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 appeared to have been quite a stellar Best Lead Actress in a Musical lineup from 2000. So for each of the five nominees, let's go in order of who was (probably) last place to first place, shall we?
5. Audra McDonald-Marie Christine
5. Audra McDonald-Marie Christine
In Michael John LaChiusa's loose stage musical adaptation of Euripides's Greek play, Medea, Audra McDonald played Marie Christine, a headstrong and passionate young racially mixed woman. The story chronicles her journey from a genteel life of privilege in New Orleans Creole society through betrayal and incomprehensible vengeance in boisterous Chicago.
This was the fourth Tony nomination for Audra McDonald. At that point, she had already won three times before. First in 1994 for her performance as Carrie Pipperidge in the Nicholas Hytner-helmed revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel; then in 1996 for her featured role as Sharon in the Terrence McNally play, Master Class; and in 1998 for originating the role of Sarah in the stage musical adaptation of E.L. Doctorow's 1975 novel, Ragtime. Although Marie Christine marked Audra's very first Tony Award nomination as lead. Leading up to the 2000 Tonys, she was only recognized by the Drama Desk Awards.
It appears to me that Audra McDonald wasn't competitive for the win here for three reasons. By the time the 2000 Tony nominations were announced, her show had already completed its limited run at Lincoln Center Theater back in January of that year. So there was the question of how many voters were even able to see it (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). Marie Christine was not among the four Best Musical nominees that year, so that was definitely a strike against her (although that obviously didn't matter for the eventual winner). Not to mention that Audra had already won three times before. Tony voters at that point probably felt that she had won enough already and didn't feel the need to give her a fourth right away.
Which is ironic because Audra McDonald not only went on to win three more times (for Best Featured Actress in a Play in 2004 for A Raisin in the Sun, Best Lead Actress in a Musical in 2012 for Porgy & Bess, and Best Lead Actress in a Play in 2014 for Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill), but she managed to make history with that sixth win twice. She not only became the first performer to have won six competitive Tonys (making her the most awarded performer in the history of the American Theatre Wing), but also the first person to have won in all four acting categories that they're eligible in. Though back to her nomination here, this as of now marked the first of two instances where Audra McDonald ended up losing a Tony race. The second being in this category for 110 in the Shade in 2007, where the award that year went to Christine Ebersole in Grey Gardens.
4. Toni Collette-The Wild Party
This was the fourth Tony nomination for Audra McDonald. At that point, she had already won three times before. First in 1994 for her performance as Carrie Pipperidge in the Nicholas Hytner-helmed revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel; then in 1996 for her featured role as Sharon in the Terrence McNally play, Master Class; and in 1998 for originating the role of Sarah in the stage musical adaptation of E.L. Doctorow's 1975 novel, Ragtime. Although Marie Christine marked Audra's very first Tony Award nomination as lead. Leading up to the 2000 Tonys, she was only recognized by the Drama Desk Awards.
It appears to me that Audra McDonald wasn't competitive for the win here for three reasons. By the time the 2000 Tony nominations were announced, her show had already completed its limited run at Lincoln Center Theater back in January of that year. So there was the question of how many voters were even able to see it (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). Marie Christine was not among the four Best Musical nominees that year, so that was definitely a strike against her (although that obviously didn't matter for the eventual winner). Not to mention that Audra had already won three times before. Tony voters at that point probably felt that she had won enough already and didn't feel the need to give her a fourth right away.
Which is ironic because Audra McDonald not only went on to win three more times (for Best Featured Actress in a Play in 2004 for A Raisin in the Sun, Best Lead Actress in a Musical in 2012 for Porgy & Bess, and Best Lead Actress in a Play in 2014 for Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill), but she managed to make history with that sixth win twice. She not only became the first performer to have won six competitive Tonys (making her the most awarded performer in the history of the American Theatre Wing), but also the first person to have won in all four acting categories that they're eligible in. Though back to her nomination here, this as of now marked the first of two instances where Audra McDonald ended up losing a Tony race. The second being in this category for 110 in the Shade in 2007, where the award that year went to Christine Ebersole in Grey Gardens.
