Who Is the 2010 Broadway.com Star of the Year? Vote Now!

Broadway is always full of talent, but some stars really make us sit up and take notice. It’s hard to choose a favorite—and that’s where you come in: It’s time to vote for Broadway.com’s Star of the Year. As usual, our editorial staff carefully considered dozens of candidates before narrowing the list to eight names. While all the nominees possess that rare combination of talent, personality and stage presence, just one can take the title. You get to pick the winner, so vote now for the 2010 Star of the Year!

The nominees, in alphabetical order, are:

Kristin Chenoweth
For showing off real acting chops in a darker-than-usual role in Promises, Promises, flaunting her trademark comic timing and golden voice on Glee and stealing the Tony Awards ceremony—nomination, shnomination.

John Gallagher Jr.
For offering depth and humanity as Johnny, the central character in American Idiot. Not only did he illuminate the frustrations of this slacker “Jesus of Suburbia,” he also rocked hard—keeping up with Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong.

Sean Hayes
For diving into musical theater headfirst as Promises, Promises' irresistible leading man, knocking it out of the park as Tony host and addressing qualms about co-star chemistry in a classy way: a steamy on-air kiss and a perfect quip.

Nathan Lane
For squeezing every possible musical comedy laugh from The Addams Family, packing the house on Broadway despite a lack of glowing notices and award nominations. (It was awfully big of him to present at the Tonys, too.)

Patti LuPone
For camping it up as a gun-wielding, outrageous-costume-wearing, meshugana-wronged wife in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown—as well as making it clear in her candid self-titled memoir that this ferocious diva doesn’t suffer fools gladly.

Bernadette Peters
For proving she’s one of the most luminous interpreters of Stephen Sondheim’s work when she replaced Catherine Zeta-Jones in A Little Night Music, as well as stealing the show in one of the (too many to count) Sondheim birthday celebrations.

Lily Rabe
For shining in her star turn as the intensely bright and moving Portia in The Merchant of Venice opposite superstar Al Pacino and for displaying grace and courage by performing on opening night just days after her mother, actress Jill Clayburgh, lost her battle with leukemia.

Benjamin Walker
For sexing up politics with a little eyeliner, a lot of rock ‘n’ roll attitude, a smirking sense of humor and a damn fine pair of tight pants in his star-making role as the title character in Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.
 

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