Performers Who Had 2 Major Roles on Broadway in the Same Season
Performers Who Had 2 Major Roles on Broadway in the Same Season
#1Performers Who Had 2 Major Roles on Broadway in the Same Season
Posted: 4/5/22 at 7:32am
I don't know if anyone has started a thread on this subject yet, so I figured I’d do so myself. We’ve seen in the past that if you’re on Broadway in two major roles at different points in the same season, you’re likely going to end up receiving at least one Tony nomination.
Past examples of this include…
Judy Kuhn & Terrence Mann – They both opened (and closed) Rags in the fall of 1986, but then went on to open Les Misérables in the spring of 1987, where they both received their very first Tony nominations for the latter.
Blair Brown – She opened James Joyce’s The Dead in January of 2000, then left in March to open Copenhagen the following month, where she won the Tony for the latter.
Nathan Lane – He did The Man Who Came to Dinner in the summer/fall of 2000, then opened The Producers in the spring of 2001, where he won his second Tony for the latter.
Audra McDonald – She did Henry IV in the fall of 2003, then opened A Raisin in the Sun in the spring of 2004, where she won her fourth Tony for the latter.
Kelli O’Hara – She opened Dracula in the summer of 2004, closed that show in January of 2005, then opened The Light in the Piazza in the spring, where she received her very first Tony nomination for the latter.
John Cullum – He did How the Grinch Stole Christmas during the 2006 holiday season, then opened 110 in the Shade in the spring of 2007, and was Tony nominated for the latter.
Boyd Gaines – He did Pygmalion in the fall of 2007, then opened Gypsy in the spring of 2008, where he won his fourth Tony for the latter.
Beth Leavel – She did Elf during the 2010 holiday season, then opened Baby It’s You! in the spring of 2011, and was Tony nominated for the latter.
Mark Rylance – He did La Bête in the fall of 2010, then opened Jerusalem in the spring 0f 2011, where he won his second Tony for the latter.
Jeremy Jordan – He opened (and closed) Bonnie & Clyde in the fall of 2011, but then went on to open Newsies in the spring of 2012, and was Tony nominated for the latter.
Danny Burstein – He did The Snow Geese in the fall of 2013, then opened Cabaret in the spring of 2014, where he received his fifth Tony nomination for the latter.
Christian Borle – He did Falsettos in the fall of 2016, then opened Charlie & the Chocolate Factory in the spring of 2017, yet was Tony nominated for the former.
Jefferson Mays – He did The Front Page in the fall of 2016, then opened Oslo in the spring of 2017, and was Tony nominated for the latter.
Mary Beth Peil – She did Les Liaisons Dangereuses in the fall of 2016, then opened Anastasia in the spring of 2017, and was Tony nominated for the latter.
Not to mention that about six performers have managed to be nominated in two different categories in the same year. Among them are Amanda Plummer (A Taste of Honey and Agnes of God in 1982), Dana Ivey (Heartbreak House and Sunday in the Park with George in 1984), Kate Burton (Hedda Gabler and The Elephant Man in 2002), Jan Maxwell (The Royal Family and Lend Me a Tenor in 2010), the aforementioned Mark Rylance (Richard III and Twelfth Night in 2014), and Jeremy Pope (Choir Boy and Ain’t Too Proud in 2019).
Then again, J.K. Simmons had two major roles on Broadway during the 1991-92 theatre season. First as Captain Hook in a revival of Peter Pan starring Cathy Rigby, then as Benny Southstreet in the Jerry Zaks-helmed revival of Guys & Dolls. Yet, he was completely ignored by the Tonys that year.
Are there any other examples I seem to be missing?
#2Performers Who Had 2 Major Roles on Broadway in the Same Season
Posted: 4/5/22 at 7:42am
I'm going way back here but I believe Jill O'Hara had 2 major roles on Broadway in the same season. She played "Agnes Nolan" in GEORGE M! and later that season played "Fran Kubelik" in PROMISES, PROMISES.
Updated On: 4/5/22 at 07:42 AM
#3Performers Who Had 2 Major Roles on Broadway in the Same Season
Posted: 4/5/22 at 7:58am
Jeremy Pope in 2019 - Pharus in “Choir Boy” and Eddie Kendricks in “Ain’t Too Proud”, resulting in Tony nominations for both
Edit - Oops. Somehow I missed that in the original post
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Updated On: 4/5/22 at 07:58 AM
Broadway61004
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/14/11
#4Performers Who Had 2 Major Roles on Broadway in the Same Season
Posted: 4/5/22 at 8:14am
Jessica Hecht did the very short-lived Brighton Beach Memoirs revival in Fall of 2009 and then was Tony-nominated for View from the Bridge later that season.
