Bertie,
Ok, so we have a specific weakness for handsome British men. This is well documented and understood. But. When a handsome British man gives a tour-de-force performance in the biggest musical of the year? Yeah, we can get into that.
Your performance as Matilda’s severe and severely coiffed teacher, Agatha Trunchbull, had us both recoiling in terror and laughing until we wept. Because for all her cartoonish setup — her towering height and knee socks and set of 48DDDs — there is a real person under there with some real, real damage.
For that, you win the Tony of Our Hearts. Bonus points for being in the Les Miz movie. And for giving us one of the most captivating New York Times theater profiles of the year, wherein you a) kind of made fun of Williamsburg and then admitted that you liked it and b) called yourself a socialist, even though that can be a scary thing to say to the paper of record in America. Well done you on both counts. We hope Broadway figures out a way to keep you around for a while. Parade revival, anyone?
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Just wandered on to your blog. I love Broadway and theatre. I love the Bertie Carvel article. I think he will win the Tony. Just found the coolest picture of him and other Tony nominees (Holland Taylor, Billy Porter, Andrea Martin, Tim Minchin, etc) on a cooking/celebrity blog. Cooking With Mr. C. on Wordpress has a Broadway feel to it with cool photos, even though it has super recipes. Anyway, I will now follow your blog.
A superb performance from a true gentleman who is modest and surprisingly shy
He won UK hearts despite playing this monster of a character and its wonderful
to see how Broadway has welcomed him. Congratulations and here’s hoping
for many more exciting roles both here and in the US