Breaking News: Outer Critics Circle Announces 2015-16 Award Winners - SHE LOVES ME; LONG DAY'S JOURNEY Lead Pack- Page 2

[woeisme3]

Posted: 5/9/16 at 8:52am

Color Purple was messy and unfocused. I thought that She Loves Me was a much funnier, more charming, and overall better show.

[quizking101]

Posted: 5/9/16 at 8:54am

I saw all of the eligible revivals this year (a first for me), and I have to say that THE COLOR PURPLE is bolstered by its performances and score,. The overall production, in my opinion, can't topple SHE LOVES ME, which puts forth a game cast, solid material, and a gorgeous production design.

I'm kind of peeved that Danny Burstein won. I love him to death and I've seen in multiple roles that he deserved awards for (namely FOLLIES), and I was part of the camp that thought this would be his long overdue Tony. However, after seeing the show, Burstein could've done a lot better, as could the production itself. The material wasn't elevated or re-examined through a different lens (something Bart Sher is very good at), and was EASILY the weakest of all the Broadway revivals this year.

Also, if marketed correctly and effectively, BRIGHT STAR can buy themselves a few months (at least until September/October) with that "Best Musical" win.

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 5/9/16 at 9:25am

NJ_BroadwayGirl said: "I'm surprised by the recent wave of awards love for Bright Star (winning this and the Tony noms for book and best musical). I actually liked Bright Star but that was in spite of its flaws. I loved Carmen Cusack and love much of the score (have to skip a few songs) but that book has so many problems. The twists are transparent and some dialogue is really pedestrian and forced. I feel like you have to sit through actively bad parts to get to the actively good parts (some of which are fabulous), which to me doesn't make for a best musical. 

 

"

I felt the same way you felt about Bright Star about Waitress, so it's a fair game to all. 

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 5/9/16 at 9:29am

Outer Space Critics. God, those voters are idiots.

[TFMH18]

Posted: 5/9/16 at 9:44am

Thrilled for Bright Star! It's funny to think that in a different, weaker year (2014, for example), this little show could very well have been the one to beat. So happy it is getting this (frankly unexpected) wave of recognition during the awards season circuit. Hoping it helps keep the production afloat for a while. Also, Cynthia Erivo is a dynamo in Color Purple, but I don't understand why she's kinda been deemed the automatic winner in this leading actress category. I find Carmen Cusack's performance to be far more layered and moving. Yet, I predict Erivo will sweep every awards show. Oh well, dem's the breaks I guess!

[aaaaaa15]

Posted: 5/9/16 at 10:17am

Have there been cases of actors often getting standing ovations mid-show and not going on to win the Tony? I'm thinking Andrea Martin in Pippin, James Monroe Iglehart in Aladdin etc. I think that is something that Cynthia has going for her.

[NJ_BroadwayGirl]

Posted: 5/9/16 at 10:21am

GreasedLightning said: "I felt the same way you felt about Bright Star about Waitress, so it's a fair game to all. "

Yup and that's the great thing about art. We all get to have different reactions to shows.  

[VotePeron]

Posted: 5/9/16 at 10:30am

aaaaaa15 said: "Have there been cases of actors often getting standing ovations mid-show and not going on to win the Tony? I'm thinking Andrea Martin in Pippin, James Monroe Iglehart in Aladdin etc. I think that is something that Cynthia has going for her.

 

....What? Cynthia did not get a standing ovation either of the times I saw her. And last night, Jennifer Simmard got a standing O  after her song, so she must be winning over Renee? And Jessie Mueller got a standing O at the first preview of Waitress after "She Used to Be Mine" so she's beating Cynthia!

 

Stupid logic.

 

[indytallguy]

Posted: 5/9/16 at 10:30am

woeisme3 said: "Color Purple was messy and unfocused. I thought that She Loves Me was a much funnier, more charming, and overall better show."

 

While I still find the book of The Color Purple a bit weak, one of the strengths this revival has for me is its focus on Celie and its reduction in grandiosity and messiness.

 

[aaaaaa15]

Posted: 5/9/16 at 10:33am

VotePeron said: "....What? Cynthia did not get a standing ovation either of the times I saw her. And last night, Jennifer Simmard got a standing O  after her song, so she must be winning over Renee? And Jessie Mueller got a standing O at the first preview of Waitress after "She Used to Be Mine" so she's beating Cynthia!

 Stupid logic."

Please calm down, there is no need to be so defensive.

Cynthia has got a standing ovation mid-show many times. She confirmed this on the Today Show. Of course it hasn't happened every single night, I didn't claim that.

Jennifer and Jessie getting standing ovations on their closing night/first preview night is a completely different thing. Those nights are well known for enthusiastic audiences. If they have been getting standing ovations at these points on other nights, then I didn't know about it.

I didn't say it would win Cynthia the award. I was making a general enquiry as to whether it had happened before that someone who often got the mid-show standing ovation did not win. I have no idea if it has hence why I asked. 

Updated On: 5/9/16 at 10:33 AM

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 5/9/16 at 10:42am

Yeah, I have a hard time believing that a couple who is supposedly smart doesn't know what's going on in THE COLOR PURPLE. It's pretty clear, I guess many audiences still want everything to be spoon-fed to them. Doyle's direction of the revival is superb and raises the material to a whole other level. No, it's not a traditional form of storytelling, but the sort of expressionistic approach that defines Doyle revival puts the focus back on Celie and the way through which she sees the events of her life and, as Brantley's review so eloquently points out, manages to mimic the ways in which Celie takes control of her own story in the novel. It's one of the great revivals and I feel sorry for anyone who thought Erivo's performance was all about belting. If anything, the moments of belting only work so well because of Erivo's nuanced performance when she is not belting--for example, Erivo's quiet delivery of the line when she tells Harpo to beat Sofia is chilling and haunting.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 5/9/16 at 10:54am

indytallguy said: "woeisme3 said: "Color Purple was messy and unfocused. I thought that She Loves Me was a much funnier, more charming, and overall better show."

 

While I still find the book of The Color Purple a bit weak, one of the strengths this revival has for me is its focus on Celie and its reduction in grandiosity and messiness."

 

 

The point of a revival is not to judge the original material. Revivals should be judged on how well the material is presented as is. Is The Color Purple as well written as She Loves Me? Certainly not, but The Color Purple is a better and more exciting revival. It's not fair to anyone involved in The Color Purple to say "Well, the writing isn't that good."

 

[AngusN]

Posted: 5/9/16 at 11:32am

I'm afraid I don't understand the fascination with Ivo Van Hove's A View From the Bridge, I think the sparse settling detracts from the domestic conflict, the line delivery is often contrived and the finale is ridiculous. When I saw the production I felt like it had been directed by a competent bunch of college students, not an award winning director.

[JudyDenmark]

Posted: 5/9/16 at 11:49am

Add me to the list of head-scratchers over She Loves Me beating Color Purple (or Spring Awakening). I have been trying all season to figure out what it is that people are gushing about with SLM... I just don't get it. it was charming, it was colorful, it was well-cast, I smiled... but personally, I stopped thinking about it an hour after the performance. Been there, done that. Whereas Color Purple and Spring Awakening have both stuck with me for months. Neither is a perfect show (I agree that the CP book is just plain weird at times), but they made me FEEL something, which is what I hope for when I go see a show.

Also, it is NONSENSE that Danny Burstein won best actor over Ben Platt! Platt's performance was just incredible!