Adriane Lenox as Caroline?

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 2/7/07 at 10:45pm

I know Adriane Lenox went on for Tonya Pinkins several times when she covered her as a standby during the Broadway run of "Caroline, or Change."

I was wondering if anyone here saw Lenox in the title role and, if so, what they thought of her performance? I am particularly interested in how she faired with "Lot's Wife."

After seeing Lenox's stunning turn in "DOUBT," I can only imagine how she tore up the role of Caroline.

[AC126748]

Posted: 2/7/07 at 10:48pm

Didn't see her as Caroline during her run, but I saw her sing "16 Feet Below Sea Level" at THE PUBLIC SINGS. She was incredible.

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 2/7/07 at 10:49pm

http://www.broadwayworld.com/board/readmessage.cfm?boardname=bway&thread=916108#2644363

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 2/7/07 at 10:55pm

neddy, considering I was only interested in Lenox (who only covered the role in New York) and not any of the other understudies as the thread you cite inquired about, I felt it was okay to start a new one (as well as the fact that no one that posted there saw Lenox either.)

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 2/7/07 at 10:56pm

Well you might find other responses in that thread that you will not find in here.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 2/8/07 at 1:12am

After seeing Lenox's stunning turn in "DOUBT," I can only imagine how she tore up the role of Caroline.

Am I the only one who doesn't get the hooha over Adriane Lenox's performance in DOUBT? I saw it three times, and each time I tried really hard to focus on her performance (for the couple of minutes she was on stage) and while I do think agree that she did a fine and dandy job...Tony Award worthy? Huh? Heather Goldenhersh was on stage for almost the entire show giving a brilliant performance, yet Lenox wins the Tony. I have no doubt that Lenox is immensely talented, probably even moreso in musical theatre, but a Tony for THAT?

OK, sorry to threadjack. No, I did not see her as Caroline. Wish I could have though. I also would have loved to have seen her as Shug Avery.

Updated On: 2/8/07 at 01:12 AM

[BwayBaby18]

Posted: 2/8/07 at 1:17am

I couldn't get over Goldenhersh's dreadful accent. For me Lenox commanded the space. She took that office and made it her own. I also thought her part was written extremely well. I think it was the best written in the show. But then again i was rooting for Pillowman to win that year because it was way more intresting and visually stunning.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 2/8/07 at 1:22am

What about Goldenhersh's accent would you call dreadful?

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 2/8/07 at 1:27am

Wanna, Goldenhersh faded into the background. The complete control and command of a stage Lennox took in those five-ten minutes was Tony-worthy. It was truly extraordinary.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 2/8/07 at 1:29am

Do you mind going into a bit more detail?

[bythesword84]

Posted: 2/8/07 at 1:36am

I'm with you Foster, I tried very hard to understand what was so amazing/extraordinary about Lenox in Doubt and did not see it at all.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 2/8/07 at 1:43am

While Goldenhersh was doing her job, I just didn't find anything... exciting in it. Adriane, even a year into the run, was so electric that her scene woke up the house. I was so alive in those ten minutes, and dead asleep for the rest of it.

I don't really know how to detail it.... It was just... commanding. Almost shockingly so.

[BwayBaby18]

Posted: 2/8/07 at 1:59am

Her accent got in the way of her performance. It slurred her speech and diction. One could not understand what she was saying at times. When i saw the play i intionally thought her character was mentally retarded and had problems with speaking.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 2/8/07 at 2:02am

Now you're just being unconstructive and mean. Maybe you should check your hearing. I understood her just fine. As did the critics.

[jewishboy]

Posted: 2/8/07 at 2:05am

Agreed. The way she spoke was very distracting. And I thought Ms. Lenox was the only one to make an impression on me (and the audience I was with) in a scene opposite Cherry Jones.

[C is for Company]

Posted: 2/8/07 at 2:08am

I found that at the start of the play, O'Byrnes accent as well as Goldenhersh's obstructed me from quite understanding what they said. Other than that, I thought there were fine performances all around, but I must say that the 3 most alarmingly impressive scenes involved Lenox, Jones, and O'Byrne.

Goldenhersh was really the only one that I found to be the supporting player even though she was onstage so much. However, I feel that she represents a standpoint of the audience and thus we see things through her, but the action is unveiled through the testimonies of Aloysius, Flynn, and Muller. Those three were compelling and I just found Sister James to be an outlet for the audience to observe the arguments presented in the opposing perspectives.

edit; by no means, and to clarify, did I think Goldenhersh was a weak performer, but had a significantly difficult job in trying to take her role to the transcending levels that the other 3 had managed to reach. As proof, in her not even 10 minutes onstage, Adrienne completely transfixed the audience enough to allot her the Tony over Heather. I think that feat sealed the deal for her win.

