Leading Actor Joined: 3/17/07
With the OCC noms coming out today, and all of the opinions, agreements, disagreements, and claims of nomination robbery--I thought, in the spirit of non-malice, I'd give a thread to those performers who have done fantastic work in shows that didn't fare too well on Broadway.
I'll start with two of my favorites from this season:
Thom Sesma, The Times They are a'Changing
Jenn Collela, High Fidelity
Well, probably the best example would be Delores Gray, who won a Best Actress Tony for the musical CARNIVAL IN FLANDERS. Total run of the show: Six performances.
Seriously? That's amazing!
I don't know of many myself, but I do know (as does everyone) about Kristin Chenoweth and Roger Bart, who both won Tonys for their work in YAGMCB, which flopped.
Will Chase in Lennon.
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/8/07
Chita Rivera got nominated for the flop Merlin and Carolee Carmello got nominated for Lestat. Didn't Dee Hoty get nominated for a flop, The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public?
Dee Hoty, like Chita gets nominted for practially EVERY show she does. Heck, she even got a Tony nomination out of FOOTLOOSE!
Another example: Christopher Plummer in CYRANO.
Betty Buckley and Linzi Hately in Carrie(even though Hately did win one award for her performance.
Cyndi Lauper in last season's Threepenny.
Michael Arden in THE TIMES.....
and all the dancers.
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/5/04
Well, it should be noted that Grey, Rivera, Angela Lansbury, Bernadette Peters, Helen Gallagher (and many others) all starred in FAR more flops than hits.
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/23/05
While I wouldn't call her performance GREAT, Stephanie J. Block in The Pirate Queen.
Norbert Leo Butz in Thou Shalt Not. The show was thrashed by the critics, but he got a Tony nom.
According to Seth Rudesky there were several AMAZING performances in the ill fated "Carrie". Betty Buckley?
Margo, don't forget the incomparable Dorothy Loudon.
Celine Dion in The Pirate Queen... oh wait, SJB.. Haha.
adrian beat me to it...Norbert Leo Butz was the single redeeming factor of Thou Shalt Not. He was absolutely fantastic in that show.
Leading Actor Joined: 3/17/07
OMG, yes. If only we could all go back and see Dorothy Loudon in Ballroom!
Robert Preston and Bernadette Peters in MACK AND MABEL.
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/17/04
Patricia Routledge in 1600 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE
Georgia Brown in CARMELINA
Elaine Stritch in 1958's GOLDILOCKS
Pat Stanley and Russell Nype received Tony awards for their work in GOLDILOCKS, a musical that received mixed reviews but only ran for 161 performances.
Buy the CD on Amazon.com and hear for yourself!
Debra Monk in Steel Pier.
Daniel Davis in "Wrong Mountain". The critics all hated the show but praised his performance. (Most theatre-goers felt the same way).
Gertrude Niessen in the 1940s war camp musical of all time, FOLLOW THE GIRLS. The reviews were awful, calling it tacky, stupid, imbecilic, vapid, degrading, vile, an insult to one's intelligence, etc. It didn't matter. The audiences came. Part of the fun of FOLLOW THE GIRLS were the regulars who came and would call out the dialogue from their seats.
Swing Joined: 5/16/05
Alice Ripley & Emily Skinner in Side Show
Lansbury in Prettybelle and Dear World
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