FEATURED ACTRESS

#1

FEATURED ACTRESS

Posted: 4/12/14 at 2:43am

I am fascinated by this category this year.
I assume Marin Mazzie will be Featured.
And Fantasia and Adriane Lenox are certainly contenders.

But - my major Tony nomination wish is that Whitney Bashor is remembered and recognized for the heartbreaking "Another Life" in BRIDGES. I know it is one song in a show that is focused on totally different people. But - it is my favorite 4 minutes of the whole show. and I've seen it 3 times.
Am I the only one who felt this way about that song? I'm sure it's completely unlikely.... but I think back to that ridiculous nomination of Elizabeth Davis in ONCE and what Whitney Bashor does warrants a nomination so much more than the random ensemble girl in ONCE. (that still remains the most puzzling Tony nomination in my memory).

#2

FEATURED ACTRESS

Posted: 4/12/14 at 3:11am

I feel the same way. I love "Another Life." Whitney performs that song so beautifully. Really hope she gets a nomination.

#3

FEATURED ACTRESS

Posted: 4/12/14 at 7:31am

Don't forget that there is also:
Kate Baldwin*
Lena Hall*
Samantha Hill
Nikki M. James
Caitlin Kinnunen
Anika Larsen
Liz Larsen
Caissie Levy
Cass Morgan
Lisa O'Hare
Courtney Reed*
Margo Seibert*
Keala Settle
Betsy Wolfe
Helene Yorke
etc.

*Might also be up for Leading role

#4

FEATURED ACTRESS

Posted: 4/12/14 at 7:45am

I really hope Whitney gets a nomination too. I loved her performance and "Another Life."

#5

FEATURED ACTRESS

Posted: 4/12/14 at 7:59am

I think it'll be:

-Kate Baldwin
-Linda Emond
-Fantasia
=Marin Mazzie
-Margo Seibert

#6

FEATURED ACTRESS

Posted: 4/12/14 at 8:25am

I think Emond is probably the frontrunner at this point. I also think that if any woman gets nominated for Bullets, it will be Heléne Yorke. And there is no way Kate Baldwin (as much as I LOOOOOOVE her) is getting nominated for a show that closed ages ago. At this point, having seen all eligible performances other than those in Aladdin and Les Miz, I think the nominees will be:

Linda Emond, Cabaret
Anika Larsen, Beautiful
Lisa O'Hare, A Gentleman's Guide To Love And Murder
Margo Seibert, Rocky
Heléne Yorke, Bullets Over Broadway

I would LOOOOVE to see Whitney nominated as well, but I just don't see it happening in what's a year of many strong performances but no standout performance. I think O'Hare's nomination will represent the genius work that both she and Lauren Worsham are doing, and I think Anika Larsen will be nominated since she's giving a great performance and has been treading the boards for quite some time now.

#7

FEATURED ACTRESS

Posted: 4/12/14 at 9:21am

I think Lena Hall will shock everyone and win. She is an AMAZING Yitzak. I never appreciated the role so much until I saw her play it-a truly remarkable performance.

Nominees:

Linda Emond
Lena Hall
Annika Larsen
Marin Mazzie
Lisa O'Hare OR Helene York


I think Mazzie and Emond are locks, and once the reviews for Hedwig come out, I might adjust this to say Hall is.

Updated On: 4/12/14 at 09:21 AM

#8

FEATURED ACTRESS

Posted: 4/12/14 at 9:28am

Oh, I totally forgot about Lena! I think it'll be between Lena and Linda

#9

FEATURED ACTRESS

Posted: 4/12/14 at 9:48am

I think (and hope) Fantasia scores a nomination. She brought a magic to the show none of the other special guests stars did. Her rendition of Stormy Weather brought me to tears. I'm glad she's returning next month.

#10

FEATURED ACTRESS

Posted: 4/12/14 at 11:17am

This is a catagory full of wild cards. And voting structure that the Tony nominating committee uses to select the nominees usually leads to some complete surprises.

My guess is that the current frontrunners are

Linda Emond
Helene Yorke or Marin Mazzie (if she doesn't go lead)
Adriene Lenox
Fantasia
Margo Seibert
Lena Hall (who probably needs to be singled out in reviews to get momentum going for her)

But there will be also be scattered strong support for folks like

Cass Morgan
Anika Larson
Betsy Wolfe etc.

My only hunch is that the two ladies from GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE will cancel each other out.

#11

FEATURED ACTRESS

Posted: 4/12/14 at 11:24am

I (sadly) agree that the GUIDE ladies aren't likely to muster singular support for either to crack the field. I hope they can! But it's politically unlikely.

For the record, re: AFTER MIDNIGHT, I remembered much more about Adriane Lenox than Fantasia from when I saw it. For what it's worth. Though really I'm hoping Jared Grimes can squeeze out a Featured Actor nom even if he'd be near 0% to win.

Also, if BEAUTIFUL becomes the de facto minimally-acceptable frontrunner I wouldn't count out Anika Larsen from getting a nod.

