Kad-The competition in that category is very stiff, though. (And while "Jersey Boys" did manage to snag two acting Tonys, I'm not convinced "Beautiful" can get one. The book is nowhere near as strong as "Jersey Boys" and you have several worthy contenders in the category.)
I think it's a little too early to say that ANY of the actresses has a great lead in the Tony race. We have yet to see any version of Kelli O'Hara, Michelle Williams, or Marin Mazzie's performances, and Idina Menzel and Sutton Foster's will obviously grow and evolve. All of those women have plenty of awards/nominations to their names, and for good reason.
I wouldn't say Jessie is a lock because of her show. She has the earliest opening of all of the women I listed. Beyond that, I have a feeling a few more shows this season will be considered maudlin as well. And, if we're going by the recent trend of the Best Actress winners starring in revivals, then it will be a battle between Michelle and Sutton.
That being said, I'm sure Jessie is great. I just think it's going to be a very competitive year.
I'm on my phone so excuse any issues. Saw the show on Tuesday and I found it to be so enjoyable. Jessie Mueller is nothing short of a STAR and I am so glad I finally got to see her on stage. The good out-weighs the mediocre. Anika Larsen was also a standout. I hope this show catches on and runs for years. I could also see this story working great as a film. More people need to know Carole's story.
Just wanted to post that Beautiful has put a new block of tickets on sale, through October 2014. They've also started charging premium prices for seats that were not previously premium before.
StickIt, in response to your question about the poker scene and "hit parade", I saw it Opening Night in San Francisco and saw it Friday night. This show is SIGNIFICANTLY better than SF, and I liked it there. But I loved it last week. The poker scene seemed to be shorter and I didn't come away (nor did someone I talked to with a Beautiful playbill in the line at Juniors afterwards) with a feeling it was implying something going on with Gerry and Cynthia, which it definitely felt like in SF. Also, I think Jessie does much more of the songs before the "artists" pick them up. I don't often say "so and so should/will get a Tony nomination," but I really think Ms. Mueller is deserving of at LEAST a nomination for her performance. IMHO, definitely a show where the creative team made it significantly better between the shakedown trial and bringing it to Broadway.
