Leading Actress in a Musical - all the Tony-eligible possibilities listed

[mikem]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 9:36am

Here are all of the eligible women for Leading Actress in a Musical.

LEADING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL (12 possibilities)
Billy Elliott - no one eligible
Guys and Dolls - Lauren Graham, Kate Jennings Grant
Hair - no one eligible
Next to Normal -Alice Ripley
9 to 5 -Stephanie J Block, Allison Janney, Megan Hilty
Pal Joey -Stockard Channing
Rock of Ages - Amy Spanger
Shrek - Sutton Foster
Story of My Life - no one eligible
13 - no one eligible
A Tale of Two Cities - no one eligible
[title of show] - no one eligible
West Side Story - Josefina Scaglione
White Christmas - Meredith Patterson, Kerry O'Malley

Who are your predictions? Mine are

Alice Ripley
Stephanie J Block
Allison Janney
Megan Hilty
Josefina Scaglione

with Sutton Foster as #6.

ETA: updated for final eligibility rulings.

Updated On: 5/1/09 at 09:36 AM

[adamgreer]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 9:54am

A little premature, considering we don't know what they're going to do with the 9 to 5 women, and Josefina Scaglione.

If some of them get bumped to Featured, your list will change significantly.

Not that it matters, this one belongs to Ripley.
Updated On: 5/1/09 at 09:54 AM

[snarkywannabedreamer]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 9:54am

Amy Spanger is eligible for Rock Of Ages. and I believe there are a few other shows they could maybe make a case for as well... Hair may have someone.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 9:58am

There are absolutely no leading actresses in Hair.

[jaystarr]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 10:04am

and Alice Ripley will win the Tonys for Leading Actress in a Musical!

J*

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 10:09am

Yup. The lukewarm reviews for her performance knock Allison Janney out once and for all.

I'd like to say the landscape of the race changed dramatically with 9 to 5's critical reception, but it...didn't. If Stephanie J. Block is in Featured, well, Karen Olivo REALLY has her Tony in the bag now, and if she's not...well, she didn't really have a chance anyway. The show still has a good chance at score.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 10:53am

Pirag, you really think 9 TO 5 still has a good chance at score? The score was criticized at length by many of the critics for being uneven and unoriginal. BILLY and N2N are going to be duking it out for Best Score.

I hope N2N wins but something tells me with the inevitable BILLY sweep, it'll take Best Score along with its awards for Best Musical, Best Actor, Best Book, probably Best Director, and Best Choreography.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 10:56am

Ripley has it in the bag.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 10:58am

And deservedly so.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 11:34am

This all really couldn't be contained to one thread?

[madlibrarian]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 6:24pm

No.

[blaxx]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 6:29pm

This all really couldn't be contained to one thread?

I think it has been made obvious that on this board, when it comes to Tonys, every poster believes they have the merit to begin a new thread.

Actually, my favorite threads come after the nominations are out, the "How can (name or show or performer) not get a nomination?!" They are a hilarious.

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 6:50pm

I'm rooting for Next to Normal to win Best Score and Best Actress (oh please God not another Idina-style upset). After Cry Baby last year, I'm still interested in seeing who's actually gonna get nominated and who isn't. But I honestly don't see all of the 9 to 5 girls getting nods. I see one of them getting the shaft. Judging from the reviews of her performance (I'm still recovering from the fact that the reviews were that lukewarm), it may be Allison. Funny, I honestly thought it would be Stephanie...why, I don't know.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 7:01pm

Why would it be Allison? She got the best reviews of any of them.

[Broadway 1001]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 7:08pm

Why doesn't anyone see that Stephanie plays the most developed character while Megan(although good) does an impression of Ms. Parton?

[TIGGOSAURUS]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 7:24pm

I don't think Allison Janney will get 'shafted' in the nominations - she's garnered the most positive reviews from the critics of all the 3 leading ladies in 9-5. I honestly thought Megan Hilty would be right up alongside her, but maybe the fact that she's perceived by some as imitating Dolly Parton playing Doralee hasn't helped her.

SJB might play the character who goes through more of a 'journey', but I'd question how many of the audience she takes with her compared to her co-stars....?

That being said, Alice Ripley is my front-runner, no question. She was superb!

[mikem]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 7:34pm

There are a lot of decently received performances in this category, but the only true lock, I think, is Alice Ripley. I think it is a lock that at least 2 of the 3 ladies from 9 to 5 will get in (I personally think all 3 will), but a case could be made for each of the 3 of them that that particular person will be left out.

I would put the 12 eligible women into these 4 categories:

Lock (1)
Alice Ripley

Ahead of the pack (5)
Stephanie J Block
Megan Hilty
Sutton Foster
Allison Janney
Josefina Scaglione

Not completely out of it, but probably won't get in ahead of the competition (2) Stockard Channing
Kate Jennings Grant

Longshots (4)
Lauren Graham
Kerry O'Malley
Meredith Patterson
Amy Spanger

Updated On: 5/3/09 at 07:34 PM

[adamgreer]

Posted: 5/1/09 at 9:33pm

With Ripley a lock, it's only going to be "looking good" for 4 of those 5 women. It won't be looking so good for one of them.