Most Tony Nominations without a Win

[FutureDirector]

Posted: 4/30/15 at 12:56am

With Kelly O'Hara's 6th nomination for a tony this year, I was wondering if there are any performers that have had more nominations without a win?

[Jayar2]

Posted: 4/30/15 at 1:02am

The Scottsboro Boys got 12 nominations and no wins.

[ljay889]

Posted: 4/30/15 at 1:03am

Think she'll hold the record (for a performer) if she loses. A group of great actors are stuck in the 5 nominations/no win category including John McMartin, Jan Maxwell, Danny Burstein, and more. 

Updated On: 4/30/15 at 01:03 AM

[firebolts]

Posted: 4/30/15 at 1:48am

I love Kelli so much and it breaks my heart that such a wonderful performer keeps getting denied a Tony. She should have gotten one for The Light in the Piazza. Truthfully, though, at times, I feel that she performs all of her roles in a similar fashion. Most of the roles she has gotten (except for Clara in Piazza) are such "Kelli O'Hara roles," if that makes sense?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/30/15 at 1:52am

It makes perfect sense, what you're saying.

And SCOTTSBORO deserved to win every one of those awards they lost.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 4/30/15 at 2:07am

So much politics goes into anything. I think Scottsboro Boys was pretty astounding and should have swept the awards, but it didn't. So oh well. But O'hara is great, but she has yet to deliver that performance. She's great in the sense that I know that I'm going to get my money's worth, and she'll sound beautiful. But she hasn't delivered that performance that I'm like This is it. 

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 4/30/15 at 7:28am

 

I think that Madison County could have been that breakout show, if you go on YouTube and listen to the passionate vocals of Kelly with and without Steven Pasquale (who is getting great reviews in Chicago for his Billy Bigelow). A lot of theatergoers probably couldn't see that book as a serious vehicle to begin with and then the creative team made it worse by fleshing out her husband and children and giving them meaningless scenes to inhabit. Probably the biggest career disappointment because she put so much into it.

 

In Pajama Game she played a pretty earthy union leader strongly attracted to Harry Connick Jr.   She played the Judy Holliday role in Encore's Bells are Ringing to good reviews, not a role you would expect to see her play. She tried on light comedy and farce in Nice Work, a production that might have gone somewhere with a charismatic and talented song and dance man instead of a Mathew Broderick sleepwalk (sorry, Broderick fans). The two do a pretty complex dance routine to "S' Wonderful."

 

In The Merry Widow at the Met she got almost universal good notices from opera viewers many of whom clearly did not like Susan Stroman invading their turf. But if you didn't like anything else, you had to love that 3rd Act can-can number into which Kelli blunders into drunkenly and joins the kick line.

 

So just as I'm enumerating these past roles, I don't think you can say that O'Hara only plays predictable parts that play to her strengths. She has tried anything and everything thrown at her and does all the roles well.

[Annetteiago]

Posted: 4/30/15 at 7:47am

http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/history/facts/

[bjh2114]

Posted: 4/30/15 at 7:58am

"O'hara is great, but she has yet to deliver that performance."

I think she's ALWAYS given "that performance", but I think she's constantly overshadowed by ladies in showier roles.  Just because she doesn't take part in visual gags or vocal pyrotechnics doesn't mean she isn't deserving of recognition. The only time I think she hasn't deserved to win was for Nice Work, where she was pleasant but had to deal with Audra, Jan Maxwell, and Cristin Milioti, all of whom were spectacular in their shows.  She was the Beth Malone of that year, if you will.  But I truly believe she should have won for Pajama Game and South Pacific, not to mention the tour de force performance she gave in Bridges last year.

[aj88]

Posted: 4/30/15 at 8:13am

Kelli O'Hara is just the ultimate bridesmaid because she does seem to go up against that one person who just seems to be better even though she herself was worthy of a Tony.

The biggest instance of this was SOUTH PACIFIC for me and I would argue PIAZZA as well, but I debate between her and Ramirez sometimes because she certainly did steal Spamalot from everyone and her facial expressions alone were hysterical....it just hurts because I really didn't care for Spamalot.

I would say her only nomination where I felt she was an "also-ran" of sorts was for Nice Work If You Can Get It.

I still say she should have won for BRIDGES and perhaps for PIAZZA as well.

And this year, while it wouldn't be a record or anything, I could see Something Rotten going 0-10.

Updated On: 4/30/15 at 08:13 AM

[Princeton Returns]

Posted: 4/30/15 at 8:16am

People say its because her roles arnt 'showy', but ive seen many actors give subtle and beautiful performance in non showy roles but to me Kelly is still on the bland side.  As someone said, you know what you will get, its a solid performance, but her acting never goes that bit further to really blow me away.