---

Words don't deserve that kind of malarkey. They're innocent, neutral, precise, standing for this, describing that, meaning the other, so if you look after them you can build bridges across incomprehension and chaos. But when they get their corners knocked off, they're no good anymore…I don't think writers are sacred, but words are. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones in the right order, you can nudge the world a little.

#12

FEATURED ACTRESS

Posted: 4/12/14 at 11:27am

I think Lena Hall will be singled out. I didn't notice the character or her significance until I saw her play it. She is a revelation in the role. It is a truly remarkable performance-and she holds her own against a powerhouse performance by Neil Patrick Harris. (I love this show-I have followed it since I was a teenager, so for her to make that impact is rather significant for me.)

I really think she deserves to win. (I've seen 99% of the possible nominees-seeing the others next week.) She is just amazing (and I didn't think she stood out like this in Kinky Boots, where she had a rather thankless role).

I think Fantasia could slip in there, and my predictions are based on the assumption they'll leave Mazzie in featured. (I think Larsen deserves a nod-she got universal praise and I enjoyed her performance a great deal.)

I think my final prediction will wait until after they decide where to place Mazzie, which could determine a lot.

#13

FEATURED ACTRESS

Posted: 4/12/14 at 11:37am

Linda Emond is AMAZING in Cabaret. She is an awesome singer and actor she will probably win!

#14

FEATURED ACTRESS

Posted: 4/12/14 at 11:45am

I was underwhelmed by Cabaret. It seemed tired, calculated and lacked the heart of the last incarnation. Emond was serviceable but failed to remove the memory of Mary Louise Wilson's truly heartbreaking performance.

I think Hedwig is going to take the most awards-deservedly-and Hall has a wonderful shot in what is truly her star making performance.

#15

FEATURED ACTRESS

Posted: 4/12/14 at 11:59am

Mazzie will be in the"lead" category, where she will be snubbed. The producers would be smart NOT to put all 4 of their Females in supporting.

#16

FEATURED ACTRESS

Posted: 4/12/14 at 12:02pm

Well, they may want to snag at least one nod, and from what I've read, Mazzie got the most praise for her performance. If they leave her in featured, I think she'll get a nod. You're right that if she's put into leading she'll likely be snubbed as the category is very crowded. I think putting all of them in featured makes sense, because I'm thinking they figure the two ladies with the best shot at nominations (Yorke and Mazzie) are actually featured actresses and that with the leading field as crowded as it is, they'd rather have a nod in the featured category than none at all. (While Wolfe and Ziemba give very good performances, I think the sense is that they're overshadowed by Mazzie and Yorke.)

Updated On: 4/12/14 at 12:02 PM

#17

FEATURED ACTRESS

Posted: 4/12/14 at 12:02pm

I've yet to see HEGWIG, but I think Lena Hall will get a nomination based solely on the buzz that I've heard.

And I think LaChanze has a shot at a nod as well.


As of now, I'm gonna say...

Lena Hall, HEDWIG & THE ANGRY INCH
LaChanze, IF/THEN
Helene Yorke, BULLETS OVER BROADWAY
Anika Larsen, BEAUTIFUL
Linda Emond, CABARET

Updated On: 4/12/14 at 12:02 PM

#18

FEATURED ACTRESS

Posted: 4/12/14 at 12:03pm

Ultimately, it's the Tony Nominating committee's call as to which category actors are placed in. So while a producer wouldn't like all the women in BULLETS to be supporting, they are indeed all below the title so could easily be placed in that category if the nominators so wish.

#19

FEATURED ACTRESS

Posted: 4/12/14 at 1:48pm

I think it will come down to Linda Emond, Lachanze and Lena Hall!

#20

FEATURED ACTRESS

Posted: 4/12/14 at 1:59pm

Once again, I forgot about LaChanze. Yeah, she'll definitely be up there!

#21

FEATURED ACTRESS

Posted: 4/12/14 at 2:32pm

For After Midnight I hope Adriane Lenox will have a better chance at nomination than Fantasia, partially because I thought her performance was better, but also because she remained with the show. Because Fantasia was only in the show during its opening and Tony season, as opposed to Adriane (along with actresses in Gentleman's Guide and Beautiful) who have been performing all season, I hope the nominators won't vote for her, simply to discourage these fair-weather broadway actors

#22

FEATURED ACTRESS

Posted: 4/12/14 at 3:27pm

Lena Hall. She was completely perfect as Yitzhak.

#23

FEATURED ACTRESS

Posted: 4/12/14 at 3:33pm

^^This^^

As I said, the role never struck me as particularly much until I saw her perform it-she's perfection.

#24

FEATURED ACTRESS

Posted: 4/12/14 at 4:03pm

Yep. Obsessed.

#25

FEATURED ACTRESS

Posted: 4/12/14 at 4:59pm

I hope Margo Siebert gets nominated. I thought she was great.