Updated On: 2/8/07 at 02:08 AM

[BwayBaby18]

Posted: 2/8/07 at 2:11am

I agree Company.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 2/8/07 at 2:15am

That makes sense, C is for Company. I hadn't thought of it that way. It was Muller's purpose/plot twist and how Lenox executed it that made it stand out. She had a much more specific reason for inclusion in the play than Sister James. I do feel, though, that Lenox was sort of riding the DOUBT wave in terms of awards that season.

[C is for Company]

Posted: 2/8/07 at 2:23am

Very true, if only two had to win though, I would definitely say that O'Byrne and Jones should be the recipients sheerly because of their presence onstage and the powerhouse performances given over the course of the show. Despite that, I am still very glad that 3 supremely talented actors were recognized for Doubt because it really was the powerful play of the season.

BUTTT, with Pillowman in mind, I certainly would have liked to see that get more awards! It was a very tough year for those 2 to go head to head as they were both so particularly strong. What can you do, we are all fortunate at least to have been exposed to some very impressive pieces of theater in a year that will certainly be remembered.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 2/8/07 at 2:36am

Despite that, I am still very glad that 3 supremely talented actors were recognized for Doubt because it really was the powerful play of the season.

You're forgetting: O'Byrne, surprisingly, did not win. Bill Irwin pulled an upset for VIRGINIA WOOLF. I saw both performances, and thought the award belonged to O'Byrne, but obviously the Tony voters felt differently.

Updated On: 2/8/07 at 02:36 AM

[folkyboy]

Posted: 2/8/07 at 3:38am

sometimes i wonder if they are just voting for what their friends have seen and they don't even bother seeing the damn shows...

O'Bryne CERTAINLY deserved that award and those people are nuts.

[andyf]

Posted: 2/8/07 at 3:58am

Am I the only one who wasn't shocked by his loss? To go even further, I was expecting it.

Is everyone forgetting about the other impressive four-person play that was just across the street from Doubt? Virginia Woolf was going to lose Best Actress and Best Featured Actress to its Doubt counterparts, but I was sure it wouldn't go completely unacknowledged. If I had to pick one person from the Doubt brigade to lose their award, it was going to be O'Byrne. That's not to say that he didn't give an amazing performance, and honestly, I would have given him the award, but I think his performance was the least amazing of the other winners in his cast, and if someone had to lose, I figured it was going to be him. He took one for the team and that way both shows got to take home at least one Tony.

On a more related note, I didn't see Lenox, but I would kill to have the chance to. I saw her at the Broadway Inspirational Voices concert last October and she blew the roof off the place. As the woman next to me commented after she finished her five-minute marathon of a song, "Sistah went to church!"

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 2/8/07 at 7:05am

With "Doubt"... in other hands, Mrs. Muller could have been a character that is by no means a standout. While she has quite powerful material, she's only on stage for five or ten minutes and has to go up against Cherry Jones... not an easy feat to say the least.

As another poster said, I felt like Lenox was the only person on stage who could go toe to toe with Jones 100% of the time (although O'Byrne did get better as the show progressed.) In her short scene, she showed more fire, passion, and ferocity than any other actor did the entire night. As iluvtheatertrash said (although I loved the show as a whole alot more than he seemed to,) everything came alive when she was on stage.

Goldenhersh just kind of faded into the background for me. I conceed that it very well could have been the nature of the character (who is, by nature, very meek and understated,) and I also do believe Heather was great, but compared to Adriane? No contest.

I felt like Lenox gave the kind of performance that defines what a Featured Actress should do: she took a role with limited stage time (in her case very limited) and turned it into a completely memorable performance.

Anyway, back on topic.. anyone see her as Caroline?

Updated On: 2/8/07 at 07:05 AM

[ThePinballWizard]

Posted: 2/8/07 at 8:18am

Is it me or did Adriane Lenox NOT transfer with the show to Broadway? I know she was in the show as The Moon during the run at The Public, but I don't believe she was in the show on Broadway. I think she was off doing The Color Purple as Shug in Atlanta.

Can anyone verify this?

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 2/8/07 at 9:19am

No she was involved with the Broadway production. She understudied Caroline. I heard she did in fact tear that part up. She at least sang all the notes (which is more than I can say for some Carolines not to be named).