Who Will Be Nominated? An Insider Look at the Tony Award Races for Actors in Plays

Ready for some more Tony handicapping? After yesterday's look at the main show and creative categories, today we dive into the four races for actors in plays. Read on for our picks of the frontrunners, others in the mix and shoutouts that deserve an extra push.
 

BEST LEADING ACTRESS IN A PLAY


FRONTRUNNERS: Allison Janney in Six Degrees of Separation, Laura Linney in The Little Foxes and Laurie Metcalf in A Doll's House, Part 2


IN THE MIX: Cate Blanchett in The Present, Jennifer Ehle in Oslo and Sally Field in The Glass Menagerie


BROADWAY.COM SHOUTOUT: In Heisenberg, Mary-Louise Parker utilized all of her considerable quirky charm to portray this middle-aged woman coping with grief, changes and next steps. With her mile-a-minute chatter and mercurial moods, it was hard to take your eyes off of her.

ALSO POSSIBLE: Janet McTeer in Les Liaisons Dangereuses and Diane Lane in The Cherry Orchard

BEST LEADING ACTOR IN A PLAY


FRONTRUNNERS: Corey Hawkins in Six Degrees of Separation, Jefferson Mays in Oslo and Kevin Kline in Present Laughter


IN THE MIX: Denis Arndt in Heisenberg, Gideon Glick in Significant Other, Simon McBurney in The Encounter and Mark Ruffalo in The Price


BROADWAY.COM SHOUTOUT: In the starkly stripped-down production of The Glass Menagerie, Joe Mantello’s mounting frustration with his claustrophobic situation is palpable and laid bare in a way not usually seen in the Tennessee Williams classic.

ALSO POSSIBLE: Nick Kroll in Oh, Hello on Broadway, John Mulaney in Oh, Hello on Broadway, Richard Roxburgh in The Present, Liev Schreiber in Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Henry Shields in The Play That Goes Wrong and John Slattery in The Front Page
 

BEST FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY


FRONTRUNNERS: Johanna Day in Sweat, Jayne Houdyshell in A Doll's House, Part 2 and Cynthia Nixon in The Little Foxes


IN THE MIX: Kate Burton in Present Laughter, Katrina Lenk in Indecent, Michelle Wilson in Sweat and Alison Wright in Sweat


BROADWAY.COM SHOUTOUT: As adult daughter Emmy in A Doll's House, Part 2, Condola Rashad is cool and composed when confronted by her mother’s return 15 years after her abandonment. Rashad’s character is always steps ahead of where you might think she is, and the result is pure pleasure.

ALSO POSSIBLE: Barbara Barrie in Significant Other, Madison Ferris in The Glass Menagerie, Jessica Hecht in The Price, Lindsay Mendez in Significant Other and Kristine Nielsen in Present Laughter
 

BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY


FRONTRUNNERS: Danny DeVito in The Price, John Benjamin Hickey in Six Degrees of Separation and Nathan Lane for The Front Page


IN THE MIX: Michael Aronov in Oslo, Anthony Azizi in Oslo, John Douglas Thompson in Jitney and Richard Thomas in The Little Foxes


BROADWAY.COM SHOUTOUT: The painstaking details with which Jefferson Mays removed his gloves or cleaned his desk made this portrayal of a persnickety germaphobe reporter in The Front Page nothing short of comic gold. It was a lesson in making a meal of a small character part.

ALSO POSSIBLE: Brandon J. Dirden in Jitney, Khris Davis for Sweat, Dave Hearn in The Play That Goes Wrong, Henry Lewis in The Play That Goes Wrong, Will Pullen in Sweat, Tony Shalhoub in The Price, Richard Topol for Indecent and Finn Wittrock in The Glass Menagerie
 

Check back tomorrow for our final Tony handicapping article, a look at the races for actors in musicals!