Will Janney Pull a David Hyde Pierce?- Page 4
Will Janney Pull a David Hyde Pierce?
#75re: Will Janney Pull a David Hyde Pierce?
Posted: 5/22/09 at 11:25am
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.
I have to add that I think it really depends how imperative it is to have a strong singer for the role. Some roles aren't necessarily written for the strongest vocals. I was in the small minority that believed Idina Menzel deserved her win over Tonya Pinkins. I believed they both gave strong iconic performances, but both roles were written for strong singers and the music was vocally demanding. In the performance I saw of Caroline, or Change, Tonya's acting was stellar, but she could barely get through 8 bars without cracking and croaking. She even cracked the opening line. It was horribly distracting and constantly took me out of the story. When I saw Wicked, Idina's vocal performance was flawless. I know it's not hip to think so, but if I'm forced to be objective, rather than trendy, I have to say that Idina had an edge over Tonya based on the performances I saw.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
#76re: Will Janney Pull a David Hyde Pierce?
Posted: 5/22/09 at 11:27am
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.
In this case, though, Janney's acting doesn't come close to approaching the level of depth that Ripley's does. It's really no contest.
#77re: Will Janney Pull a David Hyde Pierce?
Posted: 5/22/09 at 3:24pm
Tonya Pinkins might not have been able to sing the role flawlessly, but I actually think that it makes sense to have a Caroline whose voice isn't as flawless as one expects, given all the hardships this woman has gone through in her life. And the award is for acting, Pinkins acted circles around Menzel.
I think Ripley will and should win. From the cast recording and the reviews she has received, it seems to me that it's her award to lose though I'll also add that I wouldn't be upset if Janney took it home. They are different performances and I'm sure they are both strong in their own ways.
"Some people can thrive and bloom living life in a living room, that's perfect for some people of one hundred and five. But I at least gotta try, when I think of all the sights that I gotta see, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at"
#78re: Will Janney Pull a David Hyde Pierce?
Posted: 5/22/09 at 4:11pm
Tonya Pinkins might not have been able to sing the role flawlessly, but I actually think that it makes sense to have a Caroline whose voice isn't as flawless as one expects, given all the hardships this woman has gone through in her life. And the award is for acting, Pinkins acted circles around Menzel.
If you want to get technical, the award is for best performance by a leading actress (not leading role) in a musical. To me, a performance in a musical encompasses acting, singing and dancing, as defined by the eligible material (i.e. Boyd Gaines and Karen Ziemba didn't sing in Contact, but were judged on their performances in a show deemed eligible in the category of "musical" by the Tony committee).
I did see a Caroline with better vocals in Chicago and it made perfect sense. Her acting wasn't quite as stellar as Tonya, but she never cracked a note or went hoarse throughout the show. I don't believe Caroline has to be flawless vocally, but it would be far less distracting if I weren't wincing throughout the entire show at the obvious physical strain she was forced to endure as Tonya, not Caroline. Imagine if you watched Christine Applegate break her ankle in the opening few seconds of Sweet Charity an then witnessing her forcing herself to wince and limp and struggle through the rest of the show. That is exactly how it felt watching Tonya as Caroline the night I saw her perform. I think she's awesome and incredibly talented and I still loved her in the show, but I just think the show was far too vocally taxing for her and it came through in her performance. I'm glad she played Caroline and I'm thrilled I saw her in the show, but if I had to choose who gave the "best performance", I'd have to give it to Idina.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
margot serena pilar
Chorus Member Joined: 5/1/09
#79re: Will Janney Pull a David Hyde Pierce?
Posted: 5/24/09 at 12:20amMargot Serena Pilar thinks the only thing Janney is gonna pull is my leg! That girl sure is a jokester, but her pipes are worse than Harriet Harris in Cry-Baby.
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