The Kristin/Kelli/Chita competition...- Page 16

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 7/20/15 at 1:29am

I am glad they finally got it right here.

Chita was not doing her best work. I feel like lately, because of her age and how ageist people are, it's just a "she is doing so good for her age, and she shows up every night unlike many others who are half her age" instead of focusing on her work for what her work is. And she was doing ok in a forgettable show. I didn't hate The Visit, but I didn't really go home thinking it was a good show.

Kristin was giving a good performance in a bad show with 2 or 3 really good numbers. I agree with Soaring and Phreak when it comes to On the 20th Century. Also very forgettable, I enjoy Marin Mazzie's take on this role a bit more personally(on youtube)

Kelli was in a good show, that is far from perfect, but her performance was so heartfelt, so touching, her voice as soothing as ever, with great gowns and with songs that really touched me. She truly deserved the award.

 

[binau]

Posted: 7/20/15 at 4:01am

Chita's singing was obviously not her best work, and definitely something that is excused for her age. It's funny because I used to think her voice sounded strained in "Spider Woman", but listening to it again recently - she sounds like an absolute powerhouse compared to her vocal performance in THE VISIT.

However, (admittedly only having mostly heard rather than seen her performance), she was doing a fine job acting (both while singing and not), which is such a challenge for many musical performers. And much like Ripley at the end of the tour in NEXT TO NORMAL, her vocal strain is consistent with the character. 

Still, I am interested to know what people who have no idea who she is think about her performance. I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing that performers bring a bit of their personality to roles though (I mean, this is one of the major differences between a 'star' and 'non-star' in my opinion. IF the actor doesn't have any personality they are soon forgotten). 

Updated On: 7/20/15 at 04:01 AM

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 7/20/15 at 4:54am

You people are killing me with all this about 20th Century being a bad show with weak material. Don't make me post excerpts from the rave reviews of the four local newspapers on this thread like I did on the others. It was about 98 percent sold out despite Roundabout's bizarre policy of dumping about 100 seats, many of them prime, on the market a day or two before a production, when there was not enough time for them all to sell.

You hear a lot about a Broadway show getting mediocre reviews but being successful due to "word of mouth." This is one of the rare instances of a show getting great reviews but being dragged down by word of mouth of a minority.

There must be something about the composition of the principal posters here that cuts across the grain of this type of comedy. Maybe there is relative youth here that wants their entertainment to be meaningful. After life bangs you around enough then you are more willing to escape to escapism.

[gypsy101]

Posted: 7/20/15 at 7:40am

"You people are killing me with all this about 20th Century being a bad show with weak material..."

I agree with this post 100%. On the 20th Century has a fantastic score which won the Tony, and a hilarious book, which ditto, and Kristin Chenoweth isn't some fading star from days gone by. She was alive and on fire the night I saw her late May. I saw every actress nominated for Best Actress sans Kelli O'Hara (due to scheduling conflicts, my only open slots during my weekend were matinees that sold out before I could get tickets to see her) so obviously I can't comment on her live performance and will not. Of the 4 nominees I saw, Kristin was far ahead Chita, Beth and Leanne (whom I preferred in that order). Kelli's performance, which I gleaned mostly from the cast recording, I found cold and somewhat sterile. I've loved many of her vocal performances in the past (particularly The Light and Bridges, I find her non-soprano roles to be less thrilling mainly because belting isn't her forte and she doesn't claim it to be...but boy, when she does what she does best it's mesmerizing).

To be honest, the role of Anna hasn't ever been my favorite, especially among Rodgers and Hammerstein's work; because they were writing for Gertrude Lawrence who wasn't among the world's best singers, they were restrained to about an octave of melody for her (saving the best singing for other characters). The role has been sung by many fantastic singers in the 64 years since Gertie won the Tony, among them: Barbara Cook, Julie Andrews, Angela Lansbury, Donna Murphy, Mary Beth Peil and now Kelli O'Hara. But every time someone fantastic sings Anna, I wish there was something more for them to sing.

Updated On: 7/20/15 at 07:40 AM

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 7/20/15 at 8:57am

To be honest, the role of Anna hasn't ever been my favorite, especially among Rodgers and Hammerstein's work; because they were writing for Gertrude Lawrence who wasn't among the world's best singers, they were restrained to about an octave of melody for her (saving the best singing for other characters).

Kelli could have hurt her case when she flippantly remarked that the role of Anna involved very little strain on her voice. I believe that this was another reference to how she believed she had done her best work in Bridges, and she was still unhappy that she and the musical had not gotten a better reception. Hey, I should have such problems.

