Best Actor in a Musical tony — Page 4

Eh. He was serviceable.

Curtain: But he had his head on his shoulders. The show was being pulled apart, and he was the one to put his foot down and say "Okay - enough. Who is the director? Who is the producer? Who is writing this thing? What is happening to our show?"

It's over and done with. I don't think that has ANYTHING to do with him winning the Tony for COMPANY. He was brilliant in TABOO.

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I was friendly with more than a few TABOO cast and crew members at the time, and none of them ever had anything negative to say about Raul's attitude. They all said he was the voice of reason, and that the entire ordeal was overblown and really quite small. He walked out of a rehearsal. It's happened before.

Raul WAS Tony worthy in TABOO ( and Emcee, I remember that day, outside of the Plymouth with you like it was yesterday) but I can see why Cerveris won - and I probably would have voted for him myself.

I'm not one to award people for past performances - but if I were a Tony voter - at this point, my vote would go to Raul. Granted, there's no competition at this point, but the man's performance is revelatory.

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Updated On: 2/15/07 at 01:26 AM

That was before you were even obsessed with him. I remember saying "Oh, it's too bad you're missing Raul - he's brilliant" and you were kind of just like "Yeah, that sucks..."

If only you knew!!!!!!!!!!!

PS: I love you.

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I thought he was terrible in TABOO, besides his temperment, and I am sure it was a difficult time for all but I heard the opposite of what you heard.
Ah The theatre...
and luvthe... people do remember the past whether you want to believe it or not.

But i do agree, so far this season the award is his to loose, but there are still many performances to come.

"2) I'm well aware that Pierce started doing Broadway back in the 80s. But while Pierce was in L.A. filming his TV show, Esparza was in New York building an inertia that has continued and led up to this peak, breakthrough performance."

"building an inertia"? WTF?

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Rath:

An inertia. A level of intertia. Refer back to your high school Physics text book if you need further explanation. It's not *that* technical.

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Updated On: 2/15/07 at 11:30 AM

In all honesty, I will cry if Esparza doesn't win. Not because he's cute or nice or volunteers to help kittens and orphans during his days. His performance as Bobby, which I've seen twice now, is heartbreaking, funny, deep, all the things a performer should be rewarded for. I think this is his time.

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Raul Esparza
David Hyde-Pierce
Michael Cerveris
Steve Kazee
Jonathon Groff

Seems to me to make the most sense. Alot has been said about Gavin Lee but I think that the buzz on his performance has just fizzled of late and if Pierce, Cerveris, and Kazee's performances are well received then I think that will seal it. The win is another thing all together and having not seen those three yet i'm not willing to take any chances. I still think it's a wide open race. Contrary to popular opinion.

Updated On: 2/17/07 at 10:46 PM

I don't think Martin Short will get a nod. Steve Kazee seems a pretty solid choice; Starbuck is a big, showy, old-timey role, the kind that Tony voters love.

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Good point AC. It seems like there is some forgetting about the roles being played and only thinking about the "names" playing them.

Regardless of what happens...there are a ton of credible choices for Actor and Actress this year! Not to mention all the other categories!!! Should be a good year at the Tonys.

Updated On: 2/17/07 at 11:28 PM

Um, are you unfamiliar with figures of speech? I hesitate to speak for SG, but I know she isn't crazy, so I suspect she'll be disappointed but perfectly fine.

That said, is it really so ridiculous to want a performance (any performance, really -- this isn't exclusively about my opinion of Esparza's Bobby) that's impacted you to get the recognition you feel it deserves? As for Raúl, I don't think people are so "heated" about him just because it's in some objectivity a very, very good performance, but because they've been greatly impacted by it. I mean, it's fine if you just watch the performances and don't care who wins, but is it really all that fair to tell other people that they're out of their heads for wanting some certain outcome? You seem not only to have a problem with literal crying, since you failed to see the figurative speech, but with any investment whatsoever. By that logic, I might as well tell you you're pathetic and heartless if you haven't chosen a favorite then, no? And nor is that fair.

Yes, I support him and yes, I want him to win because I think he deserves it. Yes, I will be very, very disappointed if he doesn't. But I can in all honesty say that having spent seventy percent of my life going to the theater on a regular basis, no performance has ever moved me the way this one has. And that's why. It's not a matter of not liking him if he loses, or something. That's stupid. But when you feel that way about a performance, as a good number of well-balanced people do, I don't think it's ridiculous at all to care if a performer wins. Maybe it comes from seeking opinion validation, I don't know. Saying you'll slit your wrists or whatever is a little bit nuts, but just giving a sh*t? Where would we be if everyone just sort of tossed them off as "just awards"? We wouldn't have Tonys at all.

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Updated On: 2/18/07 at 12:04 AM