Viola Davis, currently appearing in Fences opposite Denzel Washington, knows a thing or two about scene stealing. Just ask Meryl Streep. Here's hoping that the Oscar-nominated actress brings home another Tony this weekend.
August Wilson's Leading Lady: An Ode to Viola Davis
by Salamishah Tillet
On Sunday the American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards will air on CBS. Despite the recession, audiences continued to flock to theater, especially to see shows that featured Hollywood hot-list actors as Cate Blanchett, Scarlett Johansson, Liev Schreiber, Jude Law, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Denzel Washington. But this year it is the lesser-known Viola Davis, nominated for best lead actress for her role in Fences, whowas the standout performance of the year.
Many filmgoers first noticed Davis in 2008, when she was nominated for an Oscar for her brief role in Doubt, when she effectively stole the scene from Meryl Streep. In the movie, Davis played Mrs. Miller, a mother who shockingly announces that she will keep her son in school--despite the fact that the head mistress (Streep) is dropping some very strong hints that the head priest (Philip Seymour Hoffman) has been molesting the boy.
That one heart-wrenching scene garnered much attention for Davis, who, until then, had been toiling in relative movie obscurity. The ChicagoSunTimes veteran film critic Roger Ebert heaped praise on her brief scene, declaring that it ''was good as any I've seen this year. It lasts about 10 minutes, but it is the emotional heart and soul of Doubt, and if Viola Davis isn't nominated by the Academy, an injustice will have been done.'' Davis, who previously appeared in Antwone Fisher, Nights in Rodanthe and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, didn't win the Oscar. But Hollywood had--finally--taken notice.
For theatergoers, particularly August Wilson fans, Davis is a more familiar face. In 2001, she won the Tony Award for best performance for a featured actress for her role in Wilson's King Hedley II. However, much like her bravura turn in Doubt, Davis' performance in the Broadway revival of Wilson's Fences, was a coup de theatre. Her dignified, breathtaking and thoughtful performance not only upstages the lead character, Troy Maxson, brilliantly played by Denzel Washington, but also dismantles old stereotypes about bad black mothers and the new caricatures of single black women as well.
Wilson's 10-play Pittsburgh cycle, which chronicles the African-American experience throughout the 20th century, is often criticized for depicting black female characters who play a secondary role to his male characters. In the case of Fences, Rose has suppressed most of her dreams in order to help her husband, Troy, cope with his failed ones. In the hands of a less capable actress, Rose could be seen as just another Wilson woman, a moral centerpiece but marginalized character.
But with her performance, Davis managed to move Rose from the sidelines to center stage. Her performance is not only well-worth the price of the ticket; the Tony Awards Nominating Committee apparently thought so, too, nominating her for lead actress for a role that traditionally is considered a supporting role. When Davis first takes to the stage, in vintage dress and apron, bursting with joy and deep laughter, you think that all is well in the world. As Rose, an industrious, big-hearted, but reticent 1950s housewife, Davis moves around the bigger than life actor, Washington, and his ''too big'' character with effortless ease.
Read Full Essay @ The Root
August Wilson's Leading Lady: An Ode to Viola Davis
by Salamishah Tillet
On Sunday the American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards will air on CBS. Despite the recession, audiences continued to flock to theater, especially to see shows that featured Hollywood hot-list actors as Cate Blanchett, Scarlett Johansson, Liev Schreiber, Jude Law, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Denzel Washington. But this year it is the lesser-known Viola Davis, nominated for best lead actress for her role in Fences, whowas the standout performance of the year.
Many filmgoers first noticed Davis in 2008, when she was nominated for an Oscar for her brief role in Doubt, when she effectively stole the scene from Meryl Streep. In the movie, Davis played Mrs. Miller, a mother who shockingly announces that she will keep her son in school--despite the fact that the head mistress (Streep) is dropping some very strong hints that the head priest (Philip Seymour Hoffman) has been molesting the boy.
That one heart-wrenching scene garnered much attention for Davis, who, until then, had been toiling in relative movie obscurity. The ChicagoSunTimes veteran film critic Roger Ebert heaped praise on her brief scene, declaring that it ''was good as any I've seen this year. It lasts about 10 minutes, but it is the emotional heart and soul of Doubt, and if Viola Davis isn't nominated by the Academy, an injustice will have been done.'' Davis, who previously appeared in Antwone Fisher, Nights in Rodanthe and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, didn't win the Oscar. But Hollywood had--finally--taken notice.
For theatergoers, particularly August Wilson fans, Davis is a more familiar face. In 2001, she won the Tony Award for best performance for a featured actress for her role in Wilson's King Hedley II. However, much like her bravura turn in Doubt, Davis' performance in the Broadway revival of Wilson's Fences, was a coup de theatre. Her dignified, breathtaking and thoughtful performance not only upstages the lead character, Troy Maxson, brilliantly played by Denzel Washington, but also dismantles old stereotypes about bad black mothers and the new caricatures of single black women as well.
Wilson's 10-play Pittsburgh cycle, which chronicles the African-American experience throughout the 20th century, is often criticized for depicting black female characters who play a secondary role to his male characters. In the case of Fences, Rose has suppressed most of her dreams in order to help her husband, Troy, cope with his failed ones. In the hands of a less capable actress, Rose could be seen as just another Wilson woman, a moral centerpiece but marginalized character.
But with her performance, Davis managed to move Rose from the sidelines to center stage. Her performance is not only well-worth the price of the ticket; the Tony Awards Nominating Committee apparently thought so, too, nominating her for lead actress for a role that traditionally is considered a supporting role. When Davis first takes to the stage, in vintage dress and apron, bursting with joy and deep laughter, you think that all is well in the world. As Rose, an industrious, big-hearted, but reticent 1950s housewife, Davis moves around the bigger than life actor, Washington, and his ''too big'' character with effortless ease.
Read Full Essay @ The Root
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