Laura Benanti’s Melania Trump Impression Lands on Times Culture Critic’s Best of List | Playbill

News Laura Benanti’s Melania Trump Impression Lands on Times Culture Critic’s Best of List New York Times culture critic Wesley Morris’ Best Performances of 2016 choices also include Tony winner Phylicia Rashad and Taylor Mac.
Laura Benanti
//assets.playbill.com/editorial/19e1562b767a1520537658dc64b813bf-dramaleague-2016-hr-2252.jpg
Phylicia Rashad Monica Simoes
Wesley Morris, culture critic for The New York Times, has released his Best Performances of 2016 list, which includes a mix of performances from film, TV, the web, theatre, and sports.

Among Morris' 11 choices are Laura Benanti's Melania Trump impression on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert; Taylor Mac's epic A 24-Decade History of Popular Music; and Tony winner Phylicia Rashad's performance in Tarell Alvin McCraney’s Head of Passes.

About Rashad's performance, Morris writes, “She starts Tarell Alvin McCraney’s play as the matriarch in a high-energy family sitcom of gentility and secrets. But in the second act, something alarming happens, first to the set and then to her performance, which goes from impressive to impossible. Ms. Rashad descends into an aria of rage, regret, spittle, tears and snot, while wading in floodwater. What was so astonishing about it was the emotional stress of being her witness. Forget about the character. Would the actress survive? With some stars, that kind of kitchen-sink acting is stunt work. With Ms. Rashad, you wanted to stand up and cheer — then call her an ambulance.”

Read all of Morris' choices here.

Watch Benanti's impression below:

Visit PlaybillStore.com for theatrical merchandise.
 
Recommended Reading:
 X

Blocking belongs
on the stage,
not on websites.

Our website is made possible by
displaying online advertisements to our visitors.

Please consider supporting us by
whitelisting playbill.com with your ad blocker.
Thank you!