Checking in with West Side Story... — Page 2

Well Brantley and Isherwood saw all 5 nominees, and we know where they stand. And I know AdamGreer saw all 5 (including Martha) and believes Karen definitely deserves it.

As someone who saw all five nominees, I would vote for Plimpton. She lit up the stage every time she entered in PAL JOEY and made a mediocre production soar whenever she opened her mouth. The fact that she's had such consistently good work in a variety of mediums over the last few years is something I think many of the voters may take into consideration.

Olivo is a terrific talent who gets to utilize a lot of her potential for the first time in WEST SIDE STORY. That being said, she just didn't do it for me as Anita. I loved her voice and she certainly has presence to spare, but she didn't have any of the fire or passion that's so vital to the character, most of which is usually conveyed by dance (an ability we all know Olivo lacks in.) Many of her choices just left me cold. To be honest, if everything around her wasn't so bland, I doubt she'd be deemed as big a standout as she is.

I don't agree with those who say Gwynne's work doesn't justify the praise she's been getting, but her role is underwritten compared to the other women in the category. Because of the universal love for BILLY ELLIOT, though, I could see her pulling off a victory quite easily.

Shelley is a respected veteran whose status is being honored by a nomination as much as her work. Damiano is a terrific newcomer who we'll surely see more of in the future.

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Updated On: 5/24/09 at 01:57 PM

I think Martha Plimpton is the the one who is least likely to win it. I think it is really between Jennifer and Karen but it really depends

I agree with you 100%, wickedfan. For me though, I never saw Olivio's dancing as mediocre. Maybe the two times I saw her she was having a really good show. Maybe it's because it was my first West Side Story experience live. Or maybe the whole thing is being blown out of proportion. *shrugs* Who knows?

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While Olivo is fantastic in the first act, it's the second act that really makes her deserving of the award. Her "A Boy Like That" is unlike any other before. Instead of just yelling at Maria, Olivo desperately pleads with Maria, and it's heartbreaking.

Her "rape" scene is incredibly intense. And I cannot get her high-pitched squeals of terror out of my head.

Seeing her from the front row really made it very clear that she deserves the award.

I feel most people dislike the Spanish because they don't even give it a chance. Most people I've spoken with (but certainly not all, of course) decide that they think it's not going to work coming in and dismiss it, instead of putting the words aside and letting the emotion wash over them.

(However, I do think that's a bit difficult to do that when Anita sings "A Boy Like That" in Spanish and suddenly Maria sings "I Had a Love" in English).

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"The sin of it is that an entire generation will think this is ALL West Side Story is: lackluster dancing in the first act and melodramatic screaming in the second."

I loved it. It's a very special memory for me. If anything, it made me a fan of the show forever. So, not lackluster memories here. =)

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"I'm kind of curious to hear from people who saw all 5 nominees, including Martha Plimpton, to hear how people think she measured up compared to the other nominees."

I have seen all 5 and would give the award to Haydn or Karen, so I am really no help.

I don't get this new backlash over Haydn Gwynne. Haydn is wonderful in BILLY ELLIOT, she is heart-breaking, commanding, and all-around thrilling in the show. I don't get the Bologna love, and most certainly can't even begin to comprehend the Greg Jbara love, but to say that the only reason Gwynne is getting claim is because of the BILLY ELLIOT love is not accurate. Now, Shelley's nomination is one I don't get, I don't think she deserved the nod nor do I think she deserves the win.
I think it's between Gwynne, Plimptom, and Olivo. Plimptom has a lot going for her, she is dearly beloved among theater folk, surprised everyone with her musical theater debut, and received across the board raves. Plus, as WannaBe mentioned, she has been nominated before. Olivo will win a Tony at some point, she's a brilliant actress and a superb singer, but she's not the most deserving, IMO. And it's pretty funny that many of the people that said Bernadette Peters shouldn't win the Tony for GYPSY because of her vocal issues, are the same ones criticizing those of us who don't think Olivo should win because of her dancing issues.

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" And it's pretty funny that many of the people that said Bernadette Peters shouldn't win the Tony for GYPSY because of her vocal issues, are the same ones criticizing those of us who don't think Olivo should win because of her dancing issues."


That's not really true. PalJoey HATED Bernadette's Rose. Hated her with a passion. And he doesn't think Olivo should win because of her weak dancing.

Ljay, I'm not really sure how your comment relates to what I said. It seems to me that PJ doesn't like his musical theater girls to be lacking in any department and that's a logic I can follow.

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You said the same people who criticized Bernadette's vocals are those who are criticizing the ones who don't think Olivo should win.

And I said that's not true of PJ. He strongly disliked Bernadette as Rose, and he strongly disagrees that Karen should win the Tony.