Someone needs to tell Kelli O'Hara that winning a Tony isn't everything. Look at Elaine Stritch. Nominated for every type of role under the sun, her really good work went unnoticed and then finally she got the award for playing herself in a staged version of her career. Meanwhile, Audra can just fart and she'll be given the award. So it's not so much about who gives the best performance. There are so many other factors involved.
If anyone ever tells you that you put too much Parmesan cheese on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
I loved Caroline, or Change, but I really think Pinkins' performance hinges on where her voice was when you saw her. She acted the role to perfection (though the role as written really has a mostly static emotional range), but hoo boy, her voice was shot to the point of distraction when I saw the show. She severely cracked on the opening line and it was downhill from there. Anika, Veanne and even Chandra really owned the show when I saw it.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
I couldn't agree more, matt. I was annoyed by Pinkins' Caroline.I thought she was an a-hole. I loved everything else about the show, especially Anika and Veanne, the kid and the book.
"Carson has combined his passion for helping children with his love for one of Cincinnati's favorite past times - cornhole - to create a unique and exciting event perfect for a corporate outing, entertaining clients or family fun."
"I loved Caroline, or Change, but I really think Pinkins' performance hinges on where her voice was when you saw her."
Yeah, but the same could be said for Idina. There were performances where she was gasping for breath like a one lunged cigarette smoker with pneumonia. If I wanted to hear that much heavy breathing, I would have called a 976 number. And I'm sure Schwartz cringed at some of the notes she discovered at the end of Defying Gravity. Stray cats in Shubert Alley were making a less offensive noise than Idina.
If anyone ever tells you that you put too much Parmesan cheese on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
I saw the show when Tonya's voice was not the best, but for me it only heightened the emotional levels of the show. And especially made it more palpable towards the end and by the time she got to Lot's Wife and Underwater, there was not a dry eye in the house. I am very glad to have a recording where she is in such good voice, but I think Tonya's insistence to never miss a show reflects back on her performance - in a way where her vocals were not the most important thing to Caroline - the character was. And the character was an angry, disappointed smoker. But yes, "I Hate the Bus" was amazing.
"Sticks and stones, sister. Here, have a Valium." - Patti LuPone, a Memoir
Brian, I think Audra is super talented. I saw her in Carousel and knew she was going places. And that Tony was definitely deserved because she gave us an interpretation of Carrie that we had never seen before. But her Tony for Master Class? I don't think she did anything special that twenty other actresses couldn't have done.
If anyone ever tells you that you put too much Parmesan cheese on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
"...by the time she got to Lot's Wife and Underwater, there was not a dry eye in the house."
Sally, you should only speak for your own eyes, or eyes you were observing (although if you were looking to see who was crying, I don't think you'd be paying much attention to the show).
I can report that my eyes stayed dry through two viewings of the show (downtown and up). I admired everyone's effort, but didn't care much for the piece itself, except at a few particular moments (like when Caroline gave her children quarters - the one time she was allowed to smile).
I saw Caroline, or Change on its last performance where Tonya's voice was struggling. She still blew me away. She acted the hell out of that part with or without her full voice.
Count me among those who were impressed by Pinkins but didn't love the shouty performance or the show. I liked "Caroline" more than "Wicked," but I would still say Chenoweth's is one of the most inventive comic performances I have ever seen.
Idina deserved that Tony! She also deserved a Tony for playing Maureen ! Cheno doesn't deserve anything based on her poor life decisions ( I.e. Rv, pink pather, deck the halls, GCB ) ! JK ! love those witches!
Menzel and Chenoweth were the only two nominees whom I saw, but count me in among those who think that Chenoweth acted circles around Menzel in the show. Chenoweth gave a performance that was extremely funny but also extremely touching, with a much more moving character arc than Menzel. I think Chenoweth was really hurt by announcing she was leaving the show a month after the Tonys as well as by category placement. If she had been in Featured, I think Chenoweth would have 2 Tonys today.
"What was the name of that cheese that I like?"
"you can't run away forever...but there's nothing wrong with getting a good head start"
"well I hope and I pray, that maybe someday, you'll walk in the room with my heart"
"If she had been in Featured, I think Chenoweth would have 2 Tonys today."
But with her name above the title, I don't think she could be placed in Featured.
If anyone ever tells you that you put too much Parmesan cheese on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
I saw Caroline and wanted to LOVE it so much, but unfortunately I am in the "Tonya screached her way through the performance" group. While I thought it fit into the worn down nature of the character, it was just not very appealing to the ear. I thought it was an acting choice, but others tell me it was the strain of the role.
Between the worn nature of Tonya and the steadily moving pitch of Idina, I would have considered Stephanie from Avenue Q or Cheno from Wicked and preferred choices on my ballot of the nominees.
As for who should have ACTUALLY won that year, I think the non-nomination for Adele Dazeem in her breakout debut on Broadway (unfortunately, I cannot remember the role or the show). Now THERE was a performance that stood out even though it was not nominated (wait, let me get my tongue out of my cheek). It was as if she did not even exist before OR after that show.
Adele Dazeem needs to change her name. It sounds like a skin disease.
If anyone ever tells you that you put too much Parmesan cheese on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
Ten years later, we might recognize a bit more of the phenomena at work in "Wicked." The character of Elphaba captured the imagination of tweens (and older) everywhere; a contemporary anti-heroine of a unique sort. Menzel created what is now an iconic role, and look no further than "Frozen" for its impact. It's impossible to divorce the character from the impact of the first performer. Of course children respond to Glinda. But kids and adults -- bullied or not -- know too many Glindas. They related to this new take on the scapegoated outcast. Underdogs were in, and rooted for. "Wicked's" strength was to mine the zeitgeist, to focus with freshness on that character, and Menzel was in the right show at the right time. The feeling was: this is a new take on a classic, and she's the heart of it. Today, parsing who played more nuance may serve acting classes, but it has little to do with pop culture. Or the Tonys.
"I'm a comedian, but in my spare time, things bother me." Garry Shandling
Oh dear God newintown, I am sure Sally knew that not everyone was crying. It's just a saying when a lot of people are noticeably crying.
And Sally, it was the same when I saw it. I saw it a few days before opening night and she was sounding a tad bit rough but knocked it out of the park.
Oops - sorry "knew it when". Should have been that unnecessary ADVERB "so". It is still overused here though. I corrected original error. Updated On: 6/28/14 at 12:49 AM