the tuba really badly.
Posted: 5/14/15 at 2:02am
I seem to remember Patti was the front-runner, and LaChanze was a very pleasant surprise win. I didn't get to see Pajama Game (or any of the nominees unfortunately), and while I love normally love Kelli O'Hara, she just sounds kind of bored on the cast recording, which surprises me!
Posted: 5/14/15 at 2:07am
I'm a huge fan of Kelli, and she was bland in this show, she didn't deserve even the nomination that year. I wish she had won for Piazza. I feel like this may be her year though.
Posted: 5/14/15 at 8:47am
"while I love normally love Kelli O'Hara, she just sounds kind of bored on the cast recording, which surprises me!"
I completely disagree. That's one of my favorite recordings of the last decade. Kelli's performance of "If You Win You Lose" remains one of my top 3 favorite performances I've seen/heard her give.
"I'm a huge fan of Kelli, and she was bland in this show, she didn't deserve even the nomination that year."
You're hilarious. Bland she was not. She and Connick, Jr. were praised for making the characters not bland. Their sexual chemistry was stupid hot.
Posted: 5/14/15 at 9:24am
It always seemed like Actress in a Musical had a locked in frontrunner every year and this was one year while it seemed that LuPone had the edge, there was some talk that LaChanze had an outside chance. I remember this was the year on TheatreTalk that Patrick Pacheco picked LaChanze to win and everyone blasted him for it and predicted LuPone....and he called Pajama Game winning revival which they also were quick to judge him on.
Anyways, I can't really say I adore any of these performances but I don't hate any of them...although I am not part of the group that worshipped that revival of Sweeney Todd or LuPone's interpretation of Lovett.
I think LaChanze deserved to win because it was a nice performance and also it worked as way to honor her for a very solid career she had built up to that point.
I will say Kelli O'Hara is a close one for me as well because she surprised me in this, especially after coming off of playing Clara in Piazza.
I would probably rank them in this order:
#1-LaChanze
#2-O'Hara
#3-Foster
#4-LuPone
#5-Rivera (good in the show)
Posted: 5/14/15 at 9:31am
I think part of the reason LaChanze won was because Tony Voters wanted to find some way acknowledging The Color Purple.
Posted: 5/14/15 at 9:52am
Wow, if there ever was a season where any of the nominees would have been worthy winners!! Oh and this one :)
Posted: 5/14/15 at 10:06am
I seem to remember people saying that LaChanze won because voters didn't think they'd have another chance to reward her for her work in a musical (insinuating that the other actresses would have another chance). While this wound up being the case for Foster and LuPone, it seems odd that anyone would have thought that LuPone would be in another Broadway musical in the near future, since she hadn't been in one since Anything Goes in 1988.
Posted: 5/14/15 at 10:51am
LuPone was certainly the front-runner, with LaChanze indeed an outside chance. Remember, this was LuPone return to a musical theatre role on Broadway in 27 years. And she not only was great, but she gave an unshowy, ensemble performance, complete with playing in the Doyle orchestra. But also, LaChance had a lot of love from the community and had put in her dues, and this felt like the chance to honor her. (I find it similar to Idina Menzel winning in 2003, with both wins coming from a groundswell of industry support for someone finally getting a big moment in the sun.)
In a fun bit of trivia, the precursor awards were helpful in predicting which would win, since Christine Ebersole was sweeping every award in sight (save the Tony) for GREY GARDENS Off Broadway.
