Leading Actor in a Musical race — Page 2

Examples? I don't agree at the most famous person often wins. In fact, since 1990:

1990
Randy Graff beat Jane Krakowski
Robert Morse beat Dustin Hoffman
James Naughton beat Bob Gunton
Charles Durning beat Gary Sinise
Michael Jeter beat Rene Auberjonois

1990 (where most famous person won)
Maggie Smith (beating Kathleen Turner, etc.)
Tyne Daly (with no competition)

1991
Jonathan Pryce beat Topol
Lea Salonga beat Cathy Rigby
Mercedes Ruehl won over Stockard Channing and Julie Harris

1991 (where most famous person won)
Kevin Spacey, with no competition.

1992
Judd Hirsch beat Alan Alda and Alec Baldwin
(Glenn Close won - rest of nominees weren't famous)

1993
Brent Carver beat Tim Curry and Martin Short
Ron Leibman beat Liam Neeson
Debra Monk beat Marcia Gay Harden
Madeline Kahn beat Lynn Redgrave and Natasha Richardson
(Chita Rivera DID beat Bernadette Peters)

1994
Jarrod Emick beat Tom Aldredge
Boyd Gaines beat Victor Garber and Terrence Mann
Stephen Spinella beat Christopher Plummer
Diana Rigg beat Joan Rivers
(the rest of the nominees had no stars)

1995
John Glover beat Jude Law
Frances Sternhagen beat Cynthia Nixon and Mercedes Ruehl
Cherry Jones beat Eileen Atkins and Hellen Mirren
(George Hearn, Glenn Close, Ralph Fiennes, and Mathew Brod. won with no comp)

1996
Donna Murphy beat Julie Andrews
Zoe Caldwell beat Carol Burnett, Rosemary Harris, and Elaine Stritch

1997
James Naughton beat Jim Dale
Lynne Thigpen beat Dana Ivey and Celia Weston
Janet McTeer beat Julie Harris

1998
Ron Rifkin beat John McMartin and Samuel Wright
Anthony LaPaglia beat John Leguizame and Alfred Molina
Natasha Richardson beat Betty Buckley
Marie Mullen beat Jane Alexander and Allison Janney

1999
Brian Dennehy beat Kevin Spacey
Elizabeth Franz beat Claire Bloom

2000
Boyd Gaines beat Stephen Spinella
Roy Dotrice beat Kevin Chamberlin and Daniel Davis
Brian Stokes Mitchell beat George Hearn, Mandy Patinkin, and Christopher Walken
Stephen Dillane beat Philip Seymour Hoffman and John C. Reilly
Karen Ziemba beat Eartha Kitt
Heather Headley beat Toni Collette, Marin Mazzie, Audra McDonald
Jennifer Ehle beat Jayne Atkinson, Rosemary Harris, Cherry Jones

2001
Richard Easton beat Brian Stokes Mitchell and Gary Sinise
Cady Huffman beat Polly Bergen and Kathleen Freeman
Viola Davis beat Michele Lee
Christine Eversole beat Blythe Danner
Mary-Louise Parker beat Juliette Binoche and Leslie Uggams

2002
Alan Bates beat Billy Crudup, Liam Neeson, Alan Rickman, Jeffrey Wright
Harriet Harris beat Andrea Martin and Judy Kaye
Kate Finneran beat Kate Burton, Estelle Parsons, Frances Stern., Elizabeth Franz
Sutton Foster beat Vanessa Williams
Lindsay Duncan beat Kate Burton, Laura Linney, Helen Mirren, and Mercedes Ruel

2003
Brian Dennehy beat Eddie Izzard and Paul Newman
Dennis O'Hare beat Philip Seymour Hoffman and Robert Sean Leonard
Michele Pawk beat Marian Seldes
Harvey Fierstein beat Antonio Banderas
Marissa Jaret Winokur beat Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Bernadette Peters
Jane Krakowski beat Mary Stuart Masterson and Chita Rivera

2004
Jefferson Mays beat Kevin Kline, Frank Langella, Christopher Plummer
Anika Noni Rose beat Beth Fowler, Karen Ziemba
Idina Menzel beat Kristin Chenoweth, Donna Murphy, Tonya Pinkins
Phylicia Rashad beat Eileen Atkins, Anne Heche, Swoosie Kurtz

2005
Bill Irwin beat Philip Bosco, Billy Crudup, James Earl Jones, Brian F. O'Byrne
Cherry Jones beat Laura Linner, Mary-Louise Parker, Phylicia Rash., Kath. Turner
Norbert Leo Butz beat Tim Curry and John Lithgow
Victoria Clark beat Christina Applegate
Liev Schreiber beat Alan Alda
Adriane Lenox beat Dana Ivey
Dan Fogler beat Christopher Seiber
Sara Ramirez beat Joanna Gleason



Actually, the most famous perforn "often" DOESN'T win...

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I'm so glad you took all that time to do that. It must give you great joy or...somethin...that you feel you have trumped me.

But, I'll just say that not all of your examples mean squat, particularly if you take into account that some of those people were more famous at the time or less famous at the time. I will also mention that your list is not concise as to show the percentage to which you feel I am wrong and should thus concede the semantics game you so desperately wish to play.

Your need to prove me wrong doesn't change the general perception that I have heard often voiced that Tony voters like to hand the award to stars to encourage stars to take roles on Broadway. It doesn't change the possibility that the Tony voters may choose to award Connick for what is said to be a stunning debut and to entice him to continue working the Great White Way.

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Having seen all three men - I'd say John Lloyd Young should win.

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Jerby, I didn't mean to prove you wrong. I just wanted to show you where I'm coming from, in saying that often times, the most famous person doesn't, in fact win. My motivation wasn't to prove you wrong at all, just to show that it's not always the case. I didn't mean anything bad by it at all, don't look at it that way.

While some of the examples, such as Krakowski not being famous in the early 90's, might not have any weight, the fact remains that more often than not, the most famous person doesn't win. Last year, despite giving nothing more than a mediocre performance (which is something the Tony's seem to constantly recognize), Denzel Washington failed to get a nomination. All I'm saying is that fame doesn't have much weight with the Tony's. You disagree, and that's fine.

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I will agree with that.

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I want Alan or Michael to win again.

But then again i don't look at this category as much of a "race" i think they should all get nominated because they are all doing one hell of a job.

but honestly if someone has to lose let it be Harry atleast. He is my least favorite leading man this year.

Could Will Chase be up for leading or featured actor in Lennon? (I think he deserves to be up for SOMETHING)

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Chase is technically eligible, but I wouldn't hold my breath for any aspect of LENNON getting a Tony nod. Never happen.

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I doubt Michael Ball will be nominated. What about Harry Connick, Jr.? I personally don't think John Lloyd Young is anything spectacular, but I was also underwhelmed by Michael Cerveris in Sweeney Todd, but since I only saw its first preview I'm sure he's better than when I saw him. I doubt that any performers in Tarzan will be nominated, and there's no real buzz for any of the upcoming musicals except for The Threepenny Opera. It's a very lackluster year.

I would say Ball definitely will not be nominated. Wouldn't he be featured anyway? And wasn't he only in the show for like...a day?

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