[newintown]

Posted: 4/30/15 at 8:41am

I agree that O'Hara is always lovely, always adept, always committed, and never surprising. And she's never made me laugh (particularly in that exceptionally unfunny Encores production of Bells Are Ringing). She's kind of like Doris Day (who I love), but without any of the wackiness.

I feel the same, I admit, about Audra McDonald (except for the Day comparison). But I admit that I place a higher priority on being surprised (I think) than most audience members do.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 4/30/15 at 8:51am

Then I feel sorry for you, Princeton.  If you find Kelli bland, you simply don't know what a nuanced performance looks like.

 

newintown, I was going to make the exact same comparison, actually.  Let's be real... Audra isn't a GREAT actress.  She does what you expect her to do every time (with the exception of Lady Day which was a complete transformation), but that VOICE.  That voice is glorious.  Now don't get me wrong, I LOOOOOOOVE me some Audra McDonald.  But it seems silly to me that people say she's absolutely everything (and has 6 Tonys to show for it) when her acting prowess is similar in many way to Kelli's.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 4/30/15 at 9:03am

I can see the argument that Kelli's Anna - which I personally enjoyed very much - is of that respectable-but-lacking-that-certain-something mold.  

But I can't say that about any other performance I've seen her do.
And I vehemently disagree that "she performs all of her roles in a similar fashion."  

Her exquisitely underplayed and so lovably warm Nellie battling her own bigotry, her scrappy, pratffalling Billie showing an unexpected gift for physical comedy, her heartbreaking and brightly charming Amalia (in concert) and her stalwart Anna, gutsily skirting (sorry) the edge of imperious overreach, for instance, are utterly distinguishable women.  

O'Hara clearly brings a great deal of herself to all of these portrayals.  But so do all great actors in their triumphs.

Ironically, its not Kelli but Kristin - who, I agree, deserves this year's Tony because as Lily she's giving the performance of her life as well as the performance of the season, in a role that suits her like a glove -  who, while just as prodigious an artist as Kelli, has a far more limited range.  

That's not at all the slight so many might quickly believe it to be.  Or even a left handed compliment.  Range is a wonderful thing but it's far from everything.  It's an impressive but not necessary ingredient for a star.
Some of the greatest talents in history - and Chenoweth is doubtless one of the greats - have limited range.

***

Yes, I can honestly say that both O'Hara and McDonald are great actresses.  

***

Yes, it's ultimately a subjective art form.

Updated On: 4/30/15 at 09:03 AM

[Princeton Returns]

Posted: 4/30/15 at 9:03am

No need to feel sorry for me, ive seen many a great nuanced performance. Sadly Kelli is not one of them. And plenty of others agree.  Just as there are people who dont like Idina, Patti, Kristen and so on

Kelli is clearly your favourite, and you are not going to like or accept anyone disagreeing with you.  Anyone who thinks the opposite in your eyes is just 'wrong'. And in that respect, I feel sorry for you that you cant accept others opinion

[bjh2114]

Posted: 4/30/15 at 10:44am

"Kelli is clearly your favourite, and you are not going to like or accept anyone disagreeing with you.  Anyone who thinks the opposite in your eyes is just 'wrong'. And in that respect, I feel sorry for you that you cant accept others opinion"

Well that's simply untrue.  Yes, Kelli is A favorite of mine (though I have many), though that is because she has EARNED my respect.  I don't go into a new performance of hers expecting to love it.  In fact, I often go in afraid that I'm finally going to be disappointed.  But her ability to constantly thrill me time after time with varied performances and versatility is what puts me in awe of her.  It's not a blind devotion but rather a well deserved one.

But I would never say someone who has an opinion contrary to mine is wrong.  I am very accepting of others' opinions.  In fact, I'm one of the most objective fans you will find on these boards.  But allow me to explain my point on this topic another way.  If you don't enjoy Kelli's performances because they are unappealing to you, fine.  If they don't satisfy your expectations, fine.  But to call them "bland" is absurd.  As far as I'm concerned, "bland" is not subjective term, but rather an objective one. To classify something as "bland" is to call it unseasoned or emotionless.  So by calling Kelli bland, you are essentially saying that she puts no thought into her performances, that she has no highs and lows, and that she doesn't exhibit character traits appropriate for those whom she is playing.  This is simply untrue.  Maybe you don't like her performances, but any fool can tell that she puts a lot of thought into each performance, as so brilliantly laid out by henrik above (beautiful post, by the way, henrik).  So again, if you don't happen to like the way she performs, that's fine.  I have no problem with that.  But if you ACTUALLY think that Kelli is bland, then I will repeat my original claim, which is that you wouldn't know a nuanced performance if it bit you on the nose.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 4/30/15 at 10:47am

Let's be real... Audra isn't a GREAT actress.

