Actors / Actresses that should've won a Tony- Page 3

[Jarethan]

Posted: 11/24/17 at 6:52pm

Call_me_jorge said: "gypsy101 said: "highly agree with some of the stuff said here. Ruthie Ann Miles should not have won. both Sydney Lucas and Judy Kuhn were more deserving so i can only assume they split the vote. if Kelli had won for Bridges like she should have, i believe Kristin would have won for 20th Century like she should have."

as brilliant as Sydney and Judy were, I feel like Ruthie gave a game changing performance. She nearly redefined that role.



I think i have to add Beth Malone for fun home. I know Kelli and k Chen was the main competition that year and I even suggested k Chen deserved a win, but truly Beth Malone gave a defining performance on the scale of Ben Platt in DEH"

One of the great things about being human is that we can disagree on anything and that is okay (if one forgets about the current inhabiter of the Oval office).  I think opinion of Beth Malone's performance is part of the extreme overpraising of Fun Home (which I admit that I did not like); she may have been nominated for a lead Tony, but she should have been nominated in a supporting role.  

To compare her performance to Ben Platt's is ludicrous.  Even if she was as good as he was in her respective role, the role of Evan Hansen is going to be viewed as one go the great musical theatre roles for as long as anyone cares about musical theatre.  Long after Fun Home is forgotten -- I know I am being snarky, but I just was miserable watching it -- young actors will be competing to play Evan in universities, local theatres, major productions, etc.  

[Jarethan]

Posted: 11/24/17 at 7:06pm

Ludlow29 said: "Jarethan said: "Ludlow29 said: "Penny Fuller in APPLAUSE, the best supporting performance I've ever seen in a musical. Saw the show out-of-town before the original "Eve" was replaced, and Fuller made all the difference in the world, nuanced, riveting, a powerhouse in her songs. Melba Moore was fine in PURLIE, stopping the show with "I Got Love" and funny in her cartoon-like performance. But Penny Fuller was astonishing."

Strongly disagree. I always liked Penny Fuller, thought she was a great Sally Bowles when she replaced Jill Haworth; but I thought she couldn't compete with Bacall and, in a made up role, Bonnie Franklin; the fact that she did not have a single good song didn't help.

Moore gave a great musical comedy performance. I Got Love is one of the most significant show stoppers in 50 years of theatergoing, and it was all because of Moore's voice. She was very funny and gave an extremely warm performance. IMO, it was one of the best supporting performances I have seen in any musical in a lifetime of theatergoing."

As they say, that's what makes horse-racing. The category was "Best Supporting Actress in a musical" not biggest show-stopper. The precise reason why Penny Fuller was brought in is that the performer who played the tryout couldn't hold her own against Bacall. Penny Fuller is foremost a great actress and not only held her own but IMO topped Bacall. Bacall was a dynamic personality, but not a standout actress—which is what Margo Channing is supposed to be. Fuller made (admittedly) problematic songs like 'Halloween" mesmerizing. Bonnie Franklin was playing Bonnie Franklin (the character was even named "Bonnie" and certainly had no acting challenge in her two numbers, "Applause" and "She's No Longer a Gypsy." Melba Moore is a dynamic singerand cartoonish actress, as evinced by her never having another role in which she was noted for her acting. "I Got Love" was written specifically for her rangy voice during previews of PURLIE; she didn't have to turn around songs that initially didn't work well—Fuller stopped the show on opening night with "Halloween" (I was there) just as Melba Moore would do with "I Got Love," asong that was delightful but had no story-telling arc. ALL ABOUT EVE is my favorite movie, and APPLAUSE (which was a disaster in its early tryout, which I also saw) was largely salvaged by Fuller. Moreover, the show was at its peak (at least for me) when Anne Baxter (another great actress) took over as Margo. During that juxtaposition, the show actually achieved one of the original intents of the movie: to make Margo and Eve two sides of the same coin (Anne Baxter was reportedly cast in ALL ABOUT EVE because she resembled Claudette Colbert, who dropped out because of an injury). And, if Jarethan is going to cite 50 years oftheatergoing, I too havebeen a NY theatergoer for more than 50 yearsand have worked as a musical theatre historian for the Berkshire Theatre Festival and a head writer for the New Amsterdam Theater Company. For me, the most dazzling showstoppers are those that tell a story, like when I saw Merman singing "Some People" and "Rose's Turn,"Robert Preston doing "Trouble," and Vivian Blainesinging "Adelaide's Lament" (which I saw in a Ciity Center revival). I don't mean to cite those facts as one-upmanship. Just as evidence that—like Jarethan—I have many years of experience to compare and back up what admittedly are opinions. - Michael Colby"

