Raúl made an AMAZING job of a role that doesn't necessarily give the actor much to work with. He definitely deserved the Tony, and I'm terribly upset that he didn't get it.
But the thing is... David Hyde Pierce also deserved the Tony. He brings such genuine joy and energy to the stage eight times a week. Any other year, and I'd've been ecstatic to see him win. The problem is that there is only one Tony, so these two brilliantly talented gentlemen who do such great work couldn't both be awarded. And considering that 'Curtains' and 'Company' only got one award each, I'm just going to have to keep battering myself to be more accepting of Pierce's win. Because he DID deserve it.
I can't help but wonder if the Tony voters were thinking "oh lord, not another show where the actors play instruments" when they voted. 'Company' is a brilliant production and it deserved more than three nominations and one win. But if people are thinking "oh s***, that guy's got a trumpet" instead of "right, who's giving a Tony-worthy performance?", then things are going to get overlooked. I've said it before, I'll say it again; the problem with Doyle's actor-musician gimmick is that people are so focused on it, they tend to miss the brilliant work that's going on.
