The Tony
Awards are only two weeks away, and I have a lot more predictions to make. So without further ado, here are my picks for
who will win the Best Featured Actor statuettes (along with my personal opinions
as to who actually deserves them).
Best Featured Actor
in a Play
 |
| Tony Shalhoub (right) in Lincoln Center Theatre's revival of Clifford Odets' Golden Boy |
Nominees:
Danny Burnstein, Golden Boy; Richard
Kind, The Big Knife; Billy Magnussen,
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike; Tony
Shalhoub, Golden Boy; Courtney B.
Vance, Lucky Guy
These
predictions are brought to you by 100% Guesswork, as I have not seen any of the
nominated performances. That said I’m
going to rule out Vanya and Sonia’s Billy
Magnussen, given the Tonys’ habit of overlooking entirely comedic performances. Magnussen’s Spike is reportedly dumb as a
brick, and while actors can appreciate just how difficult playing a compelling
idiot is, the rest of the Tony voters will likely underestimate the amount of
work going into his performance when compared to the more overtly dramatic
nature of his competitors.
After years
of work in regional productions and as a replacement in high profile Broadway
comedies, Richard Kind is being recognized for his more serious work in The Big Knife, but given that he is the
show’s sole nominee I doubt it culminates in an actual win. And while the Tony committee is certainly
high on Nora Ephron’s final play, the fact that Lucky Guy is raking in the dough is unlikely to propel Courtney B.
Vance to the Tony podium. The amount of praise
directed at Lucky Guy has certainly
dimmed in the two months since its opening, and while the play is well-liked I
think the majority of voters no longer feel it is award-worthy.
That leaves
us with a two way race between the rapturously reviewed Golden Boy’s Danny
Burnstein and Tony Shalhoub. Burnstein
is an incredible actor who commands a lot of admiration among his peers, but
despite three prior nominations the dependable character actor has thus far failed
to actually win a Tony. You could argue the
committee owes him one after overlooking his revelatory work as Buddy in last
season’s Follies, but that injustice
is actually what leads me to bet on Shalhoub taking home the big prize. If Burnstein couldn’t win for Follies, the chances of him beating out
a three-time Emmy winner are slim, and by all accounts Shalhoub so completely
disappeared into his role as the protagonist’s father that begrudging him a win
seems petty.
Should Win:
Danny Burnstein, Golden Boy (because
at this point, he’s earned it)
Will Win:
Tony Shalhoub, Golden Boy
Best Featured Actor
in a Musical
 |
| Terrance Mann and his real-life wife, Charlotte d'Amboise, hamming it up as the conniving parents of Pippin's title character. |
Nominees:
Charl Brown, Motown the
Musical; Keith Carradine, Hands on a
Hardbody; Will Chase, The Mystery of Edwin Drood; Gabriel Ebert, Matilda
the Musical; Terrance Mann, Pippin
I’m a little
more familiar with the nominated work in this category, but that doesn’t
necessarily make predicting things any easier.
Since Motown the Musical
couldn’t leverage its massive box office into a Best Musical nomination despite
the Tonys’ well-document favoritism of commercially viable shows, I don’t think
Charl Brown has much of a chance. This
is not to imply Brown is bad; it’s merely a reflection of the fact that if
you’re in a show people don’t like, winning awards is an uphill battle no
matter how good the work. Both Keith
Carradine and Will Chase did fine work in their respective shows, but neither
performance screamed Tony-worthy, and the fact that both productions are now
closed is a major obstacle to their winning.
I believe
the frontrunners for this prize are Gabriel Ebert and Terrance Mann, who have
the advantage of appearing in two of the most critically lauded musicals of the
season. While I have not personally seen
Ebert’s work in Matilda (the damn
show is sold out for the foreseeable future), I’m sure the role of Matilda’s
father provides the actor with plenty of scenery-chewing opportunities. But as I mentioned with Lauren Ward in my
Featured Actress predictions, for whatever reason the cast of Matilda seldom gets mentioned as a
driving factor behind the show’s success, which may put Ebert at a disadvantage. Terrance Mann is doing pitch-perfect work in Pippin, managing to stand out among the
enormous amount of spectacle and talent onstage at the Music Box Theatre. In addition, Mann’s long and respected career
on Broadway has yet to net the veteran actor a Tony Award, something which may
sway undecided voters in Mann’s favor.
And Pippin itself has been
doing quite well in the various theatrical award races, which can only increase
Mann’s chances; in fact, I think it pushes him over the top.
Will and Should Win: Terrance Mann, Pippin
There are
only eight of the Big 12 categories left to predict (Best Actor/Actress and the
production awards), so check back soon for more insight into how I expect those
races to shape up. Until then, you can
catch up on all of my previous predictions by clicking the links below:
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