| Thank God for the eloquence and humility of Simon Russell Beale and Deirdre O'Connell. | |
| Posted by: portenopete 06:28 pm EDT 06/13/22 | |
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| I can't recall a more instructive Tony acceptance speech than the one given by Deirdre O'Connell last night in which she exhorted fledgling actors and artists to explore the "weird art" that touches their imaginations more than the work that will end up on Broadway and win them a Tony Award. It seems that so many shows and performances have the Tony in their sights from the first read-thru and the wildly emotional reaction to winning has always felt to me to be just a little unseemly. I don't for a second think that O'Connell and Simonn Russell Beale were not emotionally moved by their wins, but they clearly had some perspective on what it means in the context of a 40+ year career. And it's those wins that seem so deserved and treasured (by me). Myles Frost's seeming cool after winning his Best Actor in a Musical Tony- so relaxed that he felt comfortable telling the audience he had to pee- strikes me as entitled and off-putting. Nothing to do with his talent- which is clear and evident- but I wonder whether this young generation of performers equate humility with shame and feel that it is something to be eschewed. I suppose to pull off playing an icon like Michael Jackson you may need that kind of sang froid, but for me he just came off as glib and self-regarding. The flirtatious doffing of his unnecessary sunglasses; the affected "Mamma, I made it" (assuming that's a line from the show?); and the too-smooth shift into song. And then the weird passive-aggressive thank you to his father, whom I assume was not a positive presence but Frost wanted to be seen to be acting magnanimous towards? (None of this is remotely my business but he put it out there so I'm left trying to interpret his personal life.) And then the awkward quotation of Michael Jackson's that he was clearly expecting to get applause and didn't because it felt like the audience didn't really want to endorse an accused paedophile's life lessons. I'm not sure how much of this psychiatrist's couch Tony Awards I will be able to stand as the years roll on. |
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| Previous: | re: Guess they should have worn masks - Kaoru 08:43 pm EDT 06/13/22 |
| Next: | re: Thank God for the eloquence and humility of Simon Russell Beale and Deirdre O'Connell. - ryhog 10:04 am EDT 06/14/22 |
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