Carmen Cusack — Page 2

TFMH18 said: "Am I correct in assuming the only way Carmen will be nominated is if they opt to include a sixth nominee?"

If there is a tie in the nominating process of any of the acting categories, the number of nominees shall be expanded.

TFMH18 said: "Right, let me rephrase. Is there any world in which Cusack could be nominated if there is not a tie?"

In other words, you're asking if she has a realistic shot of getting in above Benanti, Erivo, McDonald, Mueller, or Soo, right?

Updated On: 4/12/16 at 01:12 PM

If the nominators feel that Phillipa Soo has more of a featured role, then I guess Cusack could take her slot. If not, she might be this year's Lisa Howard. A breakout star in a show with mixed reception that just gets overlooked for a nomination.

mc1227 said: "I don't think Audra or Jesse are shoo-ins at all and Carmen has as much of a chance as they do, or even Shoo for that matter. While Hamilton will clean up at the Tony awards this year, I'm not certain this will be one of the categories. "



I actually think Jessie is a shoo-in. She's terrific in the role. I posted earlier in the thread, but I'm not sure the committee will deem Audra as leading (even though she's the biggest draw in the show.) Her character, as important and integral in the part as she was, seemed more featured than leading. I guess we'll find out when they rule on the show next month!

She's quite versatile, having been a Christine in Phantom, Elphaba in Wicked and Mrs Gardner in Carrie. She's great I've always liked her a lot. Kind of surprised to read that you lot who seem to know everything underneath the sun Broadway related haven't heard much of her.

Updated On: 4/12/16 at 03:10 PM

We don't know when exactly Shuffle Along's eligibility will be announced, do we? Though it would realistically make sense for Audra to be in the featured category, I would venture to guess it will go another way, due mainly to her stature in the community.

Jeffrey Karasarides said: "If the nominators feel that Phillipa Soo has more of a featured role, then I guess Cusack could take her slot."

They've literally already decided that she has a leading role in the show. If Soo were not to receive a nomination (which I am both doubtful of happening and think it would be wrongful anyway), it would be because the nominators felt her performance wasn't comparatively worthy, not because it was any more or less "featured" or "leading." The fact that we know what her designation is is the whole point of the committee's ruling meetings.

"I mean who can play and sing Dot and Elphaba and Nellie and Christine and then turn on her country mojo for Bright Star?"

She took on Fantine as well, which also varies greatly from all of the aforementioned roles! And perhaps the most impressive feat of all is how perfectly suited her voice is for the Bright Star score. You could swear each song was tailor-made for her pipes (which they were not). I cannot wait until the cast recording is available in a few weeks!

Glad to hear she is a lovely person, too. Not that that should add or detract from a performer's talent, but as you said, it's great when good things happen to good people.

Updated On: 4/13/16 at 10:01 AM

TFMH18 said: ""If there is a tie in the nominating process of any of the acting categories, the number of nominees shall be expanded."
Right, let me rephrase. Is there any world in which Cusack could be nominated if there is not a tie? "



Yeah. Stranger things have happened. The Tony nominations come out of left field sometime. I hope they nominate six ladies just so no one gets left out, but who knows.

I feel like I'm the regular Soo-defender in these threads but I also feel like I have to because her performance effected me so much, maybe more than any other performance I've seen on stage.

I especially take issue with a 'good actress playing a great part.' Eliza was an unbelievable woman in real life but I don't necessarily think the role in Hamilton is a great one, compared to Hamilton, Burr etc. With the exception of a few moments (notably the finale and the arc of Philip's death), she only appears on stage to discuss her love/heartbreak/loyalty to Hamilton. I've heard the workshop version of the show and I wish that Lin would have left in that version of Schuyler Defeated (and maybe even the cut song Let It Go) because they humanize Eliza much more. But Phillipa to me is producing a brilliantly subtle and nuanced performance. I think it's such a hard role to leave an impact with because of the reasons I previously mentioned and yet every time Soo was on stage my eyes were glued to her. Going off the cast recording alone I think Angelica is the more interesting female character, but when you combine Soo's performance with the staging it immediately became Eliza for me.

What Leslie Odom Jr says in this video about Phillipa's performance is exactly how I feel:

https://youtu.be/r4bXonaZEn4?t=22m25s

There's also a chapter in the Hamilton book about how Lin and Ron Chernow were concerned with casting Eliza (Ron's wife apparently likened herself to Eliza a lot when she was alive) because it takes a specific type of actress to make that character work. Then when they found Phillipa and saw how poised she was they realized they would be fine, there's a quote about how Phillipa managed to 'make goodness compelling' which I think is so accurate.

That said, Carmen is giving a brilliant performance and the category is probably the most difficult this year, at least in terms of who to nominate. I just want to dispel the notion that Soo would only be nominated off the back of Hamilton being extremely popular, her performance is certainly having a large effect on me and other audience members I've discussed this with.

Updated On: 4/13/16 at 05:11 PM

http://www.playbill.com/article/the-many-faces-of-bright-stars-leading-lady

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/05/01/theater/carmen-cusack-puts-her-pain-and-her-joy-into-a-leading-broadway-role.html?smid=tw-nytimestheater&smtyp=cur&_r=0&referer=

As if I wasn't floored enough by her performance as it were. This profile is devastating and adds an entirely other layer of depth and heartache. This woman is s revelation!

I saw the show for the 2nd time last night and was once again blown away by Carmen's performance. She is so incredibly talented and you can tell she was still beaming from receiving her Tony nomination the day before. I had the opportunity to meet her at the stagedoor last night and was one of the sweetest people I have ever met. I hope she wins the Tony!