Reflecting on Alex Newell not getting the Tony nom

[laurabenantilover]

So one thing has kept me thinking for a little bit... is it possible that the Tony voters were reluctant to give Newell the nod because of his gender fluidity? I know that lots of people consider the nominations to be fair and that Newell should not have gotten the nom, but in a category as secular as "best featured actor" is it possible they were trying to avoid controversy?

[(Insert Clever Name)]

Newell was not that great or remarkable in the role. It's not that deep.

[GeorgeandDot]

I believe that Newell does identify as male. He just doesn't conform to societal gender norms. I loved him and thought he was engaged, funny, warm, and in great voice the night that I saw him, but from what I understand his performances have been somewhat inconsistent, which is probably why he wasn't nominated, unfortunately.

[BroadwayConcierge]

I think people give him way too much credit for his performance. He's great in the role, don't get me wrong, but the role is the best-written in the show. Asaka is the liveliest of all the gods and gets the biggest (and only) production number in the show. You'd honestly have to do a bad job to ruin the role, and while he was, again, great, I don't think he ever reached transcendence.

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

I know out-of-context performances often are not indicative of how it is in the show, but if what I saw from that Today Show performance is indeed indicative of the performance he's giving in the show, then it was a vacant performance and he looked like he was too good to interact with the rest of the cast and I wasn't impressed with his vocal performance either. I was one of those who was rooting for him to get the role when I saw that Instagram or internet video clip of him performing "Mama Will Provide" before he was cast.

[IdinaBellFoster]

From the sounds of it he’s been inconsistent which is a shame, and would explain the lack of nomination. I saw him a few months ago and he was absolutely incredible. Best in show by far (behind Kenita Miller). Not just his number, but throughout the whole evening.

[Scarlet Leigh]

OOTI is my favorite of the season. That said, I can 100% understand why he did not get a nomination. As (Insert Clever Name) said above, he was not something totally groundbreaking in the role. The bending of gender normality, yes. The performance. Totally standard. All the Gods were pretty standard and the one of them that DID stand out left the production so early in the run that it totally worked against her chances. That is not to say that it was not a fantastic performance but it was pretty much exactly what I expected it to be. I think that's part of why there was so much support among the board members here to want to see Kenita get a nomination. She was something different among a lot of great but expected performances.

[PThespian]

I’d have been shocked if he did get a nom. He does well with a 3 1/2 mins song and is very blah the rest of the time IMHO. Nothing to write home about.

[Robbie2]

(Insert Clever Name) said: "Newell was not that great or remarkable in the role. It's not that deep."

 

You said it perfectly...

[Lavieboheme3090]

The night I saw the show Alex was very much in ariana grande school of singing. Lots of vocal pyrotechnics, could not tell you a SINGLE lyric they sing.

[ellbellthomps]

I thought I was the only one who thought he didn't deserve a nom. He REALLY wasn't that great. I would have rather seen anyone else honestly. Both times I went, I was never blown away.

[Wick3]

Each Broadway season is different and unfortunately only 5 actors can be nominated in that Tony category. We can all say he's not that great or he is great etc. but ultimately the Tony nominating committee simply thought that 5 other actors (Norbert, Alexander, Grey, Gavin, and Ari'el) were better than Alex this season.

[ChildofEarth]

If the award was for “Best performance of a song by a featured actor” he’d win. However, to compare what he does to what Grey Henson or Gavin Lee does every night (singing, acting, dancing, reacting etc) - it becomes clear why he wasn’t nominated. He’s present for maybe 5 minutes and then he seems almost bored and definitely thinks to highly of himself. Compared to Lea, who acts from the tips of her toes to the top of her head in every moment, it is abysmal.

Some of the other nominees are head scratchers to me (I’d have filled the category with Spongebob and The Band’s Visit.)

[TotallyEffed]

I saw him last night and he blew me away with that voice. I must admit I thought he was a woman for about half of the show. After I realized who he was I remembered people being disappointed about his lack of a nomination. The thoughts of the OP also crossed my mind.

[benwilsonn.xo]

Outside of the Circle in the Square Theatre there is a poster that says Alex got nominated for Best Featured Actor for the Drama League (correct me if I am wrong). So I don’t think it was down to what his gender was. Personally I saw the second preview and thought he deserved the nomination over Alexander Gemignani.

[Danielle49]

Lavieboheme3090 said: "The night I saw the show Alex was very much in ariana grande school of singing. Lots of vocal pyrotechnics, could not tell you a SINGLE lyric they sing. "

This is such an accurate description of his sound. I couldn't for the life of me understand what he was saying and I was shocked that this is the number everyone was going wild about 

[(Insert Clever Name)]

Honestly, the 8-year-old girls singing Mama will provide did just as good a job before the show... at least I could understand them and they were passionate about it, the bonus was they were adorable. This was before the show right outside the entrance to the seating area

[broadway86]

I thought Alex executed the role just fine. He was electric, and knocked the song out of the park.

But did he do anything with the role that wasn't expected of him? And more to the point, who should be removed from the category to give him the spot?

[TNick926]

It's an interesting question regarding his gender fluidity.  But really, if he had had more to do in the show, and thereby had shown more complex character development, I have no doubt he would have been nominated.  But other than the one big number which is really not much of a highlight except for his sometimes soaring vocal, I think the nominations are fair as they stand.  Hopefully he will have lots of great performances to come in future shows...

[dramamama611]

The role doesn't do much....except that one song...which is lovely....but one song is hardly a reason for a Tony Award.

[TotallyEffed]

dramamama611 said: "The role doesn't do much....except that one song...which is lovely....but one song is hardly a reason for a Tony Award."

Tell that to the many people who have won a Tony for singing one song.

[Kad]

(Insert Clever Name) said: "Newell was not that great or remarkable in the role. It's not that deep."

Newell was consistently singled out by critics as a standout and general chatter considers his lack of nomination a surprise. Your opinion is your opinion.

And people have been nominated for roles that are one-scene wonders. Or less.

 

 

[SomethingPeculiar]

OOTI is an easy show to do well. It begs for a director to do "something" with it, and the roles are not challenging. It's an ensemble piece. Every high school in America claims it's one of their "best" productions; it doesn't rely on a Mamma Rose-like performance, or complex scenery, or challenging dance to detract from the quality of the production.

For what it's worth: I know of a lot of people (especially people over 40) who LOATHE the show. As good as this production is, it might not be enough to cut through some people's dislike of the show. That + the in-the-round/design elements that won't tour well doesn't bode well for Best Revival. 

(On the flip side, if some voters hate it going in but the production makes them change their mind about the show, that could help the production. But even so, that could more likely translate into a win for Arden as opposed to the show itself.)

[IdinaBellFoster]

dramamama611 said: "The role doesn't do much....except that one song...which is lovely....but one song is hardly a reason for a Tony Award."

Tell that to Katie Finneran or Marilyn Cooper. 

[broadwayboy223]

I have mentioned this before, but when I saw the show two or three weeks ago Alex not only was vocally struggling, but only barely came alive during his song. The rest of the show when he didnt have to walk around was him going to his little table and drinking water. Lea Salonga and Kenita Miller were in the moment the whole time and gave beautiful performances.