How Did Janet McTeer loose the Tony?!

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 8/9/09 at 2:50am

I took a friend to see "Mary Stuart" tonight, and it's my second time seeing it. I just can't believe that someone would win over here. Both of those ladies are brilliant up on that stage, and I think it's beautifully directed and executed. I mean, did the Tony voters not see the first scene in Act II? How did Marcia Gay Harden (sp?) win over her? I saw "God of Carnage," and I was bored. I know that's just my opinion, but I just don't see how this amazing performance could be overlooked by someone who is funny for like five minutes?

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 8/9/09 at 2:56am

Like most Tony decisions, it can only be explained by voters not bothering to see the shows. Though personally, I thought that Harriet Walter's performance was vastly superior to either.
Updated On: 8/9/09 at 02:56 AM

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 8/9/09 at 3:00am

You mean lose and not loose, I hope.

Good night.

Updated On: 8/9/09 at 03:00 AM

[Drunk Chita Rivera]

Posted: 8/9/09 at 8:52am

I only saw Marcia Gay Harden not Janet. Marcia is wonderful. I think the main reason she one was because they needed to award that cast in one way or another.

[madbrian]

Posted: 8/9/09 at 9:43am

As good as McTeer was (and she was terrific), I would have given the Tony to Tovah Feldshuh. McTeer and Walter were memorable, Feldshuh was unforgettable.

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 8/9/09 at 10:35am

There might have been some practical politics involved also. Mary Stuart is for a limited run and of marginal public appeal (at least, if you're going by the box office receipts). Second, McTeer has already won a Tony (granted, multiple wins are not uncommon). Third, McTeer was up against Walker and they might have cancelled each other out. God of Carnage will probably be facing an uphill climb when it reopens, what with competition from the new shows coming up (think Hamlet and Steady Rain which, if for no other reason, will be driven by star power).

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 8/9/09 at 1:05pm

Well, they are all completely different performances. I feel that McTeer and Walter are playing epic roles, doing it incredibly well, and they both give very dramatic, larger than life performances. Hope Davis and Marcia Gay Harden master the art of comedy in GOD OF CARNAGE, and they both elevate the play to incredible heights. Curiously enough, McTeer played Veronica (or Veronique as the role was called) in the West End premiere of GOD OF CARNAGE.
I personally thought Hope Davis was incredible and underrated as Annette. Somewhat meek and careful at the beginning, but explosive at the end. Marcia Gay Harden has the flashier role and she definitely doesn't miss one laugh and I'd say, she even adds new ones with her physical comedy. Both Davis and Harden gave comedic tour de force, while McTeer and Walter are giving the more dramatic turn. I for one am glad that the voters decided to reward the comedic skills of Harden. Though like I said, I would have voted for Davis.
And actually while I thought both MARY STUART ladies gave mammoth performances the night I saw the show, I thought Walter was a brilliant Elizabeth. She was sexy, sophisticated, funny, acerbic, and regal. Again, McTeer had the flashier role, but I thoroughly enjoyed the subtlety of Walter's performance.

[Schuyler]

Posted: 8/9/09 at 1:38pm

Janet McTeer should have won! I picked her in my tony pool!

[wickedfan]

Posted: 8/9/09 at 1:44pm

Dying is easy. Comedy is hard.

[vodkastinger]

Posted: 8/9/09 at 1:48pm

All five of the Best Actress nominees were incredible performances, and it really just comes down to taste and preference. I personally would rank the category as

1) Marcia Gay Harden
2) Harriet Walter
3) Janet McTeer
4) Hope Davis
5) Jane Fonda

However, I can certainly understand a different ranking on the same category. I am just thankful that I got to see so many tour de force female performances this year.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 8/9/09 at 1:49pm

I mean, I know it's a matter of opinion at this point, but I just didn't find "God of Carnage" to be all that funny. I mean, I can think of maybe one point where I thought Harden was good. I mean, maybe it's not my type of comedy, but it just didn't seem all that funny to me. Where as McTeer is only on stage for a small amount of time, but she makes the most of it and commands the stage. She is so fully committed and it's amazing to watch. And I think either actress from that show should have fun. It's a shame!