Clearly, we are never going to agree on Penny Fuller vs. Melba Moore, and really who cares.  The level of emotion in your response seems a little over-the-top for a message board filled with a lot of people with strong opinions.

The fact that you prefer show-stoppers that tell a story is fine; who could dispute the examples you give above.  I am not sure what that has to do with the original topic.  

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 11/24/17 at 7:19pm

Jarethan, Fun Home was one of the finalists for the Pulitzer, won the Tony, and is being performed by theatre companies all over America, it will not be forgotten and will probably become a classic. Just because you didn't enjoy the show, doesn't diminish what the show accomplished. Dear Evan Hansen, even though I love it, will probably be pretty dated in a decade or two, but yes, Platt's performance is already viewed as one of the greatest of all time and is a more impressive role than Malone's.

[Brave Sir Robin2]

Posted: 11/24/17 at 10:02pm

Niki M. James is fabulous but I would LOVE to have seen Laura win for WOMEN ON THE VERGE!

[Jarethan]

Posted: 11/25/17 at 1:48am

GeorgeandDot said: "Jarethan, Fun Home was one of the finalists for the Pulitzer, won the Tony, and is being performed by theatre companies all over America, it will not be forgotten and will probably become a classic. Just because you didn't enjoy the show, doesn't diminish what the show accomplished. Dear Evan Hansen, even though I love it, will probably be pretty dated in a decade or two, but yes, Platt's performance is already viewed as one of the greatest of all time and is a more impressive role than Malone's."

Time will tell.  I hope I am wrong, as so many people are passionate about it.  I was just so disappointed when I saw it...I expected it to be more than a staged version of the cast recording (which I did enjoy with the exception of Emily Skeggs' song about her girlfriend (whose name is escaping me right this minute)), and I don't think the Circle in the Square staging constraints did it any favors.  I felt that I as looking at backs a ridiculously percentage of the time.  

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 11/25/17 at 3:00am

^Isn't every show just a staged version of the cast recording???

[gypsy101]

Posted: 11/25/17 at 3:29am

lol a cast recording is an audio record of a stage musical. obviously they’ll be similar

i’m shocked about jarethan’s reaction to Changing My Major to Joan, i think it’s one of the most touching songs in recent musical theater history.

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 11/25/17 at 5:03am

Jarethan, I hate to ask this, but do you have a problem with gay people? I ask this genuinely.

[Jessetenny]

Posted: 11/25/17 at 5:57am

I may be a minority, but I think that Idina should have won for If/Then

[Jarethan]

Posted: 11/25/17 at 10:03am

GeorgeandDot said: "^Isn't every show just a staged version of the cast recording???"

