Ron Raines for FOLLIES? Really?!

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

[EponineAmneris]

I am thrilled for him. I loved the show and his performance.

[dramamama611]

And isn't is Caucasion CHALK Circle? (Unless, of course, there is a second play I know nothing of.)

[Christoph]

Completely agree with you, CharlieHayes. A total snoozer of a performance. He has a wonderful singing voice, but no discernable personality in the role, unless it was stiff as a board. I never believed that anyone could become obsessed with his character like Sally or tolerate being married to him as long as Phyllis. He reminded me of someone who accidentally took a handful of downers rather than uppers before taking the stage. I could have cared less about his character and thought his final meltdown on stage was flat and disastrously dull. He really paled compared to Jan Maxwell and Danny Burstein. This was an utterly colorless performance. And while I was not a fan of Bernadette Peters psychotically needy interpretation of Sally (and was not remotely surprised at her Tony snub), no one could ever accuse her of being boring in the role. They should have put Raul Esparza or even Matthew Broderick into the slot. Come to think of it, they should have considered the ushers before resorting to a nomination for Raines.

[Cearsgk]

I couldn't take my eyes off him and thought he was wonderful.

[DAME]

Dull.

[jayinchelsea]

Raines sang and acted well, but he got this nomination because Esparza and Broderick didn't measure up, after all the predictions of their being nominated. In truth, Brent Barrett, who played Ben in the recent FOLLIES production in Chicago, was way better.

[South Fl Marc]

Seriously, did anyone expect Broderick to be nominated? You knew what his performance was going to be like before the show was even written. He's only played one character for the last 20 years, even though it's been in many different shows. Why would this one be any different?

I was shocked though that Mr. Esparaza wasn't nominated, but thrilled that Ron Raines was. Follies was the best thing in musicals all season.

[Roscoe]

I'm not getting this nomination either. Raines did an okay job, of course, but he never managed to make me give a damn about Ben Stone, he just came off like a real prick, and I found his final meltdown to be unmoving as a result. I caught a performance with Raines' understudy, Joseph Kollinsky, who managed to add some shades of warmth to the role.

[miss pennywise]

I saw this production of FOLLIES several times with a man who is the approximate age Ben is in the show. He was extremely moved, uncharacteristically, by Ron Raines' performance. He has expressed to me, repeatedly, that Raines' interpretation of Ben captured much of his own middle-aged angst and fear.

In addition to his acting and singing, the fact that he is a "burly fellow" (nod to Danny Burstein ) makes his breakdown even more effective, imo.

[CarlosAlberto]

Very tacky thread...classless.

[MadonnaMusical]

Obsessed with Raines' voice... I want to swim in it, I want to build a house in it...

Loved Terri White... I was more surprised that she was snubbed, then Elaine Paige... but having Elaine Paige get in would have been great since Elena Roger was snubbed too. lol

[BroadwayFan12]

Ben is not a likable character at all, but Raines' breakdown nearly broke me down. I was pleasantly surprised that his great work was recognized by the nominating committee.

[undercoveractor]

I am thrilled that Ron Raines was nominated. I think he was great and deserves to be in this list of 5.

[CharlieHayes]

Gratuitously nasty? I didn't personally attack Ron Raines. How many other threads are on these boards criticizing nominations? What a petty, silly response.

[CharlieHayes]

Carlos, how is this thread classless?

[PalJoey]

You did not need to start a separate thread just to show off how clever you can be with the already-overused phrase "Really?"

That was gratuitously nasty.