Tony nom for Ken Yes or No

My theater friend who is usually picky about performances on Broadway; she told me that Ken Watanabe deserved his nomination, he won't win, but he deserved it.

yes.not crazy about his accent choice and had trouble like many others understanding some of his vocals, his acting and chemistry with Kelli was outstanding

It sounds like there are aspects of his performance that are very good, but it's interesting that with so many people saying they were unable to understand what he's saying/singing, that that would override the positives. Especially with so many other actors on Broadway doing smash up jobs in their shows this season.

Is it because the show is so beloved and he's starring opposite someone who everyone loves too? So they're just giving him a nod to complete a trifecta (two leads and the show).

Absolutely.

Next question.

If Best Leading Actor in a Musical wasn't so crowded this year, Ken would've gotten the Tony in the bag.

"I suspect that second to Brynner, it'll be Watanabe's King that generates the most attention and discussion in the future, not Lou Diamond Phillips's. It'll be a wildly divisive place in theatre history, but how the feeling will tip may depend on how the cast recording turns out."

I'm afraid that what I love most about his performance won't be captured on the cast recording. Singing is definitely not his strength in the role of the king! Even though my mother and I had seats to the extreme far left of the orchestra (the dreaded l00's), we were both delighted and emotionally moved by his interpretation---and this was early in the run. His king is a very complex human being. We believed in him as a man who is truly torn between the old traditions (what he feels is expected of him as the king) and his yearning to embrace the new. Even though every word of "Is a Puzzlement" wasn't clear, he embodied the meaning of the song throughtout his performance. And I will happily trade perfect diction for the opportunity to see a King who conveys the contradictions and conflicts not just in that one song. He is playful and affectionate with his many children and seems spontaneous in those moments. He seems very young in some ways (his oldest son is in some respects actually more mature). The scene beginning with "Shall We Dance" is highly emotionally charged, and I think it's because of Ken's conviction and charisma....not how well he dances the polka! Even though I've seen the movie and several live productions of this play, I still held my breath in suspense, as Ken conveyed the anguish of the king as he confronted Tuptim. His death scene is very moving, with so much emotion conveyed through body language, so that even if his diction is not absolutely clear (and we had no problems), the emotional content of the scene is crystal clear. Yes, he deserved this nomination but that may not be apparent based on the cast recording alone.

Updated On: 5/17/15 at 12:43 PM

"I definitely believe his nom is deserved, his portrayal was strong, charismatic and believable. That being said, his diction and accent kept the performance from being outstanding enough to win. And no, I am not a lazy listener. I went into the theater knowing this was an issue with many posters so I specifically tried to be more attentive to his words but to no avail. "

You make a good point. Also, there must be some people in the audience who are not familiar with other productions or cast recordings. Anyone (a child, for example) who is discovering King and I for the first time can't "know" what he must be saying because of familiarity with the text. And having to ask, "Huh? What's he saying?" certainly makes it harder to lose oneself in the performance. As I wrote earlier, I think he's wonderful in the role but I love his performances in movies like "Letters from Iwo Jima" and "Last Samurai" so I am a longtime fan. And in the interests of full disclosure, I'm also an English as a Second Language teacher so I'm used to "listening" for meaning beyond pronunciation.

Absolutely he deserves it,and deserves to win. One of the best male acting performances I've seen in a musical for years.

With regards to his accent I agree about the possible lazy listeners comment

Fairchild is outstanding in his dance and energetic in his acting. For a first time Broadway performance, it is great. I won't see the others before Tony time, so I would give the award to Fairchild over Ken if it were just between the 2 but I enjoyed both very much.