#5Performers Who Had 2 Major Roles on Broadway in the Same Season
Posted: 4/5/22 at 9:14am
Santino Fontana did the same move Jessica Hecht did from Brighton Beach Memoirs to A View From the Bridge. He won a Drama Desk for the former and was replaced in previews due to injury for the latter.
bowtie7
Stand-by Joined: 7/27/11
#6Performers Who Had 2 Major Roles on Broadway in the Same Season
Posted: 4/5/22 at 9:20am
Cynthia Nixon (at the age of 17) appeared in Hurlyburly and The Real Thing on Broadway at the same time.
https://www.playbill.com/article/cynthia-nixon-talks-making-broadway-history-while-still-in-college-and-her-theatrical-obsession-com-331946
PeterC6482
Understudy Joined: 12/10/19
#7Performers Who Had 2 Major Roles on Broadway in the Same Season
Posted: 4/5/22 at 11:26am
Liz Callaway was featured as Lizzie in "Baby" during first four weeks of 84-85 season, through July 1st, '84. Then, she was featured as Marian in "The Three Musketeers" November '84.
ErmengardeStopSniveling
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/20/18
#8Performers Who Had 2 Major Roles on Broadway in the Same Season
Posted: 4/5/22 at 12:42pm
Another notable John Cullum credential:
When he did AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, his character was only in the first 15 minutes, and then he hustled across town to make it to the Harold Clurman Theatre in time for an 8:30 curtain of the off-Broadway play he was acting in. Pretty rad for a 79-year-old.
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102116610
#9Performers Who Had 2 Major Roles on Broadway in the Same Season
Posted: 4/5/22 at 12:53pm
'm going way back here but I believe Jill O'Hara had 2 major roles on Broadway in the same season. She played "Agnes Nolan" in GEORGE M! and later that season played "Fran Kubelik" in PROMISES, PROMISES.
And to add to that, Jill O'Hara played Sheila in the original Off Broadway production of HAIR that season too.
“I knew who I was this morning, but I've changed a few times since then.”
Craig Horsley
Swing Joined: 10/1/19
#10Performers Who Had 2 Major Roles on Broadway in the Same Season
Posted: 4/5/22 at 2:02pm
Christine Ebersole won the Tony for 42nd Street in the same year she was in the revival of Gore Vidal's The Best Man.
Plannietink08
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/2/11
#11Performers Who Had 2 Major Roles on Broadway in the Same Season
Posted: 4/5/22 at 7:26pm
Ivy Lynn opened (and closed) the revival of Dangerous Liaisons then opened Bombshell the same year. She was nominated as Best Featured Actress for the former and for Best Leading Actress for the latter and went on to win for Bombshell!
"Charlotte, we're Jewish"
Plannietink08
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/2/11
#12Performers Who Had 2 Major Roles on Broadway in the Same Season
Posted: 4/5/22 at 7:26pm
Ivy Lynn opened (and closed) the revival of Dangerous Liaisons then opened Bombshell the same year. She was nominated as Best Featured Actress for the former and for Best Leading Actress for the latter and went on to win for Bombshell!
"Charlotte, we're Jewish"
DCS
Featured Actor Joined: 3/19/08
#13Performers Who Had 2 Major Roles on Broadway in the Same Season
Posted: 4/5/22 at 8:08pm
In the 1991/1992 Season, FAITH PRINCE appeared as Lorraine Bixby in Nick & Nora in December (it famously closed after only 9 performances), but then she was cast as Adelaide in the hit revival of Guys & Dolls which opened later in the season in April and she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for it!
Updated On: 4/5/22 at 08:08 PM
DCS
Featured Actor Joined: 3/19/08
#14Performers Who Had 2 Major Roles on Broadway in the Same Season
Posted: 4/5/22 at 8:11pm
should have also mentioned that JOSIE DE GUZMAN was also in Nick & Nora as Maria Valdez (she was replaced during previews by Yvette Lawrence) and then Josie went on to be Sarah Brown in Guys & Dolls with Faith
#15Performers Who Had 2 Major Roles on Broadway in the Same Season
Posted: 4/12/22 at 10:49pm
Here's another example I've just came up with:
Meg Bussert - She did The Music Man in June of 1980, then opened Brigadoon in the fall of that year, which ran into February of 1981, and was Tony nominated for the latter.
The Other One
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/1/08
#16Performers Who Had 2 Major Roles on Broadway in the Same Season
Posted: 4/12/22 at 11:36pm
The late, great Jan Maxwell was in The Royal Family and Lend Me a Tenor in the same Broadway season. She was nominated for Tonys for both performances.
Updated On: 4/13/22 at 11:36 PM
#17Performers Who Had 2 Major Roles on Broadway in the Same Season
Posted: 4/12/22 at 11:37pm
I should have read the entire original post before I first commented. My apologies.
Updated On: 4/12/22 at 11:37 PM
#18Performers Who Had 2 Major Roles on Broadway in the Same Season
Posted: 4/13/22 at 8:54am
Brandon Victor Dixon went from portraying Eubie Blake in Shuffle Along to playing Aaron Burr in Hamilton about a month later, IIRC in 2016. So 2 roles, both playing real people.
#19Performers Who Had 2 Major Roles on Broadway in the Same Season
Posted: 4/16/22 at 7:11pm
In my latest piece for Gold Derby, I wrote about how Brandon J. Dirden could receive a Tony nomination for either one of his two Broadway appearances from this season.
https://www.goldderby.com/article/2022/tony-nominees-in-two-shows-brandon-j-dirden/
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