Eva & Lea

[BlackElleWoods]

Posted: 7/31/17 at 2:51pm

Currently watching videos of Miss Saigon performances and I'm wondering what you guys think about this question : 

 

what did Lea have that Eva doesn't ? 

Was it just a case of too many talented women in that Tony category or is there just something about Lea's performance that Eva couldn't capture ?

I personally think Eva's performance was great 

if this is already in a thread please direct me to it 

[LYLS3637]

Posted: 7/31/17 at 2:52pm

Lea didn't have to compete with Bette Midler.

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 7/31/17 at 2:58pm

I've seen this production of Saigon twice: the first with Lianah as Kim, the second with Eva. The first time, I was impressed. The second time (when I saw Eva), I was bowled over, stunned, moved, shaken. Eva delivered one of the greatest performances I've ever seen on a stage. On caliber of performance, I would easily have voted for her for the Tony, but as said above, Bette was the tour de force of the season. It was very much a matter of season competition.

[Babe_Williams]

Posted: 7/31/17 at 4:27pm

Yeah, this was Lea's competition:

 

Lea Salonga – Miss Saigon as Kim

• June Angela – Shogun: The Musical as Lady Mariko
• Dee Hoty – The Will Rogers Follies as Betty Blake
• Cathy Rigby – Peter Pan as Peter Pan

[leighmiserables]

Posted: 7/31/17 at 4:42pm

While I know a lot of people love Eva's performance, in all honesty I found it rather underwhelming. Maybe it was all the hype, but I don't think so. While I understand her nomination (though personally I would've gone for Christy Altomare over her), out of the five women in the Best Leading Actress category she probably would've been my last choice. 

[Dave28282]

Posted: 7/31/17 at 5:50pm

Lea has nuance

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/31/17 at 5:56pm

And this kind of talk, always seems to me that the role wins, instead of the performance.  It should have nothing to do with who won (or didn't) for the role previously.

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 7/31/17 at 11:56pm

Lea sings the role better, but Eva acts the role better.  She's just more raw in her performance.  They're pretty equal for me, but I might prefer Eva by a hair.

Jon Jon Briones, on the other hand, is spectacular and so much better as the Engineer than Pryce.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 8/1/17 at 12:14am

Babe_Williams said: "Yeah, this was Lea's competition:

 

Lea Salonga – Miss Saigon as Kim

 

• June Angela – Shogun: The Musical as Lady Mariko
• Dee Hoty – The Will Rogers Follies as Betty Blake
• Cathy Rigby – Peter Pan as Peter Pan

 

That's about as bad as it gets.  Two of those roles were supporting and one of the supporting was in a spectacular flop that ran about 2 months; Peter Pan was a limited engagement of what was by then a very tired show at the Marquis.  Lea had NO competition, which is not to say that she wouldn't have won (and deserved to win) in a tougher year.  

Eva's honor was the nomination, to use a very tired cliche.

 

[Babe_Williams]

Posted: 8/1/17 at 12:56pm

GeorgeandDot said: "Lea sings the role better, but Eva acts the role better.  She's just more raw in her performance.  They're pretty equal for me, but I might prefer Eva by a hair.

Jon Jon Briones, on the other hand, is spectacular and so much better as the Engineer than Pryce.

 

"

In the clips I have seen of Jonathan Pryce, I am really underwhelmed by him, so wonder what I am missing, so glad to hear you mention this.

[Dave28282]

Posted: 8/1/17 at 1:44pm

I think Eva is not nuanced enough singing wise and acting wise.

Kim should have a very innocent side, which should translate to the angelic, softly sung high notes, and an innocent charm in the acting scenes that makes your heart melt. This important part of Kim is completely missing in Eva. 

Eva starts the show as a power belter. A typical highschool girl. She basically is the strongest girl in the room. Not really helping the story. Up until "I still believe" her acting is not good enough. She does nothing with her face or body and just sings very loudly. The scenes after that are better, where she can play the fighting mom. But later in the show, all the moments of true happiness and glow are wasted again by lowering notes or singing them too powerful.

Lea is the opposite of that. She was truly innocent in the beginning of the show and she fully embraced the angelic Kim notes and made the exact right choices of notes held longer or shorter, etc.

Eva cuts everything short and makes strange choices, acting wise and singing wise.

[jo]

Posted: 8/1/17 at 5:32pm

Well-said!

The young Lea/Kim  had an innocent waif-like quality, amidst the din and noise of that bar in Saigon, and presumably this was what attracted Chris to her? It was matched by Lea's crystal-like and pristine voice.

Updated On: 8/1/17 at 05:32 PM

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Posted: 8/2/17 at 12:23pm

SHOGUN THE MUSICAL!

I'm dead. I literally Lol'd upon reading that.

[BuddyStarr]

Posted: 8/2/17 at 1:19pm

I came to this thread because I thought it was initially comparing Lea Michelle and Eva.  I saw both and was incredibly moved by Lea's Kim.  Eva is very good but there's just something missing, maybe it's vulnerability?  Lea broke your heart watching and listening to her.  It also helped that the guy playing Chris in the OBC was much better than the one playing it now.  They had much better chemistry and in the scene with the wife Lea was just painful to watch.  Eva seemed more defiant which is just another choice but I didn't feel it worked.