Reblogged from hwentworth
Reviewing the Drama, Tumblr Style!
For when the blog (reviewingthedrama.com), the Facebook page and the Twitter account just won't do...
Herein, the 2012 Drama Desk Award Nominees (direct from the Drama Desk’s website)
OUTSTANDING PLAY
I’m really excited to see the love for The Big Mealand Completeness, but disappointed there’s no nod for Seminar.
OUTSTANDING MUSICAL
Really? Bonnie & Clydeand Death Takes a Holiday? I know it’s a weak year for musicals, but come on.
OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A PLAY
I’m a little surprised to see Wit missing from the mix…although, it’s a stellar year for plays, so the field is blessedly crowded.
OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
I thought Jesus Christ Superstarwas horrendous; if a Jesus musical is to get nominated, I’d rather see the nomination go to the peppy revival of Godspell.
OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A PLAY
OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Please, like anyone stands a chance against Linda Lavin!
OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Jeremy Jordan can’t sing, you guys! The emperor has no clothes! I vote Raul! Raul! Raul!
OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Tough call. Audra vs. Jan. I’d go with Ms. Maxwell, since her knock-out performance was more of a surprise than Ms. McDonald’s.
OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY
OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
I believe the nomination should read, “Matt Cavenaugh’s out of control vibrato.” Regardless, let’s root Phillip Boykin, a teddy bear who plays mean ol’ man on stage.
OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Yay! Jessie Mueller and her amazingvoice was recognized!!!
OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A PLAY
OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL
OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY
OUTSTANDING MUSIC
Um, you know how I feel about this awful Bonnie & Clydescore…
OUTSTANDING LYRICS
OUTSTANDING BOOK OF A MUSICAL
OUTSTANDING [SCORE for a play]
Tom Kitt is a genius so, vote for him!
OUTSTANDING REVUE
OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN
Note that for Ghost, the video & projection design, scenic design and illusions are being considered as one for set design.
OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN
William Ivey Long is reliably good, and while I didn’t see Lucky Guy, how do you not nominate him for that ridiculous disco-mirrored jacket in Leap of Faith?!?
OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN
OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN IN A MUSICAL
Are you kidding me? A nod for JC Superstar’s sound design? That was one of the worst parts!
OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN IN A PLAY
OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE
UNIQUE THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE
OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE
This year the nominators chose to bestow a special ensemble award for acting to the cast of Sweet and Sad. Jon DeVries, Shuler Hensley, Maryann Plunkett, Laila Robins, Jay O. Sanders, and J. Smith-Cameron are among New York’s best actors, who came together as one unforgettable stage family. Therefore, the individual cast members were not eligible for acting awards in the competitive categories.
SPECIAL AWARDS
Each year, the Drama Desk votes special awards to recognize excellence and significant contributions to the theater. For 2011-2012, these awards are:
(Note that productions that had off-Broadway runs in previous seasons and were considered for awards in those years, like Venus in Fur and Peter and the Starcatcher, were not eligible for their new, Broadway iterations. Only new elements or performances, like Hugh Dancy inVenus in Fur and Judith Light inOther Desert Cities, were considered eligible.)
So, peeps, what do you think of the nominations, and what do you think is in store for Tuesday, when Tony nominations come out?
We are being shot!
Just smile and wave!
This week on IFC, Ron Mwangaguhunga theorizes about the difference—if there is one—between actors and movie stars. He posits, and I tend to agree, that actors are in the game for the artistic expression while movie stars are hungry for fame and money. He cites my favorite actor, Leonardo DiCaprio, as an example of both, though I would refine his argument to say that Leo is an actor who became a movie star, i.e., that his motivations were and are artistic; the fame and fortune is a byproduct. Do you buy Mwangaguhunga’s argument, or do you think everyone appearing in movies is the same?
What about a difference between film actors and theatre actors? Are those who make their bones in theatre and don’t try for Hollywood—like Mark Rylance, brilliant always, but most recently in Jerusalem—different from actors and/or movie stars?
One thing that differentiates theatre from film is that you cannot watch theatre from the comfort of your home. In order to see a show, you have to go out to the theatre and sit among other theater-goers. There’s no Netflix option.
And so with that in mind, I offer the start of an Audience Member Etiquette Treatise. We’re all sitting in the theatre together – let’s be good to one another, and help ensure a positive experience.
I’m sure if I continued to ruminate on it, I could come up with more – but I want to hear from you. What rules of audience etiquette do you want to add?
