Lend me an historian! Was "Send in the Clowns" not written for someone without huge vocal range? Angela Lansbury or Elizabeth Taylor pop up as names. Glad to hear someone is doing that wonderful song justice.

DH and I saw "Looped" in DC last year. Again with the historian, how many folks remember Ms. Bankhead? Valerie did a super job.

Discussed in the show...
"Send In The Clowns"
The show's best-known and Sondheim's biggest hit song was almost an afterthought, written several days before the start of out of town tryouts.[18] Sondheim initially conceived Desiree as a role for a more-or-less non-singing actress. When he discovered that the original Desiree, Glynis Johns, was able to sing (she had a "small, silvery voice") but could not "sustain a phrase", he devised the song "Send in the Clowns" for her in a way that would work around her vocal weakness, e.g., by ending lines with consonants that made for a short cut-off.[19] "It is written in short phrases in order to be acted rather than sung...tailor-made for Glynis Johns, who lacks the vocal power to sustain long phrases."[20]
(from Wiki)

Isn't everyone on Fodors too young to remember Ms. Bankhead? I thought Valerie Harper did a great job too!

When my daughter was a child, when she got a cold and had a deep, raspy voice, she called it, "Getting the Tallulahs."

I'm too young! Well, not really but I came to "know" her from re-runs of movies and "I Love Lucy". Was not born when she was on stage.

starrs: thanks for Glynis Johns' name. I AM too old to automagically go to the web for info.

abram: how did your daughter know Tallulah?

Tony nominations are out. Is it just me, or are there a lot of movie/tv actors nominated for performances that have gotten less than sterling reviews?

http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/nomi...mo=email050410

I'm excited about the nominees. :-)

TDusette, that's an interesting question--but I don't know the answer!

Here's an article from People. It seems they would say "yes" to the number and "no" to the less than sterling -
http://www.people.com/people/article...365991,00.html

TC, I'm curious who you are referring to. Looking at the best actor in a play category, for examples, the five nominees--Jude Law, Alfred Molina, Liev Schreiber, Christopher Walken and Denzel Washington--all received sterling reviews. Then, take the five actresses nominated--Viola Davis, Valerie Harper, Linda Lavin, Laura Linney and Jan Maxwell. Again, all received glowing reviews.
The only two nominees that MIGHT fit your description are possibly Catherine Zeta-Jones and Sean Hayes in the musical categories. I certainly wouldn't categorize two as "a lot." Further, to disprove the theory, please note the absence of two of the biggest stars on Broadway this season from the list of nominees--Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman!

Oh Howard, you love to take me to task. Maybe I was thinking more of the plays than the specific performance which is unfair of me, since the nominations are for acting (with or without a good vehicle - maybe in spite of). The nominations just seemed crammed with TV/movie actors. Could say more about Broadway casting than about Tony noms. And who do you predict as winners, so I might do more planning for my May theater week?

abram; what was her age group, dahling?

Interesting challenge, TC. I think this is the most wide-open Tony competition in years. The only sure winner is Angela Lansbury as best supporting actress in a musical. Otherwise, they are pretty much wide-open races.
My predictions? (Note that I rarely make an out-and-out single prediction! It was that kind of a year!)
Best play--Next Fall or Red
Best musical--American Idiot or Fela
Best revival or a play--A View from the Bridge or Fences
Best revival of a musical--La Cage aux Folles
Best actor in a play--Liev Schreiber or Denzel Washington
Best actress in a play--Viola Davis or Linda Lavin
Best actor in a musical--Douglas Hodge
Best actress in a musical--I have no idea!
Another unique aspect of this year's nominations is that one of the individuals cited for best music is Bradford Marsalis for Fences, which is NOT a musical!

<< Best actress in a musical--I have no idea!>>

Kate Baldwin or Sherie Rene Scott

Saw 'Collected Stories' tonight - not as sharp as I hoped it would be.

Award competitions in the arts, in general, seem to lose more importance each year - for me.

TDudette, she's 36.
Last September, we visited her in Atlanta and went to the Tallulah Falls, after which the actress was named.

"Maybe I was thinking more of the plays than the specific performance which is unfair of me, since the nominations are for acting (with or without a good vehicle - maybe in spite of)."

Huh? Now I'm even more confused. So you're suggesting those "poor vehicles" like Hamlet, Fences, and A View from the Bridge" aren't really very good plays?

abram: She must have watched re-runs.

There is a wonderful "Lucy" show with the two of them. One of the hour-longs after they moved to Connecticut.

In case anyone is interested, the PBS show Maria Hinojosa: One-on-One episode tonight features Lin-Manuel Miranda from In the Heights. http://www.wgbh.org/programs/program...m?programid=12

Interestingly, in the news today was the fact that the new Supreme Court nominee is a grad of Hunter College HS. They mentioned repeatedly that Cynthia Nixon is a grad too. But they didn't mention that Lin-Manuel Miranda, Robert Lopez (Avenue Q) and my ds are also grads. Miranda was also a sub there until he made it with In the Heights.

CPG: If you haven't seen Dr. Knock staged by The Mint Org.
do go.
WSJ'S Terry Teachout gave a huge positive review of it in
the 5/11 Metro New York pages. Normally he does not
give his total blessing.
Chagrined to admit I had not heard of this cute little
org. right in the theatre district & really loved the play.