BCfitasafiddle said: "THE DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE AWARD:Sutton Foster, The Music Man"
This is hilarious for some reason.
Don't get me wrong, she is WONDERFUL in Music Man. But better than Jaquel Spivey and Victoria Clark and Sharon D Clarke?? Not that this ~really~ matters, the DLs are a questionable bunch.
ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "BCfitasafiddle said: "THE DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE AWARD:Sutton Foster, The Music Man"
This is hilarious for some reason.
Don't get me wrong, she is WONDERFUL in Music Man. But better than Jaquel Spivey and Victoria Clark and Sharon D Clarke?? Not that this ~really~ matters, the DLs are a questionable bunch."
I was also hopeful for Victoria Clark. I suppose there's not a possibility of being eligible again next year?
Not that surprised by Sutton winning, since it's always felt more like a career award, not performance specific. But I am surprised that Victoria Clark didn't take it because she has the career and performance going for her. Ah well, love me some Sutton.
I LOVE Sutton Foster, but compared to the other performances in that category, I do not think she should have won (and I enjoyed her a lot in The Music Man).
"There’s nothing quite like the power and the passion of Broadway music. "
ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "yes, Victoria Clark will also be eligible next year. Jennifer Simard was nominated 3x for DISASTER in each of its incarnations, right?"
jacobsnchz14 said: "HenryTDobson said: "I hope Sutton goes on to win the Tony just to see everyone go nuts on this board."
I'll never forget the 2011 Tonys because the board was exactly that when she won for Anything Goes when many predicted Patina Miller for Sister Act."
People really thought there was a chance Sutton wouldn't take it that year? I'm decidedly NOT a Sutton fan (I find her boring or miscast in most of her projects since), but her Reno was incredible.
Regarding the Distinguished Performance Award: a strange winner from a strange set of nominees.
I know there are many people who love Foster's performance, and I don't mean to diminish the genuine passion that people clearly feel toward her performance. But it's unusual to see this award go to a secondary lead role like Marian, especially in a season with many powerhouse leading performances. It does feel, to a certain extent, like a legacy award, though I think the voters probably ALSO fell in the camp of those who loved her performance.
Hard to know if this will actually have an effect on the Tonys. My money is on "no." I'm not sure we've ever seen any indication (in recent history) that the Drama League predicts an upset, or tips the scales in an uncertain category, though I'd be curious if there were examples to the contrary that I'm not thinking of.
Definitely an interesting choice, as much as I adored Sutton’s performance. I imagine the vote was very spread out, so some concentrated passion took her over the edge. I definitely think she has a decent chance at the Tony, but this doesn’t feel like the right role for her third win.
"Oh look at the time, three more intelligent plays just closed and THE ADDAMS FAMILY made another million dollars" -Jackie Hoffman, Broadway.com Audience Awards
Not upset at all about Sutton winning. Is it her most deserving performance across her incredible career so far? Not necessarily. But out of this year's crop of performers, I'm not mad. And she's certainly earned it from a career sense.
I'm more confused about Clyde's winning Best Direction over The Lehman Trilogy. And I'm also less than thrilled that A Strange Loop won over Six, but I guess that was to be expected.
Clyde's winning for direction is indeed a head scratcher. Really enjoyed the play and had no issues with the direction, but it winning over Lehman? Strange.
JBroadway said: "Hard to know if this will actually have an effect on the Tonys. My money is on "no." I'm not sure we've ever seen any indication (in recent history) that the Drama League predicts an upset, or tips the scales in an uncertain category, though I'd be curious if there were examples to the contrary that I'm not thinking of."
The Drama League votership is a bigger joke than the Golden Globes. They like to do "career achievement" wins –– like Danny Burstein winning last year, Lin (Hamilton), Chita (The Visit), Nathan (the Nance). It is a pay-to-vote group, not a group of industry craftspeople or critics. I don't think it impacts the Tonys a bit.
TotallyEffed said: "I don’t remember Sutton being anything other than a lock for Anything Goes.
I have considered that the votes get split this year and Sutton takes home another Tony."
Agreed. Not that there is voter cross over, but Sutton won the Drama Desk that year as well. We also knew that Anything Goes would take revival & choreography, and that Patina would be a sole win for Sister Act. It wasn’t much of a race. I think the Patina Miller/Laura Osnes race was a little tighter.
I agree about vote splitting. It’s a three way race between Clarke, Kalukango, and Foster.
"Oh look at the time, three more intelligent plays just closed and THE ADDAMS FAMILY made another million dollars" -Jackie Hoffman, Broadway.com Audience Awards
I wish Clarke's show was still running because then it would be an absolute lock. While I still do think Clarke will win, it's going to be a tighter race than originally thought.