I'm a little concerned about Kristin as she advances into middle age, carrying some medical problems and a serious injury along with her. How will she fare in roles for older women? The hair and dress will have to become more conservative. Like I should have such worries.

All in all it's very strange that, at least with the temporary abdication by Audra, two women raised in Oklahoma and attending the same state university with the same voice teacher should be duking it out for "A Number One, Queen of the Hill."

 

 

[UnwoundFantasies]

Posted: 7/20/15 at 9:31am

Having seen all 5 leading actress nominees, Kelli's win is well deserved. Her acting is incredible. I've seen the show 3 times and every time I am blown away by some other nuanced detail in her performance. Vocally, Kelli could probably sing that score perfectly in her sleep. If I had to pick a close second it'd be Beth Malone. I've seen her performance multiple times as well and am always taken aback by her emotional depth and ability to act as a silent presence. Even when she's not the focus of the stage, her performance is so powerful. Kristin was of course incredible but I didn't love the show itself. Had Kristin won no one would be saying it was undeserved, she gave an amazing performance as well. This season was filled with many worthy competitors. 

 

In in terms of bridges, Kelli very much feels that it was the best role she's played so far both vocally and dramatically. She just spoke in a recent playbill article about how painful last years Tony was since bridges wasn't well received. That's not to say she's bitter about not winning, I think Kelli O'Hara has far more important things to be concerned about. But even though bridges wasn't a hit, Kelli's performance was a revelation. Her portrayal of Francesca was the best part of bridges besides Jrb's beautiful score. 

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 7/20/15 at 9:38am

I'm taken aback at how many of the board members who have posted on this thread have expressed such a dislike for ON THE 20TH CENTURY. The original production was a great success and this current production received very favorable reviews all around. It possesses book, music and lyrics by theater legends Betty Comden, Adolph Green and Cy Coleman.

I thought Chenoweth, Gallagher. Karl and the rest of the cast were all outstanding. I had a fantastic night seeing it. It was great seeing Gallagher back on Broadway, the last time I saw him was in a revival of GUYS AND DOLLS.

 

[bjh2114]

Posted: 7/20/15 at 10:02am

"Kelli could have hurt her case when she flippantly remarked that the role of Anna involved very little strain on her voice."

OK, first of all, in what way was she flippant?  She wasn't disrespectful or dismissive.  Secondly, she was stating fact.  Of all the big Broadway roles she has played, Anna is almost certainly the least vocally taxing.  Bridges and Piazza are far more difficult, Pajama Game and South Pacific have songs all over the map, and Nice Work (while mostly pretty basic melodies) required her to do quite a bit of choreography while she was singing.  King and I is essentially a stand and sing show for Anna, and the vocal range required for the part is not crazy.  Anna is definitely more of an actor's role than a singer's role, but Kelli obviously managed to do both very well.

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 7/20/15 at 1:18pm

Wow. I didn't think that the flippant statement was controversial. It wasn't meant to be. Just meant that she mentioned it in passing but without dwelling on it. Use your own word instead of "flippant."

I've seen Kelly live in Pajama Game, South Pacific, Nice Work, King and I, Encores' Bells are Ringing, where she took on the Judi Holliday role, Merry Widow via the live HD broadcast at the movie theater, her holiday concert with Mathew Morrison at Carnegie Hall, the dress rehearsal for that concert the afternoon before, the City Center Gala and the New York Pops Gala where she sang "Hello, Young Lovers" for what she said was only the second time in public.

She is a fine actress, which set her apart from other lovely sopranos such as Rebecca Luker.

Actually I think that Rebecca had a comic, playful side, but never found a role to show it off. The closest she came was in Encore's The Boys From Syracuse.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 7/20/15 at 1:28pm

"....Kristin was giving a good performance in a bad show with 2 or 3 really good numbers. ....
 "

Oh, good grief!  There's a huge difference between not caring for a particular show and a show that is truly bad.  On the 20th Century does not even come close to being a bad show.

[Hamilton22]

Posted: 7/20/15 at 1:32pm

Wow. I didn't think that the flippant statement was controversial

 

It wasn't. Some just seem to have a habit of getting their panties in a twist when something remotely unflattering is said about Kelli and her show. There was nothing controversial about your comment.

Updated On: 7/20/15 at 01:32 PM

[bjh2114]

Posted: 7/20/15 at 3:27pm

"Wow. I didn't think that the flippant statement was controversial
 
It wasn't. Some just seem to have a habit of getting their panties in a twist when something remotely unflattering is said about Kelli and her show. There was nothing controversial about your comment."

 Nope.  The word flippant has a negative connotation.  If he didn't mean it to me controversial, that's fine.  But as he said in his follow-up, a different word should have been used.  But continue to be a troll.  That's fine too.

