I haven't been able to see either Pippin or Cinderella, but it seems like the majority of people believe the Lead Actress in a musical tony will go to either Laura or Patina. Who do you think will win?
Laura is a beautiful singer and actress who deserves the nomination for sure, but Patina totally killed it as a true triple threat in Pippin. No contest, imho.
I think Laura has the edge. It's pretty much a perfect realization of the character whereas Patina's is not, to some's perception, the perfect realization of the Leading Player. People are finding Patina's performance a little cold and too slick.
I'm really hoping for Patina Miller. I absolutely love Laura Osnes, but I was more blown away by Patina's performance than Laura's (maybe that's just because I prefer Pippin to Cinderella, but still). Patina is a triple threat, and practically carries the show. I'll be pretty disappointed if she doesn't get the Tony.
I personally like Laura but don't think this is her Tony-making role. The show is ok at best and while Laura is good in the role, she doesn't do anything that elevates the show or make it brilliant and worthwhile.
Patina on the other hand is giving a breakout, star making performance. Brantley's comments notwithstanding, she takes the unconventional concept of the female leading player and makes it work perfectly. Perhaps some people still have Vereen on their minds, but Patina is perhaps as close as we're ever going to get. Brilliant past performances in Gypsy didn't mean Patti Lupone was overlooked for her performance as Madame Rose. It seems silly to suggest someone giving a phenomenal performance shouldn't win solely because someone 40 years ago may have been better (and for the relative few who have seen both live, I do think it would be quite hard to remember and be able to sufficiently a compare an experience you had 40 years ago with one you had today, rose-colored glasses and all.)
While Cinderella plods and has a few moments of promise, Pippin is brilliant all the way through. Sure there are other factors like the rest of the cast, director, etc. but invariably to sustain a brilliant production, you need a phenomenal performance from the female lead, and Patina does just that.
Scratch and claw for every day you're worth!
Make them drag you screaming from life, keep dreaming
You'll live forever here on earth.
"God, ever since the Matilda's dropped out of the race people thought that Laura had a chance. That award is still Patina's. There is no race."
This. exactly. There has never been a race people. Once it got out that The Matildas weren't eligible it became clear that it was Patina for the win. There isn't a race..
I'm going to have to be on the ones who support Osnes because she fully embodies the role she originated and while I still support Miller, she has Ben Vereen's legendary performance hanging on her shoulders and people have said that her performance was to slick. But I wish both ladies the best.
^ Count me among them. Tough to compare anyone to Ben Vereen, but the show unfortunately invites us to. And Vereen's performance for all its virtuosity had a very light touch-- softly seductive, human and coy and even a little sweaty-- so when the iron fist shows up in the second Act it comes as a shock to both Pippin and us. With Patina, there's a dangerous hard as nails bitch on wheels up there from the first entrance -- where's the surprise?
"Brilliant past performances in Gypsy didn't mean Patti Lupone was overlooked for her performance as Madame Rose"
No, but it did mean she was overlooked for her performance as Mrs. Lovett, which like the Leading Player was immortalized by one actor (my point being, you can picture any number of legendary actresses as Mama Rose (Merman, Lansbury, Daly, Midler, etc.) whereas it’s clearly Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Lovett and Ben Vereen as Leading Player). That’s what I think will come into play here, as well as the fact that critics loved Osnes a lot more than many people are remembering.