Totally disagree.  Even way back in Master Class, I felt she was a truly gifted actress and that was cemented when I saw her in Marie Christine.  That was a magnificent performance requiring as much emotional range as it did vocal and Audra had to carry 90% of the show.  The Tony win for that category that season is still a big head-scratcher for me.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 4/30/15 at 10:51am

Oh I don't disagree that she was phenomenal in both of those shows!  Again, I love her.  But having emotional range doesn't make you a GREAT actress.  It makes you an actress.  You should be able to convey a range of emotions if you're going to star in a Broadway show.  And just think of the number of actresses from past eras who would have killed all of the roles Audra has done from an acting standpoint.  I'm not saying Audra isn't wonderful, but she certainly isn't one of the greatest actresses of all time.

[Jayar2]

Posted: 4/30/15 at 10:55am

I wonder if there is truth to the rumor that Kelli was overlooked last year in favor of Jessie Mueller because it was assumed that she would win this year for The King and I?  Jessie was good, but I truly felt like BOMC was the performance of Kelli's career so far.

 

And like Will Truman from Will and Grace who never got over Patti Lupone losing the Tony for Anything Goes, I am not sure that I am able to get past Audra winning over Cristin Millioti. The Tony voters got the awards backwards that year-- Norm McDonald and Millioti should have been the big winners, not McDonald and Steve Kazeee.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 4/30/15 at 11:22am

I wonder if there is truth to the rumor that Kelli was overlooked last year in favor of Jessie Mueller because it was assumed that she would win this year for The King and I?

What's the use of wond'rin'?  We'll never know and it's the same BS speculations from fans and/or Riedel we get every year when a beloved actress doesn't win.  Mueller won because she got the most votes.  The only way to know why is to ask every voter.  Personally, I find it pretty silly to believe the voters were checking their ballots thinking, "Eh...she'll win it next year anyway, so I'll vote for my second choice".  Is that really more plausible to believe than the fans drum up delusions to make themselves feel better?

[Princeton Returns]

Posted: 4/30/15 at 11:34am

" If you don't enjoy Kelli's performances because they are unappealing to you, fine.  If they don't satisfy your expectations, fine.  But to call them "bland" is absurd.  As far as I'm concerned, "bland" is not subjective term, but rather an objective one. To classify something as "bland" is to call it unseasoned or emotionless.  So by calling Kelli bland, you are essentially saying that she puts no thought into her performances, that she has no highs and lows, and that she doesn't exhibit character traits appropriate for those whom she is playing.  ."

 

Sorry you have said exactly what I did get from her performance, there really wasnt much emotion, it was all very one level throughout.  I was close to the stage too so I would have seen the emotion on her face if it had been there. I dont dislike her as there really isnt much there to like or dislike.  Nice voice, does the job but thats about it

 

[JBroadway]

Posted: 4/30/15 at 11:38am

"I am not sure that I am able to get past Audra winning over Cristin Millioti."

 

Wow, I've honestly never heard anybody say that before. Did you see Audra's performance in Porgy and Bess? It was incredible. It was such a tour-de-force performance from both an acting and singing perspective. Millioti was good, and definitely deserving of her nomination, but the idea that she had a snowball's chance in hell against Audra's Bess is unimaginable to me. 

Updated On: 4/30/15 at 11:38 AM

[bjh2114]

Posted: 4/30/15 at 12:05pm

I actually thought Milioti gave the most underrated performance of that season.  I still think Audra should have won, but Milioti was a CLOSE second in my mind (even ahead of Jan Maxwell).

And Princeton, that sucks for you that you continue to be so bored. Must be hard to have a heart of stone.

[LarryD2]

Posted: 4/30/15 at 12:12pm

"I'm not saying Audra isn't wonderful, but she certainly isn't one of the greatest actresses of all time."

That's a pretty high bar to set and a distinction that could be applied, without hyperbole, to maybe like 10 actresses in the history of the profession. I wouldn't rank Audra as one of the best actresses of all time, but of actresses currently working--especially those working primarily in theater? Absolutely.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 4/30/15 at 12:22pm

I mean, if we're talking musical actresses sure.  But I'd venture to say that people like Cherry Jones, Tyne Daly, Laurie Metcalf, Jan Maxwell (who does musicals, but primarily plays), and Laura Linney are all better actresses than Audra.  And I just came up with those names in about 10 seconds using some of the most standout performances from the past few years.  There are several others, I'm sure, if I took the time to really think about it.