[Soaring29]

Posted: 11/17/18 at 5:49pm

Looking back at this thread and from my own memory, it seems as if the race was perceived as such a nail-biter but in retrospect, is is it possible that it wasn't? 

I think what went against Kristin is the show itself- although it was definitely a hit, The King And I''s later opening and the pedigree of LCT/Bartlett Sher largely overshadowed On The Twentieth Century which even On The Town(which opened five months earlier) seemed to have more exposure than the latter leading up to the Tony's. It also failed to get leading actor and direction nominations; although you can argue that was because of the very crowded year, The King And I was even able to snag a nomination for Ken Watanabe who got very mixed reviews for his performance. So I think support for the show was weak. As good as Kristin is, I think that she has never been able to recover the unfair image/view of her as a breakout Broadway star who sold out to Hollywood and when you compare that to Kelli who at that time really had done no noteworthy TV/film work, who was such a consistent presence on Broadway and in the theatre community, and was on her 6th nomination(double the exact amount of nods that Kristin had) with no previous wins, I think Kelli had an advantage over her from the beginning. It's also possible that too many voters agreed with the assessment that Kristin was not really doing anything that different from her previous work(something that you could accuse Kelli of as well but she obviously overcame that as she won). 

 

Updated On: 3/27/24 at 05:49 PM

[gypsy101]

Posted: 11/18/18 at 10:30am

i don’t buy this whole “Kristin Chenoweth did fabulously what she always does fabulously and thus didn’t deserve the award” angle. I’ve also never understood viewing her as selling out. sure she did some tv work (and won an emmy) but she has come back to the theater several times. She was fantastic in OOTC and i will choose to believe that it was a very close race for the Tony.

[theatreguy12]

Posted: 11/18/18 at 11:41am

I will always believe that KO took it because she was the sentimental favorite, not having won the prize before.  And she did what she had to do in TKAI that year.  It was enough.

I know the "nuance" of her performance is given as the reason that set her apart from the rest and will always defend her win most adamantly, but having seen the performance, it didn't change my mind that anyone with a beautiful voice and some acting chops can play the role of Anna.   I saw the show at Lincoln Center and there was really nothing different about her performance that made me forget Donna Murphy's performance some 20 years prior.  

I certainly thought there was something more ravishing about the sets than that most recent revival with Donna and Lou, but overall I thought the acting and singing was on par with the previous revival.  Though I will admit for me personally, the actor playing Lun Tha was a weaker performance than Jose Llana.  Listening to Llana's "I Have Dreamed" still sends shivers up my spine.    

As for KO, don't get me wrong, she was great in the show, was wonderful in voice and acting, but she even stated it wasn't that difficult of a role for her to sing.

OTOH, Kristin's performance was beyond compare.  That was a difficult role in both voice and comedic timing, which I think is every bit as challenging to play as drama.  Some say she was just playing into her strengths.  Yep, even she admitted that it was the role of a lifetime for her, and didn't one of her former teachers even mention that particular role when KC was still a student? 

So we have two performers playing to their strengths, with one playing a role that appeared grueling, the other being standard, classical Broadway bill of fare.

I was hoping though that, if sentimentality had to play a part, it would have gone to Chita.   

The sentimental toward KO though was overpowering that no one but her was going to win it that year, regardless of the other performances.   I never saw KO in Bridges, but heard she was outstanding.  Many thought she should have taken it that year.  I kind of wish she had.  That would have balanced the playing field in what was one of the most enjoyable seasons I've ever experienced on Broadway.  And I wouldn't have been surprised to see KC take it if that had been the case.   She deserved it anyway IMO, but they were all facing something bigger than all of them.  A lovely performance by KO, who had never won a Tony before.  That was enough for the voters that season.

[SomethingPeculiar]

Posted: 11/18/18 at 12:19pm

I don't think anyone views Chenoweth as selling out. If anything, it's a cause for praise: she's "one of us" who has gone on to become more famous but still returns to theatre every few years. Not unlike Bernadette Peters and Hugh Jackman and Christopher Plummer and plenty of others who have balanced stage and screen work.

I think the voting that year came down to (1) guilt over the fact that some people thought O'Hara should have had 1-2 Tonys already (Piazza, Bridges, and to a lesser extent South Pacific), (2) overwhelming love for THE KING AND I, and (3) an undeniably great performance, albeit less flashy than Chenoweth's.

Chita's nomination was her award.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 11/18/18 at 4:01pm

Soarin29, I understand your intention in bumping this thread was to look at the competition more critically now that some time has passed, but this is a can of worms best left closed. I was hoping we could be done with this debate forever.