Going for 2013 Tony Gold! Handicapping the Race for Best Featured Actor in a Play

It's Tony time on Broadway, and as always, we can't stop thinking about who'll be going for the gold on June 9! In anticipation of the 2013 nominations, which will be announced on April 30, we're clocking 14 of the top races. Take a look at our forecast, including frontrunners, hopefuls and a “shout out” to one performer or show we hope the Tony nominators won’t forget. Below, we analyze the lengthy list of candidates for Best Featured Actor in a Play.

FRONTRUNNERS
Tony Shalhoub, Golden Boy
Shalhoub won raves for his passionate portrayal of the title character’s Italian immigrant father, transcending the role’s function as the play’s moral compass.


Jeremy Shamos, The Assembled Parties
Shamos overcomes a bad Act One wig in a nuanced performance as a striving outsider drawn into a nutty NYC family. (A holiday call to his unseen mother is especially impressive.)


Courtney B. Vance, Lucky Guy
As Mike McAlary’s no-nonsense editor, Tony nominee Vance captures the lively spirit of George C. Wolfe’s staging and is a winning stage partner to Tom Hanks.


IN THE MIX
Danny Burstein, Golden Boy
Three-time nominee Burstein made an impression as a nurturing, truth-telling boxing trainer.

Bobby Cannavale, Glengarry Glen Ross
Cannavale put a menacing spin on the awards-magnet role of real estate con man Ricky Roma.

Richard Kind, The Big Knife
In the juicy role of a 1940s movie studio head, Kind embraces his character’s larger-than-life ruthlessness.

Al Pacino, Glengarry Glen Ross
Never count Pacino (as Shelly Levene) out of a Tony race, especially in a revival mounted especially for him.

Lewis J. Stadlen, The Nance
In a role tailor-made for his old-school talents, Stadlen nails burlesque skits and spars with Nathan Lane.

Also possible: Ed Asner (Grace), Reed Birney (Picnic), Madison Dirks (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), David Harbour (Glengarry Glen Ross), Charles Kimbrough (Harvey), Billy Magnussen (Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike), Patrick Page (Cyrano de Bergerac), Richard Schiff (Glengarry Glen Ross), Sebastian Stan (Picnic), Dan Stevens (The Heiress), Chip Zien (The Big Knife)

BROADWAY.COM SHOUT OUT
Jonny Orsini, The Nance
This newcomer gives a heartbreaking, Tony-worthy turn in the tricky role of a drifter who falls deeply in love with an emotionally distant “nance” performer played by Nathan Lane.


Click here for more 2013 Tony forecasts!