Why was Raul Esparza featured, while Eve Best was lead?

[ChristopherDurangFan]

Posted: 6/22/08 at 1:39pm

...when he was billed before her, in the ads and everything?

I know this seems stupid, but it had me curious--I thought only the first or second billed person could be lead, not the third.

[keen on kean]

Posted: 6/22/08 at 1:45pm

The Tony committee determined that Ian McShane and Eve Best would qualify for lead, and the balance of the cast for featured.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/22/08 at 1:47pm

Well, Lenny has always been considered featured (Ian Holm won a Tony for the role in 1967). The simplest explanation is often the best one, but there are other possibilities, as well.

Lenny probably is the second biggest role in the play, but there's a lot of grey area with such an ensemble show; so I don't think it's as simple as ruling them in comparison to one another, or the order of the billing. You could start guessing all kinds of theoretical reasons. McShane was the only one of the men eligible to be considered as a lead; keeping Lenny as featured meant they wouldn't be in competition with one another. That wouldn't have been an issue with Eve Best. And she was above the title, which is what matters in terms of being considered a lead, I believe -- not second versus third.

Updated On: 6/22/08 at 01:47 PM