TONY day!

[quoll]

Oh well, one hopes that a nomination will be enough to raise his profile in US and they begin to recognize what we all know is a wonderful talent!

[peach]

maxx02,

how much did the show differ from the London stage? I'd be interested to know. I saw the show 3x and found the perfs were a bit skattered the first go round, by the third time they were sharper and more relaxed. The Bernard B Jacobson is a smaller theatre than most on bdwy. so I'm sure it loses the intimacy of a smaller house. I did notice that was a lot of yelling going around probably for the people in the balcony. I hope he decides to perform in the theatre more often especially in the states.

[maxx02]

One of the most significant differences was that the performances were more subtle and nuanced. They did make changes to the show from London to New York but at the moment I can't recall exactly what they were. I know we talked about them at the time so presumably they are on the R'n'R thread somewhere.

In London Jan was a very measured character. Rufus had pin-point control over him. He drove the show and commanded the theatre. I recall thinking that I would not want to share a stage with Rufus, his performance was so powerful. I also remember the first time I saw it just shaking my head and smiling because I was so entranced by his performance that I couldn't focus on the show.

In New York he felt like an Opera singer on the edge of his range. It seemed as if he was reaching, reaching and his limitation was in his mind, not his talent. There was a huge amount of shouting that wasn't in the London production. And there was mad pacing as if they somehow imagined the audience would get up and leave is they didn't run break neck through the thing.

Add to that that Americans didn't really seem to understand what was being said and it just didn't make for a lovely experience. They made mistakes. The theatre was one of them. But it's come and gone and Rufus can move on to his next NY show, now.

[GreenEyesToo]

Jun 17, 2008 18:44:02 GMT maxx02 said:

But it's come and gone and Rufus can move on to his next NY show, now.

Ahem, excuse me! Us Brits would like him back on the stage here next - it's our turn again now! ;D

Your comments about the differences are interesting, Maxx - it has puzzled me a little to hear how manic Rufus seems to have been in the NYC production, because he didn't come across that way at all in London. Very measured there, as you say. That's what's lovely about an intimate theatre like the Duke of York's - it enhances a performance, not detracts from it.

[maxx02]

Of course you can have him back. I don't mind where he performs. I'll just go see him wherever he happens to be...

I only meant that he's finally gotten a show under his belt in NY. He can go on from there and hopefully he'll become a regular on the NY stage as so many others have done.

[rufluvr]

The competition on Broadway for lead actor was pretty stiff (even without the Broadway darling Kevin kline), and it really would have been quite amazing had Rufus won for his first full-run play on Broadway. One had only to hear the acceptance speech of the awesome Patti Lupone to put it into the proper perspective, the gist being that if you are lucky you get to be in good productions with great casts and if you are very, very lucky, every 30 years or so you just might win that award. I was thrilled to hear her still in great voice after all these years, . She'll always be Evita to me mostly, though.
Really--what a great boon to Ruf's career--the play and the nom, and now to something new! What a great time for him to peak!

[rufluvr]

Let me add, that I mean that it seems like our dear Rufus' career is just beginning to peak-with the best yet to come.
Rufus has been in some good movies, but other than The Last King has not yet met a movie project to equal his talent, in my humble opinion, that is. Though I loved DB, TOTS, IASL etc, etc, I would love to see him get a truly splendid and meaty role in a special film. HIS "The Way We Were" "Sparticus" "Doctor Zivago" "Godfather" "Schindler's List" whatever, over the top fabulous role. Why am I only thinking of great OLD films? Okay then, give him something (good) Tom Hanks would want to do.

Or am I really going to have to finish my "Voltaire" screenplay, get it copyrighted, and somehow into Ruf's beautiful and talented hands? Now, Voltaire is man Ruf would relish to play, believe me! What a witty and interesting character he was. A renaissance man in many ways (scientist, philosopher, financier, courtier, playwright). And only Kate Winslet could do Madame du Chatelet justice. Because you need a really smart actress to play a woman of such intelligence (part of Chatelet's scientific study/ theory, which she hardly got due credit for of course, later showed up in Einstein's e=mc2) So, back to my writing desk, and alas, more research before it's done. At least I know a trustworthy screenwriter (who has a fine film to his credit) I can ask to review it for me. He will tell me honestly if it has merit, if I should pursue it, or put it in the potty!
Fingers crossed! Miracles can happen...occaisonally.

[peach]

To Green Eyes Too and Maxx, I thouroughly enjoyed his perf, but I always feel that the powers that be feel they have to "dumb it down" for us Yanks, a thought I find humiliating and unfounded. I have been to the Duke of York Theatre and can;t recall how much smaller it is to the Bernard B Jacobs Theatre. The yelling was a bit distracting to say the least, and brought some of the perfs down. I think because I saw it early in it's run the first ime that they were still findin gtheir way, at least on the NY stage. The third go round was the best out of the three that I saw. It was tighter and shorter in length as well, though not by much. I wish I had the chance to see it in London. And to Rufluvr, good luck on the screenplay!!

[GreenEyesToo]

The Japanese blog lady has posted some screen caps from the Tony telecast, so for those of us who didn't see that, here he is:






loverufus.exblog.jp/i8

Ooh, that man is handsome! (But Jeremy, sweetie, get rid of that moustache - it makes you look really seedy)

And Ruflvr, whether or not he gets the meaty role you wish, I think you should press ahead anyway with the screenplay - everybody has to have a dream, after all!