What happenened to the acting part in Best Actor Award? — Page 3

Well, unfortunately, I do. Even in concerts. Name one great singer who just stands there and makes pretty notes. None of the greats do that. They act the song---you get the story of the song.

I'm not saying people don't do it--I'm saying they suck and none of them are considered greats.

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Now, if you had said Mariah, I would have been in your car--because she doesn't know what she's saying when she sings. At least Whitney does.

But who would you rather see perform: a Whitney or a Mariah? Or a Barbra or a Liza or a Patti? I mean in terms of PERFORMING, not just pretty voices singing.

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jerby, totally forgot about Mariah Carey.

I totally see your point, though. Pretty voices aren't enough. I, too, prefer more interesting, dynamic performances. I'd rather watch Elaine Strich than Mariah Carey.

I haven't seen it yet either, Jerby, so I can't really form an opinion on JLY.I just thought I'd hop in on an interesting discussion.

No, no, BG, I wasn't accusing you!

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Duh! Singing is part of acting. If you can't act when you sing, then it's boooorrrrinng.

Back peddle much?

What about these statements isn't diminishing to an award winner?

"That's what the voters vote for. If you try to make the awards purely about quality, you're going to drive yourself crazy."

"I'm just pointing out facts - there's no reason to be that upset unless it directly affects your wallet. And that's what it's about in the end - wallets."

What facts? The "facts" according to Rathnait? So now you're discounting the reasons, the feelings others that may be upset because they're not ruled by your facts? There's no room for validating what someone may feel unless there's something financial in it for them. How sad.

"It's 99% business decisions. Like everything else in life."

I actually pity someone who has a belief that 99% of life is a business decision, but it is a very telling comment.

Additionally, there is no way possible for me to try and diminish all that you have to say. I don't spend enough hours online to read a fraction of what you post. Life is too short.

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Updated On: 7/10/06 at 03:30 PM

Linda Eder and Sarah Brightman both have decent voices but are as cold as ice to watch. Good singers/non actors?

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Truth be told, as much I liked Michael Cerveris in the part (and I did), his work still paled as to what Len Cariou, George Hearn and Brian Stokes Mitchell did with this role. The minimalist staging could have somewhat muted his work, but who is to say for certain.

I have not seen John Lloyd Young as yet (I have tickets in a few months), so I cannot weigh in on his work yet, although I think it is a fallacy to reason that the darker or more serious the role, the higher the difficulty in acting it. That is a myth that performers in comedies have been attempting to overcome for years and why many "serious" actors find comedy outside of their talents. I also know many performers claim it is very hard to portray real-life people who hold a familiar niche in the public psyche with any ease, as many viewers have a certain idea in mind of the behavior and personality traits of the celebrity in question.

Also, I think the fact that there were other actors who were critically praised, won awards and (in some cases) were considered superior in the part of Sweeney Todd could have had an impact on how certain people received and remembered Mr. Cerveris' performance here. Although there are many on the board who are young enough not to have seen the original cast in Sweeney Todd, there are still a number of Tony voters who have very clear recollections of the incredible performances and they may have legitimately felt that the performances in the revival were not in the same league.