Welcome back to 'Tonys Flashback', where I take a deep dive into all of the nominees from any previous acting race at the Tony Awards. Today, we'll be taking a look back at what ended up being a very competitive race from 2017. So for each of the five nominees, let's go in order of who was (probably) last place to first place, shall we?
5. Mary Beth Peil-Anastasia
5. Mary Beth Peil-Anastasia
In this stage adaptation of 20th Century Fox's 1997 Academy Award nominated animated movie musical of the same name, Mary Beth Peil played Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, .
This was the second of two Tony nominations for Mary Beth Peil. She received her first bid about 32 years earlier for starring as Anna Leonowens in the 1985 revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein's The King & I (which was also the final Broadway production to have starred Yul Brynner as The King of Siam before his death in October of that year).
4. Kate Baldwin-Hello, Dolly!
This was the second of two Tony nominations for Mary Beth Peil. She received her first bid about 32 years earlier for starring as Anna Leonowens in the 1985 revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein's The King & I (which was also the final Broadway production to have starred Yul Brynner as The King of Siam before his death in October of that year).
4. Kate Baldwin-Hello, Dolly!
In the fourth Broadway revival of Jerry Herman & Michael Stewart's 1964 stage musical adaptation of Thornton Wilder's 1954 stage play titled The Matchmaker, Kate Baldwin played Irene Molloy, a fun-loving millner in the 1880s who owns a hat shop in New York City. She also happens to be a widow who is yearning for romance.
This was the second of two Tony nominations for Kate Baldwin. She received her first bid about seven years earlier for her performance as Sharon McLonergan in the 2009 revival of Finian's Rainbow.
3. Stephanie J. Block-Falsettos
This was the second of two Tony nominations for Kate Baldwin. She received her first bid about seven years earlier for her performance as Sharon McLonergan in the 2009 revival of Finian's Rainbow.
3. Stephanie J. Block-Falsettos
In the first Broadway revival of James Lapine & William Finn's 1992 classic, Stephanie J. Block played Trina, .
This was the second of three Tony nominations for Stephanie J. Block. She received her first bid about four years earlier in the category of Best Lead Actress in a Musical for starring as Edwin Drood/Miss Alice Nutting in Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
Since Falsettos had at that point already completed its limited run a few months beforehand, Stephanie J. Block really put herself out there. She was interviewed by Paul Sheehan & Sam Eckmann for Gold Derby, AOL Build, and Jeremy Gerard for Deadline Hollywood. A proshot taping of revival was screened for industry professionals (shortly before getting shown in movie theaters and on PBS) just a few days prior to when Tony voting closed. While some of the industry professionals in the audience may have been voters who hadn't completed their ballots yet, there is not only the question of how many, but also if it was a case of being "too little, too late". This was before the rules were put into place in 2019 where only those who've confirmed to have seen all the nominees in a specific category can vote for the winner.
2. Jenn Colella-Come From Away
This was the second of three Tony nominations for Stephanie J. Block. She received her first bid about four years earlier in the category of Best Lead Actress in a Musical for starring as Edwin Drood/Miss Alice Nutting in Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
Since Falsettos had at that point already completed its limited run a few months beforehand, Stephanie J. Block really put herself out there. She was interviewed by Paul Sheehan & Sam Eckmann for Gold Derby, AOL Build, and Jeremy Gerard for Deadline Hollywood. A proshot taping of revival was screened for industry professionals (shortly before getting shown in movie theaters and on PBS) just a few days prior to when Tony voting closed. While some of the industry professionals in the audience may have been voters who hadn't completed their ballots yet, there is not only the question of how many, but also if it was a case of being "too little, too late". This was before the rules were put into place in 2019 where only those who've confirmed to have seen all the nominees in a specific category can vote for the winner.
2. Jenn Colella-Come From Away
In this original musical by Irene Sankoff & David Hein, Jenn Colella played multiple roles, most notably Captain Beverly Bass.
This was the first and only Tony nomination for Jenn Colella. Prior to getting involved with Come From Away, she had appeared on Broadway in a string of flops such as Urban Cowboy, High Fidelity, and Chaplin.
1. Rachel Bay Jones-Dear Evan Hansen
This was the first and only Tony nomination for Jenn Colella. Prior to getting involved with Come From Away, she had appeared on Broadway in a string of flops such as Urban Cowboy, High Fidelity, and Chaplin.
1. Rachel Bay Jones-Dear Evan Hansen
In this original musical by Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek, & Justin Paul, Rachel Bay Jones played Heidi Hansen, .
This was the first and only Tony nomination for Rachel Bay Jones. Prior to getting involved with Dear Evan Hansen, she made her Broadway debut at almost 20 years old in the ensemble of a 1989 stage adaptation of Meet Me in St. Louis. When that show closed on June 10th, 1990, she left New York before eventually coming back as a replacement in the 2009 revival of Hair. Since then, she had follow-up appearances in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and Pippin.
So How Did Rachel Bay Jones Win?: In the months leading up to the Tonys, she really put herself out there. She had interviews with Patrick Hinds for the Theater People Podcast, Paul Wontorek for Broadway.com, Julie James for Sirius XM, AOL Build, and Richard Ridge for Broadway World. Rachel Bay Jones pretty much had this narrative of being a journeymen actress who only started to get the recognition people felt she has deserved all along with her role in Dear Evan Hansen.
This was the first and only Tony nomination for Rachel Bay Jones. Prior to getting involved with Dear Evan Hansen, she made her Broadway debut at almost 20 years old in the ensemble of a 1989 stage adaptation of Meet Me in St. Louis. When that show closed on June 10th, 1990, she left New York before eventually coming back as a replacement in the 2009 revival of Hair. Since then, she had follow-up appearances in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and Pippin.
So How Did Rachel Bay Jones Win?: In the months leading up to the Tonys, she really put herself out there. She had interviews with Patrick Hinds for the Theater People Podcast, Paul Wontorek for Broadway.com, Julie James for Sirius XM, AOL Build, and Richard Ridge for Broadway World. Rachel Bay Jones pretty much had this narrative of being a journeymen actress who only started to get the recognition people felt she has deserved all along with her role in Dear Evan Hansen.