How did Harvey Fierstein win Lead Actor in 2003?- Page 2

[Wilmingtom]

Posted: 4/24/13 at 1:09am

Who do you think should have won?

Harvey Fierstein – Hairspray as Edna Turnblad
Antonio Banderas – Nine as Guido Contini
Malcolm Gets – Amour as Dusoleil
Brian Stokes Mitchell – Man of La Mancha as Don Quixote/Cervantes
John Selya – Movin' Out as Eddie

Although I admired all of those performances, I say they might the right choice.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/24/13 at 1:14am

I don't think the OP is doubting he was outstanding in the role (although I really loved Banderes in Nine) he's questioning the PLACEMENT of the role as leading vs. featured.

[Wilmingtom]

Posted: 4/24/13 at 1:19am

So who would have been the leading? Latessa, who won Featured? The story is about Edna - she's the character who had been changed by the story's end. I think, IMHO, that's the lead role. Fierstein and Travolta were certainly the "lead" names in the Bway and movie incarnations, no?

Updated On: 4/24/13 at 01:19 AM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/24/13 at 1:23am

Not every show HAS to have a male and female leading role. (But I don't disagree with the placement.)

[Wilmingtom]

Posted: 4/24/13 at 1:27am

I agree completely. For instance, I don't think Matilda has a male lead.

[madbrian]

Posted: 4/24/13 at 8:21am

I had no problem with Fierstein being categorized as a lead, but if I had a vote it would have gone to Banderas.

[djoko84]

Posted: 4/24/13 at 9:15am

Harvey was definitely the lead male in Hairspray. A well deserved win.

[trentsketch]

Posted: 4/24/13 at 9:30am

Tracy and Edna go on this wild journey to change the world through dance. If Edna was written to be played by a woman, the actress would have been nominated along side Marissa Jaret Winokur for lead. Since Harvey Fierstein is a man, he was nominated for lead actor. It's that simple.

[broadway guy]

Posted: 4/24/13 at 9:36am

I don't know who should have won but i just don't think Edna should be considered leading. She is a supporting character.

"Tracy and Edna go on this wild journey to change the world through dance."

No, only tracy has that dream. Edna even advises her against it until she finally warms up the idea.Plus your statement is way to broad. By what you just said i could say the same thing for pennny and we all know she isn't a leading role.

Updated On: 4/24/13 at 09:36 AM

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 4/24/13 at 10:01am

And we've come full circle.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/24/13 at 10:03am

If only Edna had had the dream as well, she would have been a Leading Actor.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 4/24/13 at 10:06am

Lead Actor MUST have a dream!!!

[broadway guy]

Posted: 4/24/13 at 10:06am

lolol

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 4/24/13 at 10:07am

If "Dreamgirls" had just been called "Girls" it would never have won the Tony. However, it would have been buzzed about for six months.

[finebydesign]

Posted: 4/24/13 at 10:42am

I've never understood it either. Tracy is the lead. The same goes for Wicked, the protagonist of that show is clearly Elphaba.


Tony Awards seem to appear specifically for industry favorites. I'm still trying to understand that weird Hugh Jackman award.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 4/24/13 at 10:44am

Hugh has wet dreams.

Posted: 4/24/13 at 10:44am

Look at it this way- Harvey had fewer scenes and songs to win the audience over than his fellow nominees and did it anyway.

[best12bars]

Posted: 4/24/13 at 10:51am

"I dreamed a dream of leads gone by ..."

"Every lead has her own special dream ..."

[trentsketch]

Posted: 4/24/13 at 11:13am

No, Edna had that dream for Tracy as soon as Tracy was on TV. She advised her against it for a whopping 10 minutes of stage time. Then she became the momager.

[best12bars]

Posted: 4/24/13 at 11:15am

Doesn't Edna say something about her dream of wanting to own a laundromat, but she "came down out of that cloud real fast" ... ?

Something like that.

Dashed dreams.

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 4/24/13 at 11:20am

Edna's Occidental Laundry, I believe.

Though I probably would have voted for Banderas, Fierstein is certainly a worthy winner. His role is kind of like Hannibal Lecter (bear with me). It doesn't have as much stage time as Guido Contini, but the presence of the actor in the role loomed so large over the night, that there's no other way to really think of him but 'leading.'

Posted: 4/24/13 at 11:23am

NO, Edna's dream is to pass along Edna's Occidental Laundry to Tracy. At one point, she dreamed of owning a coin-operated laundromat but she came down off that cloud real fast.

[best12bars]

Posted: 4/24/13 at 11:29am

Do most people realize that the Phantom (also a leading Tony winner) in POTO is on stage for roughly 20-odd minutes and that's it?

Also a "Hannibal Lector" type role. I'm with Robbie on this.

[broadway guy]

Posted: 4/24/13 at 12:09pm

Freud!

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 4/24/13 at 4:21pm

"coming down from that cloud.." is drom the film dialogue, not the stage version.. just for the record. lol. edna's dream was to have a line of Queen-Sized dress patterns and be a designer in the stage version...

Edna was classified as a lead because Harvey was billed above the title. per Tony rules.