Alex Sharp vs. Steven Boyer- Page 2

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 5/20/15 at 12:07am

I think Boyer deserves it. He is acting his ass off with no bells and whistles. Sharp is amazing but he is supported by a lot of tech and much of his physical work is in opposition to the set and tech. As far as acting goes, Boyer was more impressive. I hope voters are able to separate the acting from the design of Curious Incident. 

[ljay889]

Posted: 5/20/15 at 12:10am

I agree, Cooper won't win, but he delivered an absolutely heart wrenching and powerful performance. 

Updated On: 5/20/15 at 12:10 AM

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 5/20/15 at 12:42am

I saw Curious Incident and thought, "No wonder he only does six shows a week." I don't understand why people automatically discredit performers who don't perform eight shows a week. Should Helen Mirren be disqualified because she only performs seven shows a week? Should we strip NPH and Lena Hall of their Tonys for being seven-shows-a-week winners? (Their show was even a one-act!)

To say Alex Sharp is merely "acting an illness" is borderline offensive. The fact that his performance feels distanced is sort of the point as the show makes the audience feel both what it's like to be in his head and also what it's like to have to interact with him. And yes, the supporting performances were wonderful and should have been recognized this year.

I also enjoyed Steven Boyer's performance. What he's doing is absolutely thrilling. This is a dream role for anyone who works or has worked in puppeteering. His dual characters are no less calculated than Alex Sharp's one character, however. Both actors have figured out what they need to do moment to moment to technically and successfully convey their respective characters. And that's where it becomes comparing apples and oranges.

[lillebjorn]

Posted: 5/20/15 at 8:34am

It's a close thing but I'm rooting for Alex Sharp.  Stephen Boyer is great but, to those who applaud his ability to switch between characters and have them be so well delineated, it may surprise you to know that is much easier to do this with a puppet - I used to be a puppeteer.  It gets so the puppet character resides in the puppet and not the actor. This means the actor can make the switch between the human character and the puppet almost instantaneously which looks impressive. Mr Boyer is doing it really well, though.

 

I remember Stephen Boyer's very funny performance in "The Explorers Club" at MTC, a really funny play with a great audience that needed a wider audience.

 

 

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 5/20/15 at 8:58am

I'm have some puppetry training as well, so I understand what you mean, but what amazed me about Boyer's performance was that he was playing both characters simultaneously.  When Tyrone was spewing the most vile things, Jason was horrified by what he was saying. He never really switches between the two, except vocally- each character is present the entire time, which is something that most puppeteers don't really ever have to do.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 5/20/15 at 9:51am

It's a well rehearsed/performed trick and technique that goes back to ventriloquism. Yes, I've never seen it this extreme, but it's actually a good exercise for any puppeteer to try. Again, Steven Boyer does it extremely well, so I'm not trying to discredit him. The technique he is doing is not the first time this has happened in puppeteering.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 5/20/15 at 10:01am

If I were a voter, I think I would have to go with Sharp, just because the whole show really rests on his shoulders. If he wasn't so brilliant and emotional and moving, I really don't think the show would be as successful as it is.

In an ideal world, they would tie. Don't discredit what Steven does because of the puppet, just as we shouldn't discredit what Alex does because of the tech and choreography. They're both giving two brilliant performances in two very different plays. I only give the edge to Alex Sharp because I think people come away from Hand to God focused on the text, and how shocking and funny it is, more than Steven Boyer's performance. But again, I loved them both and wish they both could win.

[lillebjorn]

Posted: 5/20/15 at 10:42am

Just looked again at my previous message and I realized my comment sounded more demeaning to Stephen Boyer than I intended. It was more a response to those who felt that Alex Sharp's performance was aided by the technical creation of Christopher's mind and world. I should have added my 5 cents worth to that conversation by saying that, in my opinion, Boyer's excellent performance was aided by the puppet.

It's hard to imagine how the performances without the technical brilliance of CI or the puppet in H2G so I had to take them at face value. It's a tough category this year!

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 5/20/15 at 10:44am

lillebjorn, I understood what you meant. Obviously they both have this difficult things on top of the performances. I think they both would be giving brilliant performances with all of that other stuff scraped away, though.

[Kad]

Posted: 5/20/15 at 10:48am

I'm biased toward Boyer- he's given a lot of really great and weird performances in NYC that had a small viewership. He did a play called Trevor at Theater for a New City in the East Village last year, in which he played a retired showbiz chimp, and it was just as impressive and daring as his work in Hand to God.

Updated On: 5/20/15 at 10:48 AM

[newintown]

Posted: 5/20/15 at 10:49am

"...in my opinion, Boyer's excellent performance was aided by the puppet."

Yes, a sock on the hand really is pretty much the same as millions of dollars worth of lights, sound, projections, and the systems to run them.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 5/20/15 at 10:51am

"It's a well rehearsed/performed trick and technique that goes back to ventriloquism. Yes, I've never seen it this extreme, but it's actually a good exercise for any puppeteer to try. Again, Steven Boyer does it extremely well, so I'm not trying to discredit him. The technique he is doing is not the first time this has happened in puppeteering."

 I actually think the fact that Boyer does NOT do ventriloquism makes his performance more impressive. For me, actually seeing him move his mouth to act as Tyrone made the duality of performance that much more bizarre and amazing.

[Kad]

Posted: 5/20/15 at 10:55am

Don't forget... Boyer ultimately doesn't even need the puppet to bring Tyrone to life in the show.