4. Toni Collette-The Wild Party
In Michael John LaChiusa & George C. Wolfe's stage musical adaptation of Joseph Moncure March's 1928 narrative poem of the same name, Toni Collette played Queenie, a blonde woman who works as a showgirl in vaudeville. She hosts a party with her vicious lover, Burrs, a black-face minstrel, that is fueled by bathtub gin, cocaine, and uninhibited sexual behavior. Yet, the party quickly devolves into an orgy that eventually culminates into tragedy.
This was the first and only Tony nomination for Toni Collette. The Wild Party also marked the Australian actress' Broadway debut. Prior to getting involved with the show, Vanessa Williams was originally set to play Queenie, but ended up leaving due to her pregnancy at the time. So Toni Collette ended up taking over while she was just coming off of appearing in M. Night Shyamalan's hit 1999 psychological thriller film, The Sixth Sense, which earned her both greater international recognition and an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Leading up to the 2000 Tonys, she had nominations from the Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Awards. Collette was also one of 12 recipients of the Theatre World Award that year for her debut.
At the box office, The Wild Party really struggled to find an audience on Broadway. The New York Times pretty much gave the musical a pan, so the marketing team didn't have a good review from the number one publication in the Big Apple to capitalize on. Luckily, the show received 7 Tony Award nominations overall (including Best Musical), so the producers tried their best to keep it running throughout the season. Yet, The Wild Party sadly didn't get that much of a boost as just one week after failing to pick up a single piece of hardware from the American Theatre Wing, the show closed on June 11th, 2000 after having ran for only 68 performances.
Not to mention that New York Post columnist Michael Riedel did report about how difficult the male lead, Mandy Patinkin, apparently was during the process. Fellow cast members said that throughout previews, "the actor has ad-libbed bits of physical and verbal abuse, including smacking people in the head, shoving them, spitting water in their faces and making offensive remarks to them under his breath." Toni Collette got so fed up with his antics that she decided to get even. During a performance one night, she supposedly crept up on him from behind and gave him a “retaliatory shove." So the overall reputation The Wild Party had during Tony season that year to me suggests that Collette probably finished in fourth place at best.
3. Rebecca Luker-The Music Man
This was the first and only Tony nomination for Toni Collette. The Wild Party also marked the Australian actress' Broadway debut. Prior to getting involved with the show, Vanessa Williams was originally set to play Queenie, but ended up leaving due to her pregnancy at the time. So Toni Collette ended up taking over while she was just coming off of appearing in M. Night Shyamalan's hit 1999 psychological thriller film, The Sixth Sense, which earned her both greater international recognition and an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Leading up to the 2000 Tonys, she had nominations from the Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Awards. Collette was also one of 12 recipients of the Theatre World Award that year for her debut.
At the box office, The Wild Party really struggled to find an audience on Broadway. The New York Times pretty much gave the musical a pan, so the marketing team didn't have a good review from the number one publication in the Big Apple to capitalize on. Luckily, the show received 7 Tony Award nominations overall (including Best Musical), so the producers tried their best to keep it running throughout the season. Yet, The Wild Party sadly didn't get that much of a boost as just one week after failing to pick up a single piece of hardware from the American Theatre Wing, the show closed on June 11th, 2000 after having ran for only 68 performances.
Not to mention that New York Post columnist Michael Riedel did report about how difficult the male lead, Mandy Patinkin, apparently was during the process. Fellow cast members said that throughout previews, "the actor has ad-libbed bits of physical and verbal abuse, including smacking people in the head, shoving them, spitting water in their faces and making offensive remarks to them under his breath." Toni Collette got so fed up with his antics that she decided to get even. During a performance one night, she supposedly crept up on him from behind and gave him a “retaliatory shove." So the overall reputation The Wild Party had during Tony season that year to me suggests that Collