Jan Maxwell and her 5 Tony-Nominated Performances

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Jan Maxwell and her 5 Tony-Nominated Performances

Posted: 4/20/18 at 2:03pm

I unfortunately never got to see Jan Maxwell on Broadway. To those who did: Where do you think she likely placed in the votes when she was nominated for her 5 Tonys? Was she ever competitive for the win?

2005 Feat. Actress in a Musical
- Joanna Gleason [as Muriel Eubanks], DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS
- Celia Keenan-Bolger [as Olive Ostrovsky], THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE
- Jan Maxwell [as Baroness Bomburst], CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG
- Kelli O’Hara [as Clara Johnson], THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA
*Sara Ramirez [as Lady of the Lake], MONTY PYTHON’S SPAMALOT

2007 Feat. Actress in a Play
*Jennifer Ehle [as - p1: Liubov / p2: Natalie Herzen / p3: Malwida von Meysenbug], THE COAST OF UTOPIA
- Xanthe Elbrick [as Alexander / Aaron], CORAM BOY
- Dana Ivey [as Edna Shaft], BUTLEY
- Jan Maxwell [as Mrs. Lynch], CORAM BOY
- Martha Plimpton [as - p1: Varenka / p2 & p3: Natasha Tuchkov], THE COAST OF UTOPIA

2010 Feat. Actress in a Play
- Maria Dizzia [as Mrs. Daldry], IN THE NEXT ROOM (OR THE VIBRATOR PLAY)
- Rosemary Harris [as Fanny Cavendish], THE ROYAL FAMILY
- Jessica Hecht [as Beatrice], A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE
*Scarlett Johansson [as Catherine], A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE
- Jan Maxwell [as Maria], LEND ME A TENOR

2010 Lead Actress in a Play
*Viola Davis [as Rose Maxson], FENCES
- Valerie Harper [as Tallulah Bankhead], LOOPED
- Linda Lavin [as Ruth Steiner], COLLECTED STORIES
- Laura Linney [as Sarah Goodwin], TIME STANDS STILL
- Jan Maxwell [as Julie Cavendish], THE ROYAL FAMILY

2012 Lead Actress in a Musical
- Jan Maxwell [as Phyllis Rogers Stone], FOLLIES
*Audra McDonald [as Bess], THE GERSHWINS’ PORGY AND BESS
- Cristin Milioti [as Girl], ONCE
- Kelli O’Hara [as Billie Bendix], NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT
- Laura Osnes [as Bonnie Parker], BONNIE & CLYDE

Maxwell had 10 Drama Desk Award nominations, two of which she won: 2005 Featured Actress in a Musical for “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” (Ramirez was not nominated for “Monty Python’s Spamalot&rdquo and 2010 Lead Actress in a Play for “The Royal Family” (Davis was nominated, and won, Featured Actress for “Fences).

Lastly, I know there’s a thread memorializing her while also addressing the controversy about Broadway not dimming the lights for her. I think this situation could be rectified by dimming the lights for her this November 20, which would have been her 62nd birthday. But I wanted to make a separate thread to gain insight into her history with the Tonys and those who were fortunate enough to see any of those performances.

Updated On: 4/21/18 at 02:03 PM

Jan Maxwell’s 5 Tony-Nominated Performances

Posted: 4/20/18 at 2:14pm

I'd say she was #2 in both 2010 Featured Actress and 2012 Leading Actress.

"Oh look at the time, three more intelligent plays just closed and THE ADDAMS FAMILY made another million dollars" -Jackie Hoffman, Broadway.com Audience Awards

Jan Maxwell's 5 Tony-Nominated Performances

Posted: 4/20/18 at 2:38pm

-- 2005: third or fourth. Kelli O'Hara would have been second; she or Celia KB would have been next. (Of course, I still can't believe that Ramirez won).

-- 2007: Not sure, but I think Plimpton would have been second. So, third, fourth or fifth.

-- 2010 Supp: Fourth. Harris would have been second (she should have won). I think Hecht would have been third...she had a great role and got great reviews.

-- 2010 Lead: Second or third. Linney as the question mark.

-- 2012: third or fourth. I think Miloti would have been second. Kelli O'Hara's reviews were the best thing about Nice Job. I admit to being biased here, as I thought that Maxwell was mediocre in Follies. I thought she ruined Lucy and Jessie, because she had two left feet. I thought that her How Could I Leave You was excellent, but not nearly as good as Dee Hoty's, which remains the best I have heard.

Jan Maxwell's 5 Tony-Nominated Performances

Posted: 4/20/18 at 3:59pm

For 2005, I'd put Maxwell as a close second to Ramirez with Keenan-Bolger just a hair behind. Maxwell was simply hilarious and unforgettable in Chitty, beautifully paired with Kudisch, O'Hara sang gorgeously and I might have ranked her more highly if I had not already seen Keenan-Bolger deliver a more convinving performance of the same role in the show's tryout at the Goodman in Chicago. And Keenan-Bolger was every bit as emotionally resonant in Spelling Bee as she was in Piazza. Gleason was great, but saddled with a thankless role in what I consider to be Yazbek's weakest show to date.

For what it's worth, I loved Maxwell in the forgotten Neil Simon play, The Dinner Party. It was a fun play with some truly brilliant performances, but I was confused by its only nomination going to Penny Fuller. She was good, but I thought she was probably the most forgettable of the cast. The quartet of Jan Maxwell, John Ritter, Veanne Cox and Henry Winkler were absolutely hilarious.

"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian

Jan Maxwell's 5 Tony-Nominated Performances

Posted: 4/20/18 at 4:40pm

I’d bet money she finished second for Chitty (one of the truly great comedic performances I’ve ever seen), The Royal Family (she should have won for this), and Follies (I love Audra, but I probably would have voted for Jan),

Jan Maxwell's 5 Tony-Nominated Performances

Posted: 4/21/18 at 1:03am

Jarethan said: "I thought she ruined Lucy and Jessie, because she had two left feet."

Whereas I thought Warren Carlyle ruined "Lucy and Jessie" by not working to give her choreography that would allow her to shine. I know several choreographers who had worked with her in the past, and while all admitted that she was not a great dancer, they did say that she was a hard worker and they were always able to craft choreography around what she could do that made her look as if she was doing something much more spectacular than she really was. The sentiment definitely was that Warren Carlyle could have worked to craft a number that didn't leave her hanging out to dry like that (or just used "Ah, But Underneath" which if I recall correctly Papermill did for Dee Hoty)

Jan Maxwell's 5 Tony-Nominated Performances

Posted: 4/21/18 at 1:39am

I believe her closest shot to a win was in 2010. If Viola Davis were in the featured actress category, Jan would have won.

I think the other second place finishers are Celia Keenan-Bolger (Jan won the Drama Desk, but Celia wasn’t eligible since she won with the rest of the Spelling Bee ensemble), Martha Plimpton, Jessica Hecht, and Cristin Milioti.

Jan Maxwell's 5 Tony-Nominated Performances

Posted: 4/21/18 at 11:04am

AEA AGMA SM said: "Jarethan said: "I thought she ruined Lucy and Jessie, because she had two left feet."

Whereas I thought Warren Carlyle ruined "Lucy and Jessie" by not working to give her choreography that would allow her to shine. I know several choreographers who had worked with her in the past, and while all admitted that she was not a great dancer, they did say that she was a hard worker and they were always able to craft choreography around what she could do that made her look as if she was doing something much more spectacular than she really was. The sentiment definitely was that Warren Carlyle could have worked to craft a number that didn't leave her hanging out to dry like that (or just used "Ah, But Underneath" which if I recall correctly Papermill did for Dee Hoty)"

You may in fact be absolutely correct; however, as a member of the audience on two separate occasions, I did not see Warren Carlyle on stage...I saw an extremely uncomfortable Jan Maxwell making a mess of one of my all-time favorite numbers. (Come to think of it, I can only think of one other occasion in which the performer's discomfort was so palpable...and that was John Stamos in Bye Bye Birdie. I actually felt sorry for him during the Put on a Happy Face number...and it was the same reason...he knew he was not up to the number and couldn't hide that from the audience. The 'work' was too visible).

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