Diva/Mensch pair for June 17, 2026

Rita Moreno won the Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Play in 1976 for The Ritz, playing the insane Googie Gomez. This is a character she had created herself, a Puerto Rican performer who takes herself very seriously and has no idea how hilarious she is. Terrence McNally got wind of this, wrote her into the show, and history was made.

Another nominee in that category was Frances Sternhagen as Dora Strang in Equus. She's the central character's mother. Her performance was so profoundly menschy that I can't find any photographic or video evidence of it on Google or YouTube! That's serious menschlichkeit.

Diva: Moreno

Mensch: Sternhagen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUI2cYJQRhU