What way will the 2012 Best Actress Tony go?

[Musicaldudepeter]

Posted: 2/7/12 at 10:38am

It's quite exciting to see who will be nominated for the best actress in a musical Tony for 2012 - if Elena Roger, Audra McDonald, Bernadette Peters & Jan Maxwell are all nominated - how do you think the voting will go? Roger, the Broadway newcomer may be honored because I think if her performance goes well, her role is gigantic and is the most award-worthy. Audra is the Tony sweetheart and they may want to give her her fifth prize.. I think Peters and Maxwell will cancel each other out of they're nominated. The race is between McDonald and Roger.. Thoughts?

[tazber]

Posted: 2/7/12 at 10:47am

Angela Lansbury will win.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 2/7/12 at 10:50am

I hope they give that nice Helen Hayes an award this year. She hasn't gotten one in so long.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/7/12 at 10:55am

Call me old fashioned, but I like to have the actress actually GIVE the performance before we start giving her awards for it.

[SondheimFan5]

Posted: 2/7/12 at 11:01am

Joe, you're old-fashioned.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/7/12 at 11:03am

Thank you! ba da bump!

[dreaming]

Posted: 2/7/12 at 11:04am

I'll be bold and predict Elena Roger takes it, with Audra being the possible spoiler.

[Musicaldudepeter]

Posted: 2/7/12 at 11:14am

My thoughts exactly. I think Elena might get all the Tony buzz and then Audra may swoop in at the last minute. who knows. Looking forward to seeing what way it goes. I'd say Follies, Porgy and Evita will all get multiple nods, and Newsies will too I'd suspect.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 2/7/12 at 11:22am

If anyone is going to beat Audra, they are going to have to give a career-defining performance. There is no way Bernadette or Jan wins this award with Audra in the running (as much as I would love to see Jan finally win). Audra will only be stopped if either Elena or Kelli pulls out all the stops.

[Musicaldudepeter]

Posted: 2/7/12 at 11:28am

I agree. Audra's a powerhouse and I think she proved this when she won for Carrie in 1994 and Sharon Graham in 1996

[newintown]

Posted: 2/7/12 at 11:30am

I predict they will cancel the whole thing this year. I have spoken.

[AC126748]

Posted: 2/7/12 at 11:30am

I'm more interested in the play category: Channing, Arianda, Nixon, Bennett, Harris, Emond (if she's considered leading), Parker, etc. Lots of possibilities.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 2/7/12 at 11:32am

Audra's going to win, and it won't even be close. Her performance as Bess is going to be talked about for a long time because it was that good.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 2/7/12 at 11:51am

Its definitely going to be a fun category: I think the nominees will likely be MacDonald, Maxwell, Roger, Cristen Milloti of ONCE and Kelli O'Hara.

I think it could go a lot of different ways, with O'Hara being the totally unknown component at this point. Seems like she is destined to win a Tony at some point. Will this be her year?

[bjh2114]

Posted: 2/7/12 at 12:06pm

Agreed on all counts, MB.

[Hanna from Hamburg]

Posted: 2/7/12 at 12:13pm

A win for O'Hara would make me happy . . . she was robbed the supporting trophy for Piazza!

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 2/7/12 at 12:31pm

O'Hara's really a wild card cause I have no idea what the show is going to look like. I mean...the role will have to be magnificent if going up against a Bess, an Eva and a Phyllis, right?

[dreaming]

Posted: 2/7/12 at 12:45pm

I was thinking the same thing about O'Hara's role, SonofRobbieJ. It has to be really, really good.

One thing I was thinking about-what about the fact Roger has an alternate? Will that work against her?

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 2/7/12 at 1:00pm

One thing I was thinking about-what about the fact Roger has an alternate? Will that work against her?

It didn't work against Patti LuPone, Lea Salonga and Daisy Eagan.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 2/7/12 at 1:00pm

It certainly didn't work against LuPone! I think in terms of O'Hara, a lot will depend on the show itself. It's unlikely that her role is going to be as 'epic' as some of the other roles this season, but should NICE WORK be a runaway hit and a Tony favorite in other catagories; that could help carry O'Hara to victory. She certainly has enormous good will in the industry and we know politics always plays a big part in any awards win.

The play category is of course already just an embarrassment of riches. Truly, with that line up who knows what could happen. There are a few women who might lose out on a Best Actress in a Play nomination, who in any other season might have won the award. I have a hunch Arianda could take it for the same reason Kelli O'Hara might...







Updated On: 2/7/12 at 01:00 PM

[lightguy06222]

Posted: 2/7/12 at 1:05pm

They wont give it to the newcomer...

just like they didnt give it to Nina Arianda, or Patina Miller.

[random person 112]

Posted: 2/7/12 at 1:06pm

It isn't O'Haras year, in a role with such great parts and performances there's no way it's hers. Even an nomination. Rogers, McDonald, , Maxwell Milloti, and peters. Everyone talking about Audra's win i think there proably going to hold back with her acutally, just because they may want her to break the record at a later date, and not put ther up with lansbury and hayes so early. Peters gets one as the tonys love her, she came back to broadway, and was pretty good to boot. Maxwell as great as she was could lose out, i hope she wins soon woman deserves it. Rogers gives the kind of performance you only see once in a lifetime so i'm going with her for the win.

Updated On: 2/7/12 at 01:06 PM

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 2/7/12 at 1:07pm

The only real newcomer in that Best Actress in a musical lineup is Cristin Milloti. Elena Roger may be making her Broadway debut, but she's already won an Olivier award (and been nominated two other times) and is well known in South America.

To that end, I do agree, its unlikely that the newcomer will win this year.

[AC126748]

Posted: 2/7/12 at 1:10pm

And even Millioti isn't really a newcomer--she's well-known in the industry and has worked consistently for years.

I, too, think Arianda could pull out Best Actress this year. And you can hardly call her a newcomer anymore.

[willep]

Posted: 2/7/12 at 1:16pm

Random person - are you saying O'Hara won't get nominated because Peters is going to be nominated twice?

It's a tough category this year, for sure. I am just hoping Milioti at least gets a nomination, I thought she was fantastic in Once at NYTW.