[wickedfan]

Posted: 8/9/09 at 2:02pm

I'm in the extreme minority, believe me I know, of people who weren't enthralled with McTeer. I loved Harriet Walter and thought that McTeer was at her best in Act Two (but thought she was a little too self-aware in Act One). And I walked in there looking most forward to McTeer. I'm not 100% certain Harden gave the best performance by an actress in a play that year, but she was fantastic. No doubt about it. Then again, I really loved God of Carnage. Just because it was a comedic performance doesn't make it any less challenging or impressive. Truth be told, any woman could have won in that category and I would've been happy about it. Harden won. I'm happy about it.

[TulitaPepsi]

Posted: 8/9/09 at 2:03pm

Could not agree more with you, RentBoy. On everything you wrote.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 8/9/09 at 2:09pm

Wickedfan, I thought McTeer was wonderful, but I agree that Act I was her weakest. And I also agree that just because Davis and Garden did comedy, it doesn't mean that their performances are less credible or valid. Garden has a way with the way she delivers the text, it's so organic and believable. Even when she is hitting her husband and screaming at the top of her lungs, the scene feels real and not outrageous.
I thought Harden was hilarious, and Davis pretty much had me on the floor most of the time, especially her accusatory way in which she handled the hamster situation.
I also agree with wickedfan that anyone could have won and it would have been a deserved victory. I don't think anyone was "robbed." There were so many great leading performances in a play that the nomination was the award, and I'm glad that Davis, McTeer, and Walter all got nods.
In fact, I think that the biggest problem I had with MARY STUART and the Tonys was John Benjamin Hickey not getting nominated for what I thought was an ideal performance.

[wickedfan]

Posted: 8/9/09 at 2:15pm

Ray, It's not so much that I didn't think her performance was bad. There were moments I thought she was breathtaking. It just didn't feel as organic as Walter's performance. I felt I could see the wheels turning in McTeer's head during her performance.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 8/9/09 at 2:23pm

Completely agree. Walter stole the show for me.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 8/9/09 at 5:14pm

I agree. McTeer definitely deserved the award over Harden.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 8/9/09 at 5:29pm

I agree that the nomination was the award this season. Think of the magnificent performances that didn't even get nominations, simply because -- let's face it -- their shows were closed by nomination time. I'm talking about Kristin Scott Thomas and Diane Wiest, both giving award worthy performances.

My choice of the best leading performance by an actress in a play this year would have been Diane Wiest, who blew me away in ALL MY SONS, but of the actual nominees I would have chosen Marcia Gay Harden.

What made Harden's performance so distinct and groundbreaking for me was that her career has been mostly made up of magnificent dramatic turns on stage and film. To see that she also had the ability to master comedy so brilliantly was truly an example of a breakthrough performance for an already celebrated actress, who had not yet been awarded for her stage work.

Updated On: 8/9/09 at 05:29 PM

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 8/9/09 at 5:37pm

I think the state that comedy is harder than drama is false. I mean, comedy comes easier to some people than it does to others. And dying on stage is hard - dying on stage convincingly is harder.

I guess I'm just in the minority but I just didn't find Harden's performance all that amazing. I mean, she was good, but I wouldn't call it "grounded and real." But that's me. Oh well, can't change the past.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 8/9/09 at 5:44pm

Well, if it's any consolation, McTeer did win the Drama Desk.

[fgreene1938]

Posted: 8/9/09 at 8:43pm

Awards, for the most part, are apples and oranges. Any one of these actresses could have/should have won the award and Harden lucked out. Well, it wasn't all luck because she was terrific, but McTeer and Walter were also terrific and justifiably could have won the award. Check with Judy Garland on award caliber "losers".

[wickedfan]

Posted: 8/9/09 at 9:02pm

Rentboy- It's a general known fact that comedy is HARD. VERY VERY HARD. While some people are gifted with comedy, it never comes easy. Every fantastic comedian worked rigorously to obtain the effect they had on audiences. My first post ("Dying is easy, Comedy is hard") is a very famous saying that many people in performing and writing quote. Drama is definitely difficult, but don't for a second ever think that comedy is any less difficult.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 8/9/09 at 9:09pm

Also, think about the fact that McTeer and Walter had every sort "award" bait going. A period drama, playing Queen Elizabeth (a role for which actresses always win awards) and Mary Stuart. Harden and Davis created their character from the ground up and like I said, I thought their performances truly elevated the production. Harden made it look effortless, but I don't think playing Veronica convincingly (which she did) is easy at all. She truly mastered every aspect of the character, still making Veronica a complex human. Like I said, my vote would have been for Davis, but I think it could have gone either way. And frankly, I much preferred Walter's Elizabeth.