Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical

I know there is a whole thread for nominations, but this is the category which I think brought the most tension prior to the announcement and remains as such.

In my opinion, they totally nailed it. Audra is fantastic, but the other five women are giving more valuable performances-- again just my opinion. Could not be more thrilled for Carmen Cusack, who I was pulling for above all else.

What say you guys?

Yep, I think they nailed it too.

Audra is pretty much always deserving of a nomination but she has had more than her share of the glory and will continue to in the future I'm sure. Letting actresses like Carmen and Phillipa have their moment is great.

And Audra has been so gracious about this on Twitter.

I agree this is a wonderful category this year. We are lucky to have some fabulous stories about women being told by some of Broadway's finest actresses (in any season). I think they got it right and I'm thrilled to see Carmen Cusack get in because she carries Bright Star with a beautiful performance.

I feel bad for Benanti, because this would be her year if it weren't already Erivo's year. So much of winning awards is about luck and timing.

I was fortunate enough to see all of these actresses who are nominated. IMO, both Cynthia and Carmen gave the most outstanding performances. I would love to see Carmen win it, but I feel Cynthia will win, which is fine with me...

aaaaaa15 said: "Don't you think it would have been weird to pit Pippa and Renee against each other, considering Phillipa has double the amount of stage time?

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Stage time has nothing to do with it. Case in point: Jonathan Groff pitted against Daveed Diggs and Christopher Jackson. I agree that Eliza feels supporting to me.

There is no exact science.



That's why the nominating committee meets several times during the year, to decide which categories performers belong in.



They aren't always consistent with the credit placement.

Updated On: 5/3/16 at 10:51 AM

aaaaaa15 said: "Hairspray0901 said: "I saw Hamilton and Pippa was out. Though, I didn't find the role of Eliza to be "leading", at all, which is why I wanted those 5 I listed above to be nominated over her. I think she should have been featured."

Don't you think it would have been weird to pit Pippa and Renee against each other, considering Phillipa has double the amount of stage time? Renee pretty much disappears after Take a Break (aside from some narration in It's Quiet Uptown) whereas Phillipa carries the audience through the emotional parts all the way to the finale.

She has less stage time than the others in her category but it is not such a stark difference. She is absolutely a leading female in that show.

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I personally didn't think any of the female characters in Hamilton were leading. To me, the only leads were Hamilton and Burr. And no, I do not think putting Pippa and Renee "against" eachother would have been weird. Miranda and Odom are against eachother, so are Diggs, Groff and Jackson.

I am happy Pippa was recognized but in my opinion - I think the Tony committee should have ruled her as featured instead.

aaaaaa15 said: "Exactly, so saying a performer doesn't deserve their nomination because 'they should have been in supporting' is silly, especially when its as debatable as it is here.

I'm sure if she had been placed in featured, some people would be saying she should be in leading, and that would lead more towards 'category fraud' as she'd certainly have a better chance in featured.

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Alright, NO WHERE in my post did I say Pippa was not deserving of her nomination because she should have been supporting. What I said was, I didn't think the role of Eliza was leading - I think she should have been featured. I have a different opinion on where the TONY COMITTEE should have placed her. That does not mean she is undeserving.

Hairspray0901 said: "Alright, NO WHERE in my post did I say Pippa was not deserving of her nomination because she should have been supporting. What I said was, I didn't think the role of Eliza was leading - I think she should have been featured. I have a different opinion on where the TONY COMITTEE should have placed her. That does not mean she is undeserving."

What I meant was you said (or heavily implied) that she didn't deserve her place in leading.

I loved Cynthia Erivo's performance and have no qualms if she wins, but I'm still on team Mueller. She is giving a breathtaking performance in a role she is originating (other than the movie) and has been with since workshops. She has really evolved in the role and grown with the character from ART to Broadway.

Yes, I'm not sure about feeling bad for people that have already won Tonys because they're gonna lose to people that haven't.

It's like feeling sorry for Audra today. She's fine people!

I think they could've gone either way on Eliza, but she is the one who ultimately tells Hamilton's story, so I think they went the right way. It's a great role--I saw Alysha play it as well as Philippa and both women give stunning performances. I thought she might be left out just because of the stellar show-changing performances in this category, but I'm glad she was not. The only one of the performances I haven't seen is Audra, so I can't comment on whether I would've rather seen her be nominated than anyone else.



I think Erivo will win and if so it will be richly deserved. However, to be honest, in my gut I'm rooting for Cusack. She just has such a great story of working so long in the business and she is finally getting her breakout role. She plays comedy and drama in Bright Star and does both seamlessly and flawlessly. She effortly transitioned back and forth between carefree, lighthearted teenager and a woman who has been through utter heartbreak. Plus by all accounts she seems to be a perfectly lovely person (not that the other ladies aren't). I won't be devastated regardless of who wins, because these are 5 Tony worthy performances, but if Cusack won I'd be particularly delighted.