Actually, I have to disagree with ya'll about Anika.
When I saw the show, I didn't know what to expect. Out comes Anika singin' about not caring that a white man got shot. That song and her performance made me wanna run up on stage (I was in the balcony, mind you) and give the girl a high-five! It is true that those words were not hers, but when she performed them, I believed them to be. THEN, at the end of the first act, she worked so well with those kids in that number. Again, I wanted to get up and dance right along with them. I wanted her to be my big sister.
Second Act - The party. How I felt for the poor girl when she got smacked in the face, as well as feeling her anger when she was arguing.
I was right along with that character, thanks to Anika. She made me feel.
Her performance quality blew me away. She had a stage presence that commanded attention.
That is why she won the award - Not because her role didn't break out into overdramatic effect, but because she (having less experience than those surrounding her) gave you a proffesional flawless performance.
I am so looking forward to seeing her in the future, as I will always have love for Anika, and all because of Caroline.
"Do you know what pledge time is, Andrew"? said the PBS Executive.
"Yes", Lloyd Webber replied. "My 50th birthday special must be one program that gets done a lot."
"No", mused the man from PBS heedlessy. "Not so much. Our Stephen Sondheim Carnegie Hall concert. That's a big one."
Spoons, forks and knives seemed suddenly to suspend their motion in horror, all around the table.
