Who Will Snag a Spot? Broadway.com Predicts the 2014 Tony Nominees for Performances in Plays
Usually when the Tony nominations are announced, the heads around the table at the Broadway.com offices are bobbing up and down in agreement. In other words, we all know (or think we know) what’s what long before the names are read. That’s not the case this year. The 2013-2014 season left so many acting categories wide open that we are really scratching our heads. So, herewith you’ll find a totally unscientific (possibly dead wrong) stab at a Tony forecast, including frontrunners, hopefuls and a Broadway.com Shout Out to actors we hope the nominators will remember. Read on for our Tony cheat sheet for performances in plays!
BEST ACTOR IN A PLAY
FRONTRUNNERS
Left to Right:
Bryan Cranston, All the Way — Fresh from Breaking Bad uber-fame, Cranston quickly made this LBJ bio-play a hot ticket. He’s a shoo-in.
Ian McKellen, No Man’s Land — McKellen turned in genius performances in this and Waiting for Godot, but his turn as the seedy Spooner will nab him a nom.
Tony Shalhoub, Act One — Gliding effortlessly between playing Moss Hart and his writing partner George S. Kaufman, Shalhoub’s idiosyncratic performance is nom-worthy.
IN THE MIX
Left to Right:
Denzel Washington, A Raisin in the Sun — Perhaps he’s long in the tooth for the role, but a Tony winner that got the President to see the show can't be ruled out.
Samuel Barnett, Twelfth Night — Barnett wowed critics on both sides of the pond as gender-bending (in more ways than one) heroine Viola. A strong contender.
Santino Fontana, Act One — Fontana hits all the highs and lows as aspiring young writer Moss Hart, and he never stops moving while doing it. Definitely in the mix!
Mark Rylance, Richard III — A two-time Tony winner reigning over Broadway as a manipulative malcontent with a deformity? Catnip for nominators.
Patrick Stewart, Waiting for Godot — It’s hard to imagine nominating McKellen without the other half of the world’s most favorite bromance. How to choose between them?
BROADWAY.COM SHOUTOUT
Zachary Quinto, The Glass Menagerie — Quinto was deeply affecting as the unreliable narrator of this moving memory play. We hope nominators will remember and give him the nod he deserves.
ALSO POSSIBLE
James Franco, Of Mice and Men; Michael C. Hall, The Realistic Joneses, Tracy Letts, The Realistic Joneses, Brian F. O'Byrne, Outside Mullingar; Chris O’Dowd, Of Mice and Men; Daniel Radcliffe, The Cripple of Inishmaan; Roger Rees, The Winslow Boy
BEST ACTRESS IN A PLAY
FRONTRUNNERS
Left to Right:
Tyne Daly, Mothers and Sons — Daly mines a complicated and arguably cold character for sympathy and humanity. It’s no small feat and nominators will notice.
Cherry Jones, The Glass Menagerie — Jones brought nuance and pluck to the towering role of Amanda Wingfield, and she won raves from critics and audiences alike. A nom is definitely hers.
Audra McDonald, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill — This five-time Tony winner keeps audiences rapt with her fully realized embodiment of Billie Holiday. She’s the Audra McDonald; she’ll be nominated!
IN THE MIX
Left to Right:
Rebecca Hall, Machinal — Hall was riveting as the intense central character of this complicated piece. Nominators will likely remember her fine work.
LaTanya Richardson Jackson, A Raisin in the Sun — Stepping in at the last-minute for Diahann Carroll, Jackson brings warmth and humor to the matriarch of the Younger family.
Estelle Parsons, The Velocity of Autumn — An earthy grande dame (if such a thing exists), Parsons is revered by the theater community. She will probably snag a slot.
BROADWAY.COM SHOUTOUT
Rachel Weisz, Betrayal — Trembling, flinching, kissing, drinking...no matter what Weisz was doing on stage, it was compelling. We hope nominators will remember her seductive performance.
ALSO POSSIBLE
Toni Collette, The Realistic Jones; Debra Messing, Outside Mullingar; Condola Rashad, Romeo and Juliet; Marisa Tomei, The Realistic Joneses
BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
FRONTRUNNERS
Left to Right:
Reed Birney, Casa Valentina — Nominators are sure to honor Birney’s impeccable take on cross-dresser Charlotte, who crusades for her cause while keeping calm in her Chanel suit.
Mark Rylance, Twelfth Night — Rylance had audiences howling at his take on repressed noblewoman Olivia. A nomination seems imminent.
Brian J. Smith, The Glass Menagerie — Smith found multiple levels to explore in the role of the Gentleman Caller, and he’s bound to be rewarded with a nomination.
IN THE MIX
Left to Right:
Gabriel Ebert, Casa Valentina — As anxious Miranda, Ebert got to show off his range from panicked to giddy to devastated. A nomination for this Tony winner is certainly possible.
Peter Maloney, Outside Mullingar — Maloney's Tony Reilly was both ruthless and tender, and the actor had a moving death scene to boot. He could snag a nom.
Jim Norton, Of Mice and Men — As injured ranch handyman Candy, Tony winner Norton made his day-dreaming, suffering character perfectly heart-wrenching. Surely, nominators will keep him in mind.
BROADWAY.COM SHOUTOUT
Paul Chahidi, Twelfth Night — Was Maria, Olivia's lady-in-waiting, always this smirky and fun? Chahidi milked every moment and we lapped it up. Dear nominators, please, please, please remember this priceless performance!
ALSO POSSIBLE
Billy Crudup, No Man's Land/Waiting for Godot; Brandon J. Dirden, All the Way; Stephen Fry, Twelfth Night; Shuler Hensley, No Man's Land/Waiting for Godot; Alessandro Nivola, The Winslow Boy; Tom McGowan, Casa Vantina; John McMartin, All the Way; Patrick Page, Casa Valentina; Bobby Steggert, Mothers and Sons
BEST FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY
FRONTRUNNERS
Left to Right:
Celia Keenan-Bolger, The Glass Menagerie — Keenan-Bolger's thoughtful take on the delicate, shy Laura Wingfield will not be overlooked.
Sophie Okonedo, A Raisin in the Sun — As the clear-eyed Ruth, Okonedo brings a weary honesty to her role as a tired but strong wife and mother. Her performance will likely be honored.
Anika Noni Rose, A Raisin in the Sun — Tony winner Rose's youthful exuberance in the role of the uncompromising Beneatha is sure to earn her a place among the nominees.
IN THE MIX
Left to Right:
Sarah Greene, The Cripple of Inishmaan — As the ultimate Irish mean girl, Greene got to play vicious, fiery comedy with glee. Don't count her out.
Andrea Martin, Act One — Martin played the aunt who inspired Moss Hart to love the theater. Doesn't that sound like something nominators will think of fondly?
Dearbhla Molloy, Outside Mullingar — Molloy's unsentimental Irish widow deadpanned her way to a lot of laughs and possibly Tony love.
BROADWAY.COM SHOUTOUT
Mare Winningham, Casa Valentina — As Rita, the endlessly supportive wife of cross-dresser George, Winningham approaches her character with much warmth and nuance. We hope nominators will recognize her with a nod.
ALSO POSSIBLE
Victoria Clark, The Snow Geese; Jayne Houdyshell, Romeo and Juliet; Mary Elizabeth Mastroantonio, The Winslow Boy; Leighton Meester, Of Mice and Men
Stay tuned for more Tony cheat sheets!