Spamalot! Gets Nominatedalot

[filkertom]

Monty Python's Spamalot! has received 14 Tony Award nominations, including Tim Curry and Hank Azaria for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical. (Bad enough they have to shoot it out with each other: that category also has John Lithgow [for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels] and Gary Beach [for La Cage aux Folles].)

Hell of a lot of people I'm familiar with and rooting for, actually. James Earl Jones is up for Best Actor in a revival of On Golden Pond; everyone's talking about Christina Applegate in Sweet Charity and Kathleen Turner in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, but I've got a soft spot in my heart for Phylicia Rashad in Gem of the Ocean; Alan Alda's up for Glengarry Glen Ross; and one of my absolute favorites, Bill Irwin, also for Virginia Woolf?. (Who's Bill Irwin? He was Ham Gravy in Popeye, the guy Bluto smushed to a height of two feet without SFX. He was The Flying Man on Northern Exposure. Sadly, he was Lou Lou Who, Cindy Lou's dad, in The Grinch. He's one of the greatest physical actors and true clowns alive.)

The full list of nominations is here. Anything you particularly have to see?

Comments

[shsilver.livejournal.com]

As I noted, David Hyde-Pierce was robbed of the nomination. Much more deserving than Tim Curry.

[twfarlan.livejournal.com]

Oh hells, Azaria against Curry? Don't know how to lean on that one. No doubts for Bill Irwin, though; love that man. You're right, he's a genius. He's like a living cartoon character; Goofy given flesh and, well, dignity.

[ororo.livejournal.com]

Besides Spamalot, I'd love to see Sweet Charity. I've never seen it performed live, but I adored the flick with Shirley MacLaine. Wouldn't mind seeing Chitty Chitty Bang Bang or Democracy either.

[lensedqso.livejournal.com]

I saw the preview in Boston and, other than a lead actor who can't sing, it was great. Charlotte D'Amboise was playing Charity, though, and I can't imagine Applegate doing it any better.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

[darrenzieger.livejournal.com]

My old friend Raul Esparza (I did a bunch of show with him in college and regional/community theater) is starring in Chitty ... and getting the first bad notices of his career; the show, from the many reviews I've read, is a loud, incoherent mess. I'm still rooting for Raul, but I'm not all that anxious to see CCBB.

He can actually sing, though he's rough around the edges. Hell, he's Sondheim's pet bari-tenor these days. But I expect that the score isn't quite right for his voice, given its limitations. He's a terrific actor though.

Re: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

[lensedqso.livejournal.com]

That's too bad as I adore the movie. I was actually speaking about Sweet Charity and Denis O'Hare above though. In retrospect I wasn't 100% clear - sorry about that.

Re: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

[darrenzieger.livejournal.com]

Oh, right. Yes, I've heard that about Christina Appelgate: they give her an A for effort, but she's just not up to it. It's always a bit annoying actally, considering all of the talented "no-names" out there dying for a chance to be seen, when they cast a celebrity who doesn't have the chops.

DZ

Re: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

[lensedqso.livejournal.com]

Well I didn't see it with Applegate - I saw it with Charlotte D'Amboise who was wonderful. I was disappointed when I heard they gave the role back to Applegate when her ankle healed.

[redaxe.livejournal.com]

A chunk of the readership will also know Bill Irwin through his turn on Sesame Street as Mr. Noodle, the clown whom Elmo uses to demonstrate concepts. (He's the tall one; "Mr. Noodle, Mr. Noodle's brother" was played by Michael Jeter, whose clowning was always, I thought, not quite up to Irwin's, but who complemented him really nicely.)

Of course, I'm a bit behind as far as Broadway is concerned, I'm still dying to see Avenue Q.

I have heard mixed reviews of The Pillowman that range from "mediocre" to "spectacular". The better reviews tended to come from sources I agree with more, and I would love to see it for myself. And, of course, ALL of the musicals. *sigh* One of these days...

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Forgot about Mr. Noodle (and, his brother -- we miss you, Michael). Thanks for reminding me.

[shsilver.livejournal.com]

Other things Irwin has done include a show stealing turn as Rick Moranis's partner in "My Blue Heaven." He also has many interesting things to say in the documentary "Charlie: The Life and Times of Charles Chaplin."

In 1984, he received a McArthur Genius Grant. In 1999, he was inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame.

[eleri.livejournal.com]

good lord, I might actually have to watch this year.

[wiliqueen.livejournal.com]

My big *bounce* of the day is the nom for Sara Ramirez, Diva Extraordinaire and Heiress Apparent to Madeline Kahn. With all the star power spilled all over that stage, she was what stuck out in my head the next morning.

(Bad enough they have to shoot it out with each other: that category also has John Lithgow [for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels] and Gary Beach [for La Cage aux Folles].)

And Norbert Leo Butz, who's very much in that "coming into his own" stage now. Talk about a field of contenders. *impressed whistle*

Lots of pretty heady names in general. Gonna be quite a show to watch this year.