Am I wrong for thinking that the award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical should be the performer who is best at BOTH acting and singing? And, someone who actually continues to act while singing?
Well, going by that logic, considering the fact that Ripley croaks her way through NEXT TO NORMAL and Allison Janney can at least carry a tune, the winner would hands down have to be Janney.
Ugh this is almost as annoying as people asking if Next to Normal will "pull an Avenue Q" at the Tonys.
The very fact that there is enough buzz behind Janney to even warrant this thread means that in no way is Alice Ripley a lock for this award.
You really cannot compare Janney's Role to Ripley's role as they are two different genres altogether. Comedy vs. Dramatic. Both ladies give terrific performances. I enjoy when a Comedic performance is awarded as comedy is extremely difficult to pull off and do it well. I think Ripley has an advantage but I wouldn't cry if Janney takes home the prize. I will be happy either way as both give commanding performances.
Wacth the "Rooster to a Hen" clip on the 9 to 5 website. Allison Janney gives a very strong and demanding performance in that scene in my opinion.
C, do you even know who Allison Janney is?
Many actors will agree that comedy is harder to pull off than drama. And I don't think it's fair to call a performance "fluff" because it's comedic and not dramatic.
double post Updated On: 5/21/09 at 10:43 AM
this actually reminds me of something I read about how few Best Actress Oscars were awarded to women in comedic roles. I agree that comedy is difficult and I adore Allison Janney in general and in 9 to 5, but I am leaning more towards Alice Ripley.
"C, do you even know who Allison Janney is?"
Apparently not... and the thing is, Megan and Allison look NOTHING alike either.
Obviously i know who she is....i am guessing that you think that i am getting her and hilty mixed up since the rooster scene is mainly megan....but janney is in tue beginning of it and is phenomenal in it
"i am not your wife, or mother, or your mistress...i am your employee and i deserve to be treated with a little bit of dignity and a little bit of respect"
I love Allison but I'll be really disappointed if she wins.
The very fact that there is enough buzz behind Janney to even warrant this thread means that in no way is Alice Ripley a lock for this award.
Except that a thread in BWW is hardly reflective of the opinions of critics, the Tony voters or the general public. If BWW buzz were a factor in any way, Esparza would have two Tonys, Felciano would have Tony, Patti would have won for Sweeney, Sweeney revival would have won, etc...etc...etc...
But to answer the question: I believe David Hyde Pierce fully deserved the Tony that year, so if that is what it means to "pull a David Hyde Pierce", then no, I don't think Janney will do it.
Broadway Star Joined: 7/24/07
The thing that I always found interesting about Pierce's win over Esparza is that unlike other upsets the reactions on this board were more sympathetic for Esparza then nasty to Pierce. But I agree that David Hyde Pierce was phenomenal in Curtains and I was not upset when Esparza lost. The thing is that while Janney and Pierce are known for West Wing and Fraiser (both shows they are brilliant in), they are under very different circumstances. If the voters agree with the Committee I don't think they will really see a reason to award 9 to 5. They would rather give it to Next to Normal a show that got 11 nominations. That is IF they agree. The thing with David Hyde Pierce's win was that Curtains had a very good showing at the Tony Awards with quite a few nominations. In the year of Spring Awakening they wanted to award all nominate shows Grey Gardens took both actress awards and costume design. Mary Poppins took set. The most significant way they could award Curtains was to give it to David who was the heart of Curtains and carried the show. it is pretty clear that 9 to 5 is carried by all three ladies but Janney doesn't single handedly carry the show. Ripley carries the show. She WILL win.
Oh come on, its never going to happen
I love Alison but the simple truth is shes giving a fun performance in a fun show, shes not exactly giving the performance of a lifetime here.
I'm a hardcore Ripley fan, but I won't hold it against the winner if she doesn't win. It's not like it would be the winner's "fault" anyway.
i saw both shows. 9 to 5 is a "cute" fluffy show. I completely understood why it wasn't nominated. N2N is brilliant and terrific. I'm also a huge huge huge Allison Janney fan and had never heard of Alice Ripley prior to the show.
If Allison wins it would be the biggest crock of s**t since Raul lost. I don't even know if you can constitute what Allison does in the show as "singing". She more or less talk-sings. And to be honest, I was so underwhelmed with her acting in the show as well. On my night she seemed bored and wasn't giving much effort.
I thought Block and Hilty were the stars. Especially Hilty. She was terrific.
That award belongs to Ripley. Would be a shame if she doesn't get it.
I'm sick of this singing argument.
Okay. What is the award called?
Best Actress in a Musical
It is not called Best Singing in a Musical
If that was the case I suggest that you demand the Tony committee take back both of Lauren Bacall's Tonys, as well as those awarded to non- singers like Tyne Daly, Glynis Johns, Alexis Smith, Vivien Leigh, and Rosalind Russell.
^ Exactly. Obviously these people never heard Tyne Daly in Gypsy.
Ljay, you know very well that musical theatre didn't exist before 1996.
Listen to Bacall in Woman of the Year or Applause. It makes Janney sound like Barbara Cook. Still, the star quality and acting is present and more than makes up for her shortcomings. Dolly obviously wrote the score with Janney's limitations in mind. As have countless other composers.
With all the "Family Guy" fans on BWW, I'm surprised nobody has recalled that "pulling a David Hyde Pierce" is to flash one's testicles on the Emmy's due to a 'trouser malfunction.'"
Will Christina Applegate beat Victoria Clark?
Will Audra Mcdonald beat Christine Ebersole?
Will Kelli O'Hara beat Patti LuPone?
This happens every year that there is a very clear and obvious lock/winner.
Will Christina Applegate beat Victoria Clark?
Will Audra Mcdonald beat Christine Ebersole?
Will Kelli O'Hara beat Patti LuPone?
This happens every year that there is a very clear and obvious lock/winner
Thank you for being one of the few people with any sense in this thread. I just now recovered from the laugh I had after reading Foster's idiotic post about how Alice Ripley "croaks" through Next to Normal.
adamgreer
Wanna be Relevant's comment made me laugh too, i just keep hearing him slag of the show and stars. I just wanna scream at him "we get you don't like it, now shut up"
I totally understand the argument that the accolades are for acting in a musical. I am inspired bythe performers who's acting ability carries them through, even if they are not clearly vocalists on the level with some of the great singers. My point was that when you have 2 actors giving great performances while they are not singing...that the scale should tip in favor of the actor who sings better.
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