Beth Leavel for Best Actress in a musical? Really?- Page 2

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 5/3/11 at 11:14am

The subject title isn't much better ("really?" implies that anyone believing otherwise must be wrong) and "out of your mind" isn't an improvement on "out of your skull".

I think the concept of courtesy and polite disagreement is lost on you. Kudos for trying, I guess.

[mallardo]

Posted: 5/3/11 at 11:40am

I think it's a sympathy nomination. No one with Beth's talent should be stuck in such a p.o.s

[thismyshow]

Posted: 5/3/11 at 12:27pm

@Pammylicious i did see the entire show, by far the worst show ive seen this season (and ive seen over 35 shows this season) and i somehow liked wonderland slightly more then this wreck of "musical theater"

[RippedMan]

Posted: 5/3/11 at 12:36pm

Leveal is saddled with some awful lines in the show, but I think it's a credit to her skills that she can speak the lines "Mamma said there'd be days like this. There'd be days like this. Mamma said," but make you feel for character. I thought she gave a great performance because it showed how skilled she was. Those lines were AWFUL, but she was landing those jokes left and right.

[crewdude]

Posted: 5/3/11 at 12:38pm

roll, roll, rolling my eyes. (Thank you Young Frankenstein!)

This is the perfect example of how the Tonys are not about the work. They are a publicity gimmick that is a suck-up fest and about playing the game.

It has been years since i felt so embarrassed for a cast while watching a show. Beth Leavel was no exception. She played a tourist friendly cartoon version of a Jewish woman.
I'm also curious why there's been no mention of the antisemitism/jewish self hate involved in the fact that her character - Florence Greenberg chose to make her name less jewish by listing herself as Florence Green on her songwriting credits.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 5/3/11 at 12:52pm

They should have had three nominees. Love Leavel but she was atrocious in BABY IT'S YOU, she would just walk on stage, give some awful, cheesy one-liner that's supposed to come across as "tough" and "funny" and then she walks off stage again. Terrible terrible performance, how does that get a nomination?
Things like this really make me question the validity of the Tonys if pretty much people get in by default all the time.

[Jon]

Posted: 5/3/11 at 1:19pm

I recall a huge number of negative reports about Sherie's performance in Women... Most said that Laura Benanti was the only worthwhile thing in the show.

[Pammylicious]

Posted: 5/3/11 at 1:25pm

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but that's what it is......I have been going to Broadway shows for 40 years.......I have seen many pos but respectfully Beth Leavel IMHO is not in this class.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 5/3/11 at 4:55pm

Um, Ray, you basically just insulted the book and the direction, none of which Beth was responsible for. I think with the material she was given, she is doing a great, professional job. She gave the show some heft and some heart and some class.

[trentsketch]

Posted: 5/3/11 at 6:13pm

Beth, Sherie, and Janet all had the same problem: none of them had well-written characters to work with. Janet tried like hell to bring something to her flat character, but the Tony nominators didn't like Wonderland at all. Sherie had a really ambiguous character and was upstaged in her show by two supporting performances and a rotating bed with flames. That left Beth, whose show is still running. She also does what she can in a really bad show to make it bearable. Her tiny moments that work as theater are spectacular; the rest of the time she's calmy keeping her head above the water.

[crewdude]

Posted: 5/3/11 at 7:29pm

"......you basically just insulted the book and the direction, none of which Beth was responsible for. I think with the material she was given, she is doing a great, professional job."

You don't give out Tony awards just because someone is "professional." If someone pays you - you're a professional.

What you're saying is that a person that is well-liked should be nominated no matter how bad the part is or how bad the show is, just so long as they are a nice person.
No Tony nomination should come with a disclaimer "she did a great job with what she was given". The fact that she delivers stereotypical jewish one-liners and makes 50 year old white women gasp when she kisses a black man or that she changes her clothes on time and more often than any other actress this season is NOT justification for recognition.

[PitPro2004]

Posted: 5/3/11 at 7:31pm

Someone on this board said that Beth takes a piece of crap and makes a masterpiece out of it. At least she's trying. She's a super talented woman as they all are and I would imagine she's doing the best she can with weak material.

If the sole reason Beth got a nom is because this town loves her, then may I believe that the reason Wonderland is shut out is because this town hates Frank Wildhorn??? Sounds pretty stupid but sounds to me that's the logic that is being served around here.

That's a pretty sad way of thinking because it insults the work of the leading women in Wonderland by saying that they didn't get nom'd because NYC hates the composer. That's rubbish.

There is alot of talent up there right now. It's hard to narrow down choices. My hat is off to all of the wonderful women on Broadway.

[quizking101]

Posted: 5/3/11 at 7:58pm

Beth Leavel, while probably one of the more decent things about BABY, IT'S JEW, did not deserve a nomination for this show.

Sherie Rene Scott should have been hands-down guaranteed that nomination.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 5/3/11 at 8:03pm

That's actually pretty damn offensive, kid.
Updated On: 5/3/11 at 08:03 PM

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 5/3/11 at 8:11pm

quizking,

STFU

Every time you post, you kill a musical theatre fairy somewhere.

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 5/3/11 at 8:12pm

ANY award that is given, whether it's a Tony Award or a Nobel Prize is SUBJECTIVE. In fact, anything demanding that one vote and voice an opinion is SUBJECTIVE. Therefore, there are no OBJECTIVE criteria upon which an award is truly bestowed. (I don't care what's "on paper." Objective criteria are still interpreted subjectively.)

If someone gets an award because "the community" loves her or him, who cares? Does anyone truly take Tony, Oscar, Grammy, Emmy (and so forth) awards SERIOUSLY? Awards are intended to create enthusiasm and draw attention to a cause, an issue or a market. In this case, the goal is to sell tickets.

As far as I'm concerned, if the Tony Awards attract more people to the theatre, they've done their job...just as BETH is on stage every night at the Broadhurst doing HER job.

Updated On: 5/4/11 at 08:12 PM

[strummergirl]

Posted: 5/3/11 at 8:20pm

"Beth Leavel, while probably one of the more decent things about BABY, IT'S JEW, did not deserve a nomination for this show."

I never heard of that show. Does it exist?

[PitPro2004]

Posted: 5/3/11 at 8:49pm

"Beth Leavel, while probably one of the more decent things about BABY, IT'S JEW, did not deserve a nomination for this show."

I never heard of that show. Does it exist?

Something new starring Jackie Mason?

[Patash]

Posted: 5/4/11 at 8:37am

People seem to be ignoring the fact that not only did the Tony Committee nominate Beth for Best Actress, but the Drama Desk Awards and the Outer Critic's Circle committees also nominated her for Best Actress. But of course ALL those people must be idiots and we should bow to the opinion of a few people who post here that her performance wasn't worthy. Huh?

Maybe the ones who are "high" or "stupid" are the ones who were unable to see what all the "experts" saw? Just a thought.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 5/4/11 at 11:25am

well said, Pennywise....