It's pretty remarkable how strong this season is shaping up to be for Featured Actress in a Musical. What an embarrassment of riches:
• Anika Larsen (Almost Famous) • Robyn Hurder (A Beautiful Noise) • Melanie La Barrie (& Juliet) • Julia Lester (Into the Woods) • Alli Mauzey (Kimberly Akimbo) • Patina Miller (Into the Woods) • Bonnie Milligan (Kimberly Akimbo) • Phillipa Soo (Into the Woods) • Natasha Yvette Williams (Some Like It Hot) • Betsy Wolfe (& Juliet)
Other question marks:
• Adrianna Hicks (Some Like It Hot; not sure if she’ll be put in leading or featured) • Solea Pfeiffer (Almost Famous; not sure if she’ll be put in leading or featured) • Whoever is cast as The Stepmother (Bad Cinderella)
ElephantLoveMedley said: "It's pretty remarkable how strong this season is shaping up to be for Featured Actress in a Musical. What an embarrassment of riches:
• Anika Larsen (Almost Famous)
• Robyn Hurder (A Beautiful Noise)
• Melanie La Barrie (& Juliet)
• Julia Lester (Into the Woods)
• Alli Mauzey (Kimberly Akimbo)
• Patina Miller (Into the Woods)
• Bonnie Milligan (Kimberly Akimbo)
• Phillipa Soo (Into the Woods)
• Natasha Yvette Williams (Some Like It Hot)
• Betsy Wolfe (& Juliet)
Other question marks:
• Adrianna Hicks (Some Like It Hot; not sure if she’ll be put in leading or featured)
• Solea Pfeiffer (Almost Famous; not sure if she’ll be put in leading or featured)
• Whoever is cast as The Stepmother (Bad Cinderella)"
If THE NOTEBOOK makes the jump before season's end, I can tell you without question that Maryann Plunkett WILL take Best Featured Actress in a Musical; absolutely no questions asked. Lots of predictions will shift if the show makes the jump. It is one of the best things I have ever seen.
I know the production as a whole has received lukewarm responses, but Casey Likes is doing some marvelous work in Almost Famous. Any chance he can sneak into the Best Actor race?
I’m assuming Luna will be the only leading contender in KPOP. She’s the only central character with no male counterpart. (I’d add Jully Lee to the potential Featured Actress in a Musical list.)
HeyMrMusic said: "I’m assuming Luna will be the only leading contender inKPOP. She’s the only central character with no male counterpart. (I’d add Jully Lee to the potential Featured Actress in a Musical list.)"
I can see Zach Piser being put up for Best Leading Actor. Not sure if he’ll get nominated, given a tough, tough slate, but his role has enough visibility that it’s viable.
I love Jully’s scenes, esp. opposite Luna, but hard to see her being in the running for Best Featured Actress in a Musical when her character doesn’t sing.
Am I missing someone? I believe Hicks will be lead, and Pfeiffer will be featured.
I assume everyone from ''1776'' will be featured, right?"
Crystal Lucas-Perry would be lead for 1776. I’d also think Stark Sands and Jordan Donica would be competing in featured.
Justin Cooley might be going lead lead for Kimberly Akimbo, he got placed there at Outer Critics Circle and Lucille Lortel, though he was in featured at Drama Desk.
A Chorus Line revival played its final Broadway performance on August 17, 2008. The tour played its final performance on August 21, 2011. A new non-equity tour started in October 2012 played its final performance on March 23, 2013. Another non-equity tour launched on January 20, 2018. The tour ended its US run in Kansas City and then toured throughout Japan August & September 2018.
WOW, so many shows this season and outstanding performances to choose from - the TONY committe will have a really hard time this year nominating especially in the acting categories in musicals!
"Anything you do, let it it come from you--then it will be new."
Sunday in the Park with George
ATerrifyingAndImposingFigure said: "Justin Cooley might be going lead lead for Kimberly Akimbo, he got placed there at Outer Critics Circle and Lucille Lortel, though he was in featured at Drama Desk."
I would imagine/hope Cooley is placed in the featured category. He’s there by default, and, as listed above, there’s already so much competition and bigger/flashier names and performances in the leading category. Cooley and the show would fare much better if he were placed in the featured category, and I believe that’s where he belongs.
With the amount of revivals we are getting this season I very interested as to what will happen at the Tonys. I guess its hard to say since no one has seen three of them yet.
I know Best Musical is typically presented last at the Tonys, but this year feels like Musical Revival should take its spot. The competition looks INSANE already.
EDSOSLO858 said: "I know Best Musical is typically presented last at the Tonys, but this year feels like Musical Revival should take its spot. The competition looks INSANE already."
I agree and with A Man of No Importance apparently coming too, even with the lukewarm reviews it got thats still just another show to add to the mix.
With the parade announcement, how does that shake things up in the contenders lists?
I'm intrigued by the possibility of Groban vs Platt competing for best actor again. Platt was the clear frontrunner in 2017, but I think it's tilted in Groban's favour this time. Sweeney is such a meaty and iconic role - looking at the history of productions, it's never not been nominated for best leading actor and has won about half the time. It's the perfect showcase of an actor's talents and having seen Groban play Pierre I have a lot of faith in him bringing a complex and dark take on it.
Meanwhile Platt's star has been dented a bit from the DEH movie fiasco. Parade is also great for showing off skills, and he's got skills, but Parade is dark. It's not a feel good show, it's not fun. I don't see it being particularly successful financially, even if there was an initial burst of interest.
So I give the edge to Groban, right now, though that can always change when we see what the vision of Sweeney Todd is. There's been some interesting casting choices so far and it seems like Kail has a vision. We'll see how it works.
For a variety of reasons, I think J. Harrison Ghee is pretty much a lock for lead actor in a musical. I’m sure both Groban and Platt will be nominated though.
The Distinctive Baritone said: "For a variety of reasons, I think J. Harrison Ghee is pretty much a lock for lead actor in a musical. I’m sure both Groban and Platt will be nominated though."
Couldn't agree more - it's Ghee's to win, which I am completely satisfied with. And I think the other two (in addition to Groban & Platt) will be Christian Borle and Andrew Burnap, but I'm also not counting out Shucked (which, based on the out-of-town comments I feel might make all of this more exciting/complicated), and New York New York if there's a male lead in that. (Is there? Do we know anything about it at all?) That's not even counting someone like a Will Swenson when those roles tend to always get nominated, or how the Into the Woods cast's eligibilities will be decided. Also, I know others think Justin Cooley will be considered lead but that seems like a weird decision to me - he's clearly featured and frankly could win it given his raves across the board.
I also will be interested to see if/how they handle the fact that we have a few nonbinary contenders this year in nonbinary/nonconfirming roles, which was always hypothetical but is suddenly very real, and it may throw all of these traditional categories for a loop.
I started to make super tentative fake lists - without even knowing anything about some of these new shows that have yet to open, and MAN. What a year!
I think Groban and Platt are both basically locks for nominations, but I still think J. Harrison Ghee takes it.
Diamond is also a lock for a nom, but I think she still loses to Victoria Clark.
I think there are a few other noms it will get as well. As far as wins though, the only category I think it could really shake up is Featured Actor. Whoever ends up playing Jim Conley, Frankie Epps, or Britt Craig could end up getting noms and I think the category is so competitive that one of them could win it.
Will Some Like it Hot last until the Tonys? That would reduce actor chances IMO.
Ben Platt would have to give (another) exceptional career-making performance IMO to beat out the competition and win again so quickly after DEH. It could happen but it would be quite an achievement.
Josh Groban I can see it going so many ways. 1. He delivers vocally (especially in Epiphany) and completely challenges all expectations, winning the award. 2. He delivers a vocally nuanced brooding performance against ‘type’, winning the award (Based on Comet I think he could find so many layers throughout Barber and his Wife, My Friends, Pretty Women, Sweeney’s Johanna etc even if Epiphany is ‘underwhelming’ he’d be forgiven for). Or despite these nuanced efforts people can’t seem to shake the expectation of George Hearn’s epiphany out of their minds and write the whole thing off as ‘underwhelming’ and has no chance (even if no one else including Len Cariou ever actually could do what George Hearn did with the song).
Overall, I guess in line with the thread title it’s still way too early to tell!!
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
Alex M said: "With the amount of revivals we are getting this season I very interested as to what will happen at the Tonys. I guess its hard to say since no one has seen three of them yet."
Actually four (at least) - it seems like just about everyone has forgotten about Dancin'.
And leave Lea Michele out of the Tony predictions. She might perform, she might present, but no matter how good she is, I don't see her getting a special Tony. Leave that to the TRUE greats (Bernadette, etc)