Most are not...the big exception being the 'post-Lloyd Webber' musicals.  The cast recording normally whets my appetite (sometimes in a huge way, often not) to see the show, which will also include a book (that has not been on the cast recording historically), choreography (not Fun Home), creative staging, etc.  With Fun Home, I did enjoy the cast recording, but thought Bruce's and adult Alison's roles were 'truncated'.  I expected there to be more, given the lavish praise both received.  I assumed that would be clearer when I saw the show.  When I did see the show, I pretty much concluded that the cast recording was about as 'complete' as any I'd heard -- which was neither here nor there -- but personally was left with the same feeling.  I expected more and didn't get it.  Compound that with the fact that, despite paying a lot of money, I felt like I was watching backs of heads too much of the time; given the lavish praise (and Tony Award) that Sam Gold received, I guess I was expecting that somehow he'd 'solved' the Circle in the Square viewing dilemma (just as the Norman Conquests did brilliantly, to reference a semi-recent success story).  IMO he did not.

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 11/25/17 at 10:19am

Not to threadjack too wildly, but Jarethan's reaction to seeing FUN HOME live in the theater was almost exactly mine upon first seeing HAMILTON here at the Pantages in LA after living with the cast album for 2 years. I assumed there'd be passages of spoken dialogue separate from the sung score, which I had no idea was through-sung till I got to the theater. The experience of seeing the show onstage was so nearly identical to listening to it through my headphones that I couldn't help being a mite disappointed. I'm with Jarethan on this -- years of listening to hour-long cast albums of shows conditioned me to expect loads of new unheard material when I finally saw the show live in the theater. HAMILTON (or GREAT COMET or FUN HOME) are all conditioning me to expect less.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 11/25/17 at 10:41am

GeorgeandDot said: "Jarethan, I hate to ask this, but do you have a problem with gay people? I ask this genuinely."

I have occasionally wondered whether someone would assume that, given my dislike for the show and Emily Skeggs' song in particular, which I really hated.  I can only say that that is absolutely not the case.  

I also hated Cats, every production of Oklahoma I have ever seen, Smoky Joe's Cafe, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Grease, the 25th Annual Spelling Bee, Big River, and Fosse (referencing the Playbill list of long-runs) and was major disappointed by Annie, A Chorus Line, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Jersey Boys, 42nd St., Avenue Q, Dancin', They're Playing our Song, any live production of Sound of Music that I have ever seen, Billy Elliott, Once, and Newsies.  (Again only long-runs identified, as an easy reference).

I loved The Normal Heart (saw it 3 times in its limited engagement), Take Me Out, Love! Valor! Compassion!, Angels in America, Next Fall, The Nance, the original productions of Bent, the Ritz, Boys in the Band, Torch Song Trilogy, Gemini, The Fifth of July, Breaking the Code, Another Country (London), to name some shows I can think of off the top of my head.  I hated the original production of M. Butterfly (mainly because it seemed so preposterous and because it may be the only bad IMO John Lithgow performance that I have ever seen), as well as I Am My Own Wife.

So, Fun Home is clearly not singled out because of its gay themes...mainly because I just really didn't like it.

 

[funhamilton_rent]

Posted: 11/25/17 at 4:58pm

- Sydney Lucas for Fun Home (Never loved Ruthie)

- Kristin Chenoweth for On The 20th Century (Kelli's performance in the King and I was nowhere as insane as Kristin's)

- Gavin Creel for She Loves Me (only reason Daveed won is because of his dual role. If he only played one or the other character, no chance he would have won.)

- Andrew Rannells in Falsettos (Gavin wasn't doing anything special in Dolly)

- Andrew Rannells in Book of Mormon

 

 

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 11/25/17 at 5:10pm

Creel really only won his Tony for Dolly because he's been around for almost 20 years, he's been nominated like 3 times and has never won. He deserved the Tony in the same sense that Kelli for TKAI did. It wasn't his best performance, but it was time that he was honored for something.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 11/25/17 at 8:13pm

I have only seen Creel in three shows: Hair, SLM, and Hello Dolly.  I thought he was great in Hair and Dolly, but thought he was only okay in SLM.  I have to admit that I had vivid memories of the 1983 / 1984 revival,  and thought that Howard McGillin was perfect...sexy, smarmy, in great voice.  Creel did not seem sexy or smarmy enough to me.  Not bad, just not special.  So, go figure.