What happenened to the acting part in Best Actor Award? — Page 2

Thomas Mitchell won the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical Award in 1953 for a non-singing/non-dancing role in HAZEL FLAGG.

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Thanks Margo - had a feeling you'd be along with an answer.

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For the great majority, Broadway is full of singers who act, not actors who sing.

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*shrugs* I thought John Lloyd Young was fantastic.

"I'd rather see a person with a mediocre voice who can act the crap out of a part than someone with a gorgeous voice "sing pretty"."

I absolutely agree with this. But it's sad that we so often have only one or the other on a professional stage.

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John Lithgow in Sweet Smell... he has For Susan, and a couple of licks here and there, but for the most part he just talks.

Idina Menzel in Wicked.







Kidding.

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Two words: TRIPLE THREAT

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"Broadway is full of singers who act, not actors who sing"

I disagree with that as well. Most of these people are in movies and on Law & Order because they are actors, not singers. Patti LuPone stated in one of her FAQ's that she's an actor who sings, not a singer who acts. Lauren Molina stated in the "Sunset & 42nd" Podcast last week, that she wishes to do a straight play, so she can show off the fact that she is an actress. I have also heard in interviews/talked with many actors that feel that same way. Although quite a few Broadway stars have solo CDs, most of them would rather be considered actors.

do you guys not understand that the tony awards are VOTED for?

i LOVE michael cerveris

i LOVE john lloyd young

i work at jersey boys, so i COULD be biased since it won best musical.

BUT...

at a certain point you really need to learn how to not take awards so seriously and just realize that they are truly a matter of the opinions of the board members of the american theater wing.

you can disagree with someone's opinion but it takes a stronger man to accept and disagree than to argue with someone's opinion AFTER the damage has been done.

there are much better things to worry about.

There are plenty of people who are good singers that won't necessarily be good actors. Plenty of people can perform a song charismatically and with heart without being able to be present in their scene and connecting with their fellow actors. It's entirely possible. You see it ALL the time.

That's like saying because Kelly Clarkson is a good singer, she'll be a good actress. Not necessarily. It may mean she has the POTENTIAL to be a good actress, but that doesn't necessarily mean that she'll really DELIVER as an actress. All it means is she'll deliver as a singer. Perhaps in the wrong sense.

Look at Adam Pascal. The guy certainly knows how to sing a song. He's passionate and connected. He's not a good actor because even though he DOES have that, he doesn't engage with the other performers the way a really good actor does. He doesn't make the interesting choices a good actor always would. He's not on his toes the way a "real actor" would be. But he definitely can sing.

Updated On: 7/9/06 at 11:07 PM

"Short of polling every Tony voter, who knows why they picked what they picked? Is it because they believed a certain performance was the year's best? Or is it because they wanted to acknowledge a rising star, or reward an overdue veteran? Or did they want to spread the wealth among the shows? Did one actor get more points because he originated a role, or because another one gave a new spin to a classic part? It's all speculation."

Thank you for a well thought out statement from someone actually qualified to voice an opinion on the voting process.

If, as someone stated, it is so well known how the voting process works, then why the need to tell the board how your well known process works? Would we not already know? Or must one be "right in the middle of it all" before it becomes well known?

I think to speculate on a voter's vote as 99% a business decision, or any other one reason, does a disservice to those individuals who have actually won an award. I sense it as an attempt to try to diminish an award winner's achievement.

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