#1
Posted: 6/5/04 at 4:44pm
(I thought this post very thought-provoking and smart, even though many here will violently disagree. 
)
Best Musical: Should go to Caroline (incredibly well written and deeply moving), or Avenue Q (better music and a better musical with songs reflecting their varying ideas, not to mention incredibly creative). No musical should win Best Musical when the score sucks -- and Wicked's score is horrible (and most critics agree on this point), except for two songs.
Best Actor, Musical: Should go to John Tartaglia of Avenue Q, even though Hugh has been begging for it by hosting the Tonys and showing off horribly (see how I can sing, sing, sing?), not to mention declaring his straightness to underscore his "bravery" at playing gay (unlike Tartaglia, who is openly gay and whose straight puppet is more convincingl than Jackman's "I'm straight" interview performances). Unfortunately Jackman will probably win on name-recognition.
Best Actress, Musical: Pinkins should win. The performance is astounding, especially her final diva number. Idina Menzel screams, she doesn't sing. Donna Murphy may get lost in the fray, especially because she was fabulous in a flat show. Stephanie D'Abruzzo from Avenue Q is charming and subtle, and movingly works her songs for two characters (especially on "There's a Fine Fine Line Between a Lover and a Friend"), and she deserves to pull ahead of Kristin Chenowith who is basically herself but the main reason Wicked is enjoyable -- in fact Kristin makes everyone of the jokes soar, and her song "Popular" (?) almost singly redeems the show, so she has a better shot than D'Abruzzo, another "lucky to be nominated" performer.
Best Featured Actor, Musical: Michael Cerveris from Assassins will win. He's the only performer for the show with a chance at an acting win, excluding O'Hare who won last year for Take Me Out. Plus his reviews blow Esparza's out of the water. Esparza -- like Taboo -- is lucky to have the nomination.
Best Featured Actress, Musical. Anike Noni Rose deserves to win for the performance, not a Caroline consolation prize. She almost steals the show from Pinkins, and her performance is a knockout. She remarkably closes BOTH Act I and Act II, the first with a rousing number with the other kids, the second as a young woman who represents the hope of the civil rights era, making the subtle point of the whole show (why the movement was generational and turned on children, especially little girls putting their lives at risk, contrasted with why so many African-American women tragically felt unable to participate in the change).
Best Play: I Am My Own Wife deserves it (as the Pulizter Prize winner) but may get competition from Frozen, which was at first criticized as being uneven but is being lauded as the straight play hope of the season.
Best Actor, Play: I've seen all 5 performances, and all are deserving, though Plummer was overrated, I thought. My guess is it goes to Mays with all 5 splitting the vote somewhat, especially if I Am My Own Wife doesn't get best play. Kevin Kline was fabulous as Falstaff, though, and I wouldn't mind -- or be surprised -- seeing him get it.
Best Actress, Play: Rashad deserves it over Feldshuh's mimicry. Rashad's performances turns on a total transformation, almost shockingly so. It's gritty, deeply moving and effective. Everything it should be.
Best Featured Actor, Play: Bryan O'Byrne from Frozen. Chilling, which is what the play requires by its title, and it's the best reviewed performance by a featured actor of the year. Period.
Best Featured Actrss, Play: Audra was amazing. I wept. But she has THREE. They've given Harvey four, and love Audra more, so maybe she'll get number four. But Essie Davis is getting great reviews as well, Sanaa Lathan somewhat less so. This is the hardest one to call for me because Audra already has so many. I'd give it to Sanaa if I felt guilty about giving it to Audra -- and they may split the vote anyway.
)Best Musical: Should go to Caroline (incredibly well written and deeply moving), or Avenue Q (better music and a better musical with songs reflecting their varying ideas, not to mention incredibly creative). No musical should win Best Musical when the score sucks -- and Wicked's score is horrible (and most critics agree on this point), except for two songs.
Best Actor, Musical: Should go to John Tartaglia of Avenue Q, even though Hugh has been begging for it by hosting the Tonys and showing off horribly (see how I can sing, sing, sing?), not to mention declaring his straightness to underscore his "bravery" at playing gay (unlike Tartaglia, who is openly gay and whose straight puppet is more convincingl than Jackman's "I'm straight" interview performances). Unfortunately Jackman will probably win on name-recognition.
Best Actress, Musical: Pinkins should win. The performance is astounding, especially her final diva number. Idina Menzel screams, she doesn't sing. Donna Murphy may get lost in the fray, especially because she was fabulous in a flat show. Stephanie D'Abruzzo from Avenue Q is charming and subtle, and movingly works her songs for two characters (especially on "There's a Fine Fine Line Between a Lover and a Friend"), and she deserves to pull ahead of Kristin Chenowith who is basically herself but the main reason Wicked is enjoyable -- in fact Kristin makes everyone of the jokes soar, and her song "Popular" (?) almost singly redeems the show, so she has a better shot than D'Abruzzo, another "lucky to be nominated" performer.
Best Featured Actor, Musical: Michael Cerveris from Assassins will win. He's the only performer for the show with a chance at an acting win, excluding O'Hare who won last year for Take Me Out. Plus his reviews blow Esparza's out of the water. Esparza -- like Taboo -- is lucky to have the nomination.
Best Featured Actress, Musical. Anike Noni Rose deserves to win for the performance, not a Caroline consolation prize. She almost steals the show from Pinkins, and her performance is a knockout. She remarkably closes BOTH Act I and Act II, the first with a rousing number with the other kids, the second as a young woman who represents the hope of the civil rights era, making the subtle point of the whole show (why the movement was generational and turned on children, especially little girls putting their lives at risk, contrasted with why so many African-American women tragically felt unable to participate in the change).
Best Play: I Am My Own Wife deserves it (as the Pulizter Prize winner) but may get competition from Frozen, which was at first criticized as being uneven but is being lauded as the straight play hope of the season.
Best Actor, Play: I've seen all 5 performances, and all are deserving, though Plummer was overrated, I thought. My guess is it goes to Mays with all 5 splitting the vote somewhat, especially if I Am My Own Wife doesn't get best play. Kevin Kline was fabulous as Falstaff, though, and I wouldn't mind -- or be surprised -- seeing him get it.
Best Actress, Play: Rashad deserves it over Feldshuh's mimicry. Rashad's performances turns on a total transformation, almost shockingly so. It's gritty, deeply moving and effective. Everything it should be.
Best Featured Actor, Play: Bryan O'Byrne from Frozen. Chilling, which is what the play requires by its title, and it's the best reviewed performance by a featured actor of the year. Period.
Best Featured Actrss, Play: Audra was amazing. I wept. But she has THREE. They've given Harvey four, and love Audra more, so maybe she'll get number four. But Essie Davis is getting great reviews as well, Sanaa Lathan somewhat less so. This is the hardest one to call for me because Audra already has so many. I'd give it to Sanaa if I felt guilty about giving it to Audra -- and they may split the vote anyway.
"Christ, Bette Davis?!?!"
Updated On: 6/5/04 at 04:44 PM
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