Is Reno Sweeney REALLY a leading role?

[N2N Nate.]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 12:48pm

Sorry if this is blasphemy, but I watching the Sutton Foster ANYTHING GOES revival online, and to me it's just strange that people call Reno Sweeney a leading role. Surely i'm not the first person to think this. Her character really never seemed very involved in the plot. I would even go as far to say that there really isn't any female leading role in ANYTHING GOES. I can understand why Sutton won the tony, her amazing Dance skills in BLOW GABRIEL GLOW and ANYTTHING GOES sealed the deal for me, but to me, that's really the only reason I thought Sutton stood out in the show to warrant her a nomination. It is also my understanding that not many former Broadway Reno Sweeneys did as much Dancing as Sutton? Hmmmm.

[ljay889]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 12:52pm

Yes.

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 12:53pm

Yeah, when I saw this in 2011, I was surprised that Reno doesn't have as much stage time as a average leading lady.. I actually forgot about Reno until Gypsy in Me. And i literally thought, "I love you, Sutton. But, how did you win? You hardly did anything."

When I saw it the 2nd time on YouTube, I realize that she does have more stage time than I remembered. But, I think I would have voted for Patina over Sutton.

[Kad]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 12:57pm

There is no questioning Reno Sweeney is the female lead. In the last revival, she led or participated in 7 of the 20 musical numbers, more than any other role.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 1:00pm

Any larger than life comic romantic heroine who starts the show by wistfully longing for one man, ends the show by joyously falling in love with another, all the while maintaining a screwball friendship with a third as she winningly entertains an ocean liner of passengers, instrumentally ties up the multi-plot so that everyone ends up happy, getting laughs all the way, and owns the likes of I Get A Kick Out of You, Anything Goes, Blow, Gabriel Blow, Friendship, You're the Top, and Take Me Back to Manhattan (at least originally), thus dominating one of the funniest and most completely enjoyable shows ever with heart and triple threat star power - this last part assumes the leading lady is up to the task - is as much a lead as any role in the musical theater cannon.

Updated On: 10/27/13 at 01:00 PM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 1:02pm

There is a difference between A leading role, and THE leading role. However, once nominated, how much one has to do is hardly a consideration. (Same thing with all the arguments over Carvel in Matilda)

[N2N Nate.]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 1:03pm

"I love you, Sutton. But, how did you win? You hardly did anything."

Yeah I was sort of in the same boat until BLOW GABRIEL BLOW started. It's not Sutton's fault though, its really just the arc of the character, imo. Without Sutton doing all those amazing dance numbers, i probably would be scratching my head wondering why she won the award.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 1:05pm

"Take Me Back to Manhattan" was interpolated in the 1962 Off-Broadway revision of Anything Goes. It wasn't a part of the original Anything Goes score, and was in the score to The New Yorkers. Reno had "Buddy Beware" in the 11 o'clock spot in the original score.

[N2N Nate.]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 1:08pm

Kad makes a good point. To me it seems like a hell of a role to do 8 nights a week. I can definitely appreciate the stamina that is required of the role, but when watching the show, i kept thinking to myself " Wow sutton has been offstage for a long time" The show doesn't really revolve around her as much as I thought it would. Her character seems more like the Drowsy chaperone type instead of the Janet type.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 1:10pm

"I love you, Sutton. But, how did you win? You hardly did anything."

Except she led or participated in about 7/20 musical numbers... Including LEADING the two showstoppers Anything Goes and Blow, Gabriel, Blow. The former of which had her leading a pretty crazy tap dance. Say what you will about her performance, but saying she "hardly did anything" is not true.

[Kad]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 1:11pm

Musicals were structured differently and had different things expected of them when Anything Goes was written. They're generally less focused and driven by a strong plot- the situation is really just used to hang musical numbers off of. They had a lot more vaudeville blood in them.

[N2N Nate.]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 1:14pm

Yeah that makes sense. Little bit off topic: I was also sort of surprised Joel Grey didn't receive a nomination.

[ljay889]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 1:15pm

Joel had a rocky start in the role.

[N2N Nate.]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 1:17pm

Really? In what way.

[ljay889]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 1:19pm

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?page=2&thread=1028925

[N2N Nate.]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 1:31pm

Ooh very interesting. To be fair, I don't know much about ANYTHING GOES and have never watched any of the older versions of the show, so i have no idea how these characters should be played. Sutton's dancing was definitely the highlight for me. Laura Osnes really did nothing for me. Her role is so freaking boring and I really just sort of tuned out cause it was the ordinary ingenue role. Not Laura's fault or anything.

Besides Sutton's dancing, she never really landed for me. I felt like I was watching Sutton playing a role, instead of Watching a character play out on the stage ( if that makes sense?) I have no idea how Merman and Lupone did it, but I imagine they put a bit more fire into it. I can definitely see why some would say Sutton seemed Miscast.

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 1:36pm

Ok, that's true with the number of dancing numbers. If it wasn't with her dancing, Patina definitely would have won her first Tony. (Or someone else)

Really glad Joel got better over time. He was a great when i saw him :)

[dramamama611]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 1:38pm

But it has nothing to do with how much you have, but what you do with it.

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 1:41pm

^^THIS

It's like Bertie with MATILDA

[N2N Nate.]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 1:47pm

"But it has nothing to do with how much you have, but what you do with it."

That's definitely true and I think that is what happened with Sutton. Her character doesn't really have much of an Arc. The guy she's in love with turns her down and she pretty much doesn't give a damn and falls for another guy rightaway. To me, her character just floats around instead of having many plot hurdles to junp over, but as Kad said, Musicals were written differently back then. Sutton didn't have much, but she definitely did lots with it.

Updated On: 10/27/13 at 01:47 PM

[Musicaldudepeter]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 3:03pm

Question: If Patina had won the Tony in 2011 for Sister Act (which I believe she should have done), would she have won in 2013 for Pippin? Would Laura Osnes have won her first Tony in 2013 for Cinderella if Patina won in 2011...?

[MaddieBB12]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 3:54pm

^Possibly; I could see that having happened. However, I think it would have been better if Laura Osnes had won for Bonnie & Clyde, as Bonnie is a stronger role, which could have happened had Porgy & Bess not been the same season.

[Kad]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 4:08pm

That's an impossible question to answer because who can say that Patina would have gone on to do Pippin at all?

[Musicaldudepeter]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 4:12pm

Well I'm assuming if she had won a Tony for Sister Act her chances of getting Pippin would have been even stronger, you dingbat.

[MaddieBB12]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 4:16pm

Kad has a good point; PIPPIN started our regionally, remember, and winning a Tony can open new doors.