For Real Questions From My NY Trip Last Week

I finally got to NYC last week, saw The Crucible, Shuffle Along, Hamilton, She Loves Me, Waitress, and Long Day's Journey. Doubt I have ever had a trip in which I loved every single production, but this was it. Based on reading posts all year, I have several serious questions:

1. Why do most posters think Leslie Odom deserves the Best ActorTony over Lin Manuel Miranda? I thought Odom was excellent, but I though Miranda gave a performance for the history books. The scenes following the death of his son were devastating and his monologue after being shot was better than the CD. I was in tears, and it was his performance as much as his word and music that got to me. (I thouhtDaveed Diggs was also incredible...I will remember Miranda's and his performance most of all).

2. Why do so many people think Laura Benanti is so great in she Loves Me? I thought she was beautiful, charming, sang gorgeously, but I thought her line readings were wooden. Personally, I thought it was Zackery Levi's night.

3. Why so much hate for The Crucible? I thought it was a great revival, and that the lighting and background music were positively mesmerizing, adding greatly to the overall performance. I thought Ben Whishaw was terrific as John Procter, and really should have received a Tony nomination...although I admit that I did not see all the nominees, I fell it is a shame he was not cited. The first 30 seconds will stay wig me forever...just an incredible foreboding of things to come.

4. I can only assume the Tony nominations thought that Audra had enough nominations for now. She was incredible, certainly better IMO that Benanti and Soo, and on par with Mueller. I did not se Cusack.

Updated On: 5/30/16 at 11:57 AM

Jarethan said: "

1. Why do most posters think Leslie Odom deserves the Best ActorTony over Lin Manuel Miranda? I thought Odom was excellent, but I though Miranda gave a performance for the history books. The scenes following the death of his son were devastating and his monologue after being shot was better than the CD. I was in tears, and it was his performance as much as his word and music that got to me

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I totally agree with this. Before I saw I thought LMM would just be okay based on what I'd read on here. He totally blew me away. He was so intense and I was completely swept up in his performance. Leslie was fantastic too, but Lin and Daveed's performances are what stuck with me the most

Jarethan said: "1. Why do most posters think Leslie Odom deserves the Best ActorTony over Lin Manuel Miranda? I thought Odom was excellent, but I though Miranda gave a performance for the history books. The scenes following the death of his son were devastating and his monologue after being shot was better than the CD. I was in tears, and it was his performance as much as his word and music that got to me. (I thouhtDaveed Diggs was also incredible...I will remember Miranda's and his performance most of all)."

I agree with you that some people disparage Lin's performance a little too easily. I think this is most likely because he isn't a strong singer, but he is a very competent actor and you're right, he excels at showing emotion and bringing out that emotion in audiences. However, I think Leslie had the more difficult job of playing a character like Burr and making him sympathetic and convincing. This is the character that ends the show killing the protagonist. The fact that audiences leave Hamilton having a degree of sympathy for Burr is a testament to Leslie's performance, as well as Lin's writing. Leslie's performance is more subtle but I do think it is better. His acting is at its best during Wait For It and the end of The World Was Wide Enough when it's just him on the stage speaking to the audience. I absolutely think he deserves the Tony.

"4. I can only assume the Tony nominations thought that Audra had enough nominations for now. She was incredible, certainly better IMO that Benanti and Soo, and on par with Mueller. I did not se Cusack."

Simply put, this was the most difficult acting category to get a nomination. The fact that 6-time Tony winner Audra didn't get a nomination shows the strength of the performances of the actresses that did. I haven't seen She Loves Me yet but I think the rest of the actresses absolutely deserved their spots there, with Soo and Erivo being especially moving to me.

Updated On: 5/30/16 at 12:28 PM

To answer #2 and #4, you skipped seeing THE COLOR PURPLE (unless you had already seen the show in London), so missed Erivo's Celie, which I believe is hands down the greatest female musical performance of this season or many seasons. I think the support for Benanti where you still find it is as much for her past performances on Bway as for her present one, which I also found lacking warmth and vulnerability.

#3: Glad you got so much out of THE CRUCIBLE, a production I absolutely abhorred (Ben Whishaw's fine performance notwithstanding). I'd actually single out the lighting for one of the chief reasons I hated watching the stage, particularly that God-awful orange sodium-vapor source hung above the rest of the lighting grid to send unintended shadows of the fixtures across the entire set for much of the second act. I've rarely paid so much for such an amateur physical production as this one.

Someone in a Tree2 said: "To answer #2 and #4, you skipped seeing THE COLOR PURPLE (unless you had already seen the show in London), so missed Erivo's Celie, which I believe is hands down the greatest female musical performance of this season or many seasons. I think the support for Benanti where you still find it is as much for her past performances on Bway as for her present one, which I also found lacking warmth and vulnerability.

#3: Glad you got so much out of THE CRUCIBLE, a production I absolutely abhorred (Ben Whishaw's fine performance notwithstanding). I'd actually single out the lighting for one of the chief reasons I hated watching the stage, particularly that God-awful orange sodium-vapor source hung above the rest of the lighting grid to send unintended shadows of the fixtures across the entire set for much of the second act. I've rarely paid so much for such an amateur physical production as this one.



I had seen The Color Purple, and did not mention Erivo because I took it as a given that her performance was in a different league. Sorry for the confusion.

FOUR real questions, no?

Or do you mean these are serious questions (for real)?

Personally, I love BOTH of Lin-Manuel and Leslie Odom Jr's performances so much that I really wish they didn't have to choose one to win the award. Here we have two amazing performers who are creating standards for their respective roles for years to come. I am hooked on Alexander from his first moment, while Leslie slowly reels us in to the show. I noticed he starts the first monologue slowly, and then crescendos into the rest of the song. Both ways allow the audiences to take emotional journeys with these characters through their character dynamics and their moments of staticism. I really can't choose. I could also not really agree that I would vastly choose Leslie over Lin or Lin over Leslie for that matter. Let's just encompass ourselves in their performances and respect both for what they do every night.

I have to disagree. Seeing Audra McDonald in Shuffle Along was my first time ever seeing her live, and I was slightly disappointed. I can definitely see why she was not nominated. The other nominees that I saw (all except Soo), were giving far superior performances iMO.



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I've seen Audra multiple times and I was also disappointed although I don't know if the fault lies with her or with the show. I do think the reason she didn't get a nomination is that she has been so spectacular in other shows before. The nominators all know what she can do and this wasn't her best. In a less competitive year, sure, she would have been nominated, but not this year.

I did not think Aaron Burr was a villian. I thought he was really jealous of Hamilton and wanted his success. He had his motives and did not really understand Hamilton

I would actually agree with you about Benanti in She Loves Me. She bored me. The only performance in her category that I've yet to see is (probable winner) Erivo, but I would say that she and Philippa Soo are the two weak links in the bunch.

^^^ it's a way to gauge an actor's range. The op thought LMM was a better actor but he's not an actor who can take on many roles like Odom could. I was pretty clear in my original explanation.

BroadwayConcierge said: "The Tony Award is for BEST PERFORMANCE. Not best prospect of artistic range and versatility. To be clear, Hellob, I am in Odom's camp as well. I just strongly disagree with your logic.



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My logic had nothing to do with the future, I was simply pointing out that Odom is a better actor than Miranda. That's why he should win over him. Anyway, I'm over the topic Burr >Hamilton the end

The crucible one: having seen other nominees of best performance given by an actor in a play, I totally agree with the nominators' decision. Ben is giving an amazing performance, but the competition is too strong this year in almost every category. He didn't wow me as much as Mark Strong in A View from the Bridge, or originate a role that grabs your attention immediately, or reprise a role but also add something to it. To me, Ben is certainly talented but in Crucible he is doing a good job and that's it. You would expect a nominee to do more than that in a season like this. As for the show, the music and lighting, while impressive, seem to be telling the audience what it should feel. The play Arthur Miller wrote is competent enough without the frills that assume the audience to be dumb and not able to understand the play without "guidance."

Updated On: 5/31/16 at 06:52 AM