Lead Actress in a Musical- Page 2

[musikman]

Posted: 5/7/14 at 11:07pm

Thanks, theatreguy!!!

I'm hoping we can add another name to that list this year.

[jayinchelsea]

Posted: 5/7/14 at 11:18pm

Sorry, but for me Jessie's performance only really comes alive in the final 20 or so minutes. Don't get me wrong, she is incredibly talented (was the standout of DROOD, imo), but the show as a whole is a bore, except for Anika Larsen and Jarrod Spector. And regardless of the show's closing, Kelli grabs you from the very first moments of the show and never lets you go. Her time to win? Perhaps, but more importantly, it is her performance that should bring her the Tony this year.

[ljay889]

Posted: 5/7/14 at 11:28pm

Kelli grabs you from the very first moments of the show and never lets you go.

This!

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 5/7/14 at 11:47pm

Kelli O'Hara adds a whole new meaning to the word "beautiful" with her performance.

[StageManager2]

Posted: 5/8/14 at 1:43am

Sutton Foster-Violet: She just continues to impress with every new role she takes on, especially the fact that this is her least showy role out of all the ones she's played before, but would the Tonys be willing to giver a third one so soon after the second?

They had no trouble giving Audra McDonald a third Tony in 4 years -- Carousel (1994), Master Class (1996), Ragtime (199. Not to mention she won another just six years later for A Raisin in the Sun (2004), so four Tonys in ten-years' time. Then again, those were for Featured Actress. I don't know how it works in theater, but are the Feature categories seen as lesser than Lead and easier to win, like Supporting is at the Oscars?

Furthermore, Audra won her first Lead Actress Tony just two years ago for Porgy & Bess (2012), and this year she could very well win another Lead Actress (this time for play) for Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill. The Tonys really do have a hard-on for Audra, so I won't be surprised if she wins. Again.

The questions is, do they like Sutton as much?

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 5/8/14 at 5:47am

"They had no trouble giving Audra McDonald a third Tony in 4 years -- Carousel (1994), Master Class (1996), Ragtime (199. Not to mention she won another just six years later for A Raisin in the Sun (2004), so four Tonys in ten-years' time. Then again, those were for Featured Actress. I don't know how it works in theater, but are the Feature categories seen as lesser than Lead and easier to win, like Supporting is at the Oscars?

Furthermore, Audra won her first Lead Actress Tony just two years ago for Porgy & Bess (2012), and this year she could very well win another Lead Actress (this time for play) for Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill. The Tonys really do have a hard-on for Audra, so I won't be surprised if she wins. Again."

You can never go wrong with Audra, what I'm saying is that the Tonys aren't the Emmys!

[Musicaldudepeter]

Posted: 5/8/14 at 12:02pm

Is there any way Foster could win her third Tony - could she get in ahead of Mueller and O'Hara?

[Kad]

Posted: 5/8/14 at 12:06pm

Though Foster is very good, the performance doesn't seem to be generating the buzz that O'Hara's and Mueller's are. I think that's more due to role itself than Foster's performance of it.

Updated On: 5/8/14 at 12:06 PM

[tazber]

Posted: 5/8/14 at 12:08pm

Agreed, Kad.

But you never know. If Kelli and Jessie split a lot of votes Foster could sneak in for a win.

Still, I think Jessie has this one.

[South Florida]

Posted: 5/9/14 at 8:24am

i hope sutton or idina don't win

ditto

[quizking101]

Posted: 5/9/14 at 9:27am

I wouldn't be happy if Sutton won...but then again, I find her as bland and generic as a can of whitewash. Mary Bridget Davies doesn't stand a chance, especially since she's up another actress playing another music legend whose show is still open. With Idina, while nice to have her back, I think this nomination is riding partly on the FROZEN wave instead of the material.


Now, between Kelli and Jessie, while Kelli has been around a while, she is really only know for the "classical musical theatre" roles (shows with lush scores, romantic plots, etc). While its something she has obviously mastered, I feel like she is essentially nominated for the same role in different incarnations. Jessie Mueller, on the other hand, has quite an impressive range of character (I'm still surprised she didn't pick up a nomination for DROOD) and while yes, she does have many more chances to win in her lifetime, I feel that her uncanny ability to fall into the role of Carole King, a musical icon with a very distinct voice, should merit her a Tony.

[Musicaldudepeter]

Posted: 5/9/14 at 9:32am

Sutton's role isn't showy enough. It's too meh... I just can't see Kelli taking the gold home this year... I think it is going to be Jessie's, and rightly so.

[jnb9872]

Posted: 5/9/14 at 12:42pm

If I had a vote (and I saw all five performances, though I sadly do not have a Tony vote) I would vote Foster. Her VIOLET was easily the most compelling character of the five, with such pain and faith in her eyes and a crystal-clear tone brought to her voice. She brought the emotional innerworking of the show thrillingly to life for me.

I'd pick Mueller second, for carrying and really elevating a by-the-book musical to a really enjoyable evening. And what's leaving a lot of people cold, the first half of the performance, is actually a really subtle accomplishment: she's playing a woman who has stage fright even though she clearly is a natural on stage. I was blown away in retrospect by the restraint and effortless charm she showed, which grew and blossomed by the show's end as Carole King became "Carole King."

