| re: Bway replacements who outshine the originals | |
| Posted by: AlanScott 03:40 pm EST 12/20/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Bway replacements who outshine the originals - Snowysdad 02:48 pm EST 12/20/18 | |
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| When the original production of Damn Yankees opened, this was the billing: DAMN YANKEES Starring GWEN VERDON STEPHEN DOUGLASS with RAY WALSTON Walston was in the same size type as Verdon and Douglass, with everyone else in smaller type below him. This changed to: GWEN VERDON in DAMN YANKEES starring STEPHEN DOUGLASS RAY WALSTON Walston won the 1956 Tony for leading actor in a musical, in what was admittedly a weak field. Douglass and Pipe Dream's William Johnson were the only other nominees. The Tonys seasons did not follow the actual Broadway seasons back then, but the Variety poll of New York drama critics did, and with different competition, things were different there. Walter Slezak of Fanny won with 5 1/2 votes (yes, critics could split their votes), followed by Don Ameche of Silk Stockings with 4, Walston and David Poleri of The Saint of Bleecker Street tying with 2 each, Ezio Pinza of Fanny getting 1 1/2, and Cyril Ritchard of Peter Pan getting 1. Critics could choose to put performers in whatever category seemed right to each critic. In the supporting category, which covered both plays and musicals, Walston received 1 vote. Eight other actors received 1 vote. Ed Begley of Inherit the Wind won the category with 3 votes, followed by Pat Hingle of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, who got 2 votes. Btw, his fellow Cat actors Ben Gazzara and Burl Ives got 1 each. Ives also got 1 vote in the leading actor in a play category, but Paul Muni won that one easily, with 10 votes. His closest competition was Albert Salmi with 2 votes for Bus Stop. Btw, on the Damn Yankees national tour, Bobby Clark, the Applegate, got sole over-the-title billing. In dramatic terms, I’d say that thr show has one lead, and that’s Joe Hardy. I’d say that both Lola and Applegate are terrific supporting roles. But Applegate is a strong and important enough supporting role that giving the actor lead billing does not seem strange to me. Certainly, more of a leading role than, say, Miss Hannigan in Annie. And I can see a very valid argument being made that the show does have three leading roles, one of which is Applegate. |
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