Let’s start at the end: knowing what the ending could have been (I saw the play, God of Carnage, twice while it was on Broadway), what it actually was seemed lacking. Here’s the thing about God of Carnage: it’s all about pacing. The medium of film necessitated a more aggressive pace, which felt uncomfortable, especially in the beginning. Also, there wasn’t a lot of chemistry among the actors. They’re all talented – we know this – but they weren’t playing together. (The film, directed by Roman Polanski, stars Kate Winslet, John C. Reilly, Christoph Waltz and Jodie Foster.)
And there’s also something a little more pathetic about these characters when you’re watching the movie at home, when it’s quiet and no one is around to react with you. When I saw Yasmina Reza’s play at the Jacobs Theatre, I was surrounded by just over 1,000 other people. We laughed together; we cringed together. That collective energy changed the experience of watching the story. Actually, instead of watching it, we were really in it.
Has anyone else seen both the play, God of Carnage, and the film, Carnage? What do you think about the differences or similarities?
As someone who has a “dumbphone” (and, for the week, is without Internet access at home), I find this quote regarding smartphones particularly resonant: “’…we stop having opportunities to be alone with our thoughts. … Anytime we have a spare second…we feel compelled to check what’s going on outside of us.’” (Read the full New York Times article.)
Sometimes, it’s really nice to be disconnected from the stimuli-saturated outside.
Must you be constantly connected, or do you like to unplug?
Diablo Cody splashed onto the scene with Juno and then, according to many, floundered with Jennifer’s Body. Though it didn’t get the attention and respect it deserved (particularly this award season), Young Adult, her latest offering, is her best to date.
Our leading lady, Mavis Gary (an exacting Charlize Theron), is not a likable character. But that’s okay – Cody and director Jason Reitman aren’t asking us to like Mavis. They’re asking us to observe the character.
It’s interesting: usually in a character study the character grows in some way, learns some pivotal lesson. The ending of Young Adult, a few frames underscored by a jaunty tune juxtaposed by a look of disdain, pettiness and borderline depression on Theron’s face, is ultimately so satisfying, though, precisely because there is no growth. It’s a naturalistic ending rather than a Hollywood one, and I applaud the filmmakers to being brave enough to tell and end this piece of Mavis Gary’s story on their own terms.
Ah, to be young and in love. Madly in love. But things aren’t all peaches and cream for twenty-somethings Jacob (Anton Yelchin), an American, and Anna (Felicity Jones), a Brit: There’s that pesky Atlantic Ocean between them.
The two meet toward the end of their time in university in Los Angeles and quickly fall deeply in love – like, crazy in love – with each other. After graduation, visa troubles keep them apart. Their light-bulb romance continues as they see other people and each other, and we watch as they struggle to navigate long-distance love.
I was most moved by the portrayal of their fledgling relationship. Those first several months when you are completely enamored of someone, when everything about your mate excites you and you’re nauseatingly inseparable. The younger you are, the more intense those feelings can be, because you’re not necessarily jaded and weighed down by baggage. Typically, I might scoff at these kids in love, but I was actually touched by it – their connection seems so genuine and they appear to be so mature – though not precocious – that you root for the relationship to work.
Like Crazy succeeds by never talking down to its audience, and never going for what’s cheap or easy. In particular, I liked the ambiguity of the ending. Unless it’s a tragedy, most love stories presented to American audiences have happy, fairy tale endings. The fact that this film bucked that trend and ended with uncertainty made me feel like it was worth watching.
Do you agree, or would you have preferred a more definitive ending? Why?
Michael Shannon is a creepy dude. Well, that’s not fair. I don’t know him. But he sure can play creepy dudes pretty well. In Take Shelter, written and directed by Jeff Nichols, his character’s creepiness is actually somewhat sympathetic, since it comes from a place of vulnerability. Shannon plays Curtis, who has night terrors (and sometimes day visions) of a terrible and damaging storm, complete with motor oil rain, vicious dog attacks and a traitorous wife. (In reality, his wife Samantha, played by current it-gal Jessica Chastain, is patient, warm and loyal.) In response to these terrors, Curtis builds out his storm shelter, going to great lengths and damaging relationships to do so.
The film’s intrigue isn’t so much in the thrill of watching Shannon’s Curtis fight the (possibly) coming storm, but rather in watching the storm that is brewing inside him. He worries that he’s developed a mental illness, like his mother before him, and that he won’t be able to do enough to save his family. Though a little slow, the film is still interesting to watch. It’s particularly eerie and intriguing in hindsight, given the film’s right-hook of an ending.