I'd have Davies next, simply because I thought my life was in danger when I saw JANIS. I thought the rickety old building might come crumbling down due to the power of her voice. She didn't just channel that unearthly grit and gristle, she erupted like a vocal volcano. Yes there was very little book, but the acting required of any singer to sell "Ball and Chain" the way Joplin sold it is mammoth. She was on fire.

Kelli would be my fourth pick. Even though she's wonderful in voice and has the most technically pleasing material to work with, she does everything the role requires but not as much more for money's worth as the other three women I'd put above her. She sings like an angel, has an accent like a mongrel, and is very good with the emotional life but it felt flat somehow. Like her performance was in 4:3 standard aspect ratio while the others were 16:9 hi-def widescreen.

Idina is fifth. She can belt and land punchlines. I wouldn't call her a "Best Actress" by a mile, though. Not for this performance and not against these women.

[beltingbaritone]

Posted: 5/9/14 at 12:58pm

jnb9872, I agree with everything about your post aside from Davies whose performance I unfortunately missed, so I can't comment objectively on her placement.

[JudyDenmark]

Posted: 5/9/14 at 1:27pm

jnb9872, I completely agree with all of that too. (Though I haven't yet seen Beautiful - seeing it next week - or If/Then.)

If voting was based sheerly on performance, and politics had no play, I'd vote for Sutton Foster in a second... though voting doesn't happen in a vacuum so I don't think it'll happen this year. I really, really loved Violet as a whole, and I think she totally nailed her performance. It felt like that part was written for her.

If this was any other year, I'd give it to Mary Bridget Davies, who threw 100% percent of herself into that crazy role and totally blew me away with her singing. It's such a shame that the production hit such bumps, because I thought she was incredible. (As were the other singers, and the band!) My heart rate was way up when I left that theatre... I wanted to see the whole show again as an encore! Again! Again!

I loved Bridges and thought Kelli O'Hara was beautiful and poignant in it, but it was Steven Pasquale who really took my breath away and made me want to see it again, so... hmph. I do hope JRB wins score.

I think the Idina nomination was token, from what I'm hearing.

Looking forward to seeing Jessie Mueller's performance so I can make a legit judgement call! Sounds like she's the frontrunner, and I'd be cool with that. She seems like a nice lady. :)

[Steve721]

Posted: 5/9/14 at 1:38pm

"Now, between Kelli and Jessie, while Kelli has been around a while, she is really only know for the "classical musical theatre" roles (shows with lush scores, romantic plots, etc). While its something she has obviously mastered, I feel like she is essentially nominated for the same role in different incarnations."

How many of her performances have you seen? Did you see her in "The Light in the Piazza"? Clara in that show is certainly not "the same role" as Nellie in "South Pacific". It's sort of insulting to say that she does the same thing over and over again, and it's also just not true.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 5/9/14 at 1:58pm

^ This. I'd hardly consider Clara from Piazza, Babe from Pajama Game, Nellie from South Pacific, Billie from Nice Work, and Francesca from Bridges "the same role in different incarnations." That just seems ignorant.

Also, am I the only one who found Sutton's performance to be bland bland bland? She was easily my least favorite of the 5. I actually liked Michelle Williams more than I liked Sutton. I feel like everyone is being all "wow, Sutton can do a show where she doesn't tap dance, smile uncontrollably, and belt her face off? She has a softer, more vulnerable side?!" What Sutton is doing is run of the mill. A hundred other actresses could do it. She's not bad in the role. But her performance certainly isn't Tony worthy in my opinion.

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 5/9/14 at 2:01pm

'That just seems ignorant.'

You're being kind. I was going to call it the most idiotic statement I've read on these boards in quite some time.

I found Foster's performance refreshing. She can give it a bit of a hard sell sometimes (more of a function of the roles than her, really), but in this she was lovely and grounded and it moved me greatly.

[wickedfan]

Posted: 5/9/14 at 2:55pm

I had a very personal experience at Violet and found it to be the musical highlight of the Broadway season, with Foster's performance the beautiful centerpiece of it all. Not only did the score fit her voice like a glove, but it was my favorite ACTING by any actress in a musical this season. And I saw (and adored) all four other actresses in their shows. By picking Foster, it's not me saying that I found any of the other ladies as undeserving. Many have said that each actress in the Best Actress in a Musical category is giving a Tony-worthy performance and it's true. How very, very lucky we are to have a season this rich with phenomenal performances both from actresses we're familiar with who are taking major creative risks and fresh faces who are making us do double takes and mentally marking their names as "those to watch." I don't predict Foster as the winner, simply because this is probably the one category where each nominee is so ridiculously good in their roles that you could make an argument for just about any of them winning. But Foster is my pick as who should win.

No, Violet isn't a "showy" role in the way of 11 o'clock numbers or tear-down-the-scenery dialogue. She doesn't get a Dressing Room scene in Gypsy or a "Lot's Wife," but the moment Foster turned to Ben Davis (as the preacher) and shouted/sang "LOOK at me/No one will LOOK at me" I absolutely lost it. I haven't been moved that much by a moment in a Broadway musical since Christine Ebersole whispered "A birdcage for a bird/Who flew away/Around the World." You hope for moments like those in the theatre and when they happen, it reconfirms your love and belief in musical theatre.