I wonder if they'll give this to Sutton, actually. She's well-liked and a bonafide Broadway star, and from all accounts is giving a terrific performance in a role that's very different from anything she's ever done. Awarding her here could be a nice way to honor her career as well as this specific performance.
I am a firm believer in serendipity- all the random pieces coming together in one wonderful moment, when suddenly you see what their purpose was all along.
Anyone who pays a membership fee can be a member of the Drama League and vote in their annual awards. There is no small contingency of people that sit down and hash out the winners.
It's really quite insulting to have some of these nominees on here when a performance like the one Celia Kennan-Bolger gave was given this season. Really quite upsetting.
"These rabid fans...possess the acting talent to portray the hooker...Linda Eder..." -The New York Times
Good for Celia that she's getting so much love on this site, but…I thought she was the least effective of the four actors on that stage. She pretty much cowered from beginning to end with nary a nuance IMHO. Granted, I'm not sure I've ever seen that role work.
I was surprised to see Gentleman's Guide win over Fun Home, to be honest. I was anticipating Fun Home would win most of the pre-Tony awards.
When I see the phrase "the ____ estate", I imagine a vast mansion in the country full of monocled men and high-collared women receiving letters about productions across the country and doing spit-takes at whatever they contain.
-Kad
Has the winner of this singular acting award ever gone on to NOT win the Tony?
Yup. Several times really recently in fact. Last year, Nathan Lane won for The Nance, but Tracy Letts won the Tony for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and in 2010, Alfred Molina won for Red while Denzel won the Tony for Fences. Also, in 2007, Liev Schreiber won for Talk Radio but Frank Langella won the Tony for Frost/Nixon (in this case, however, Langella was ineligible for the Drama League Award since he had previously won it).
I was surprised FUN HOME didn't win, as well. I think, though, GENTLEMAN"S GUIDE is experiencing a rise in support from some in the community who think it is the best show of the Bway season and yet may lose the Tony to a show with broader appeal, like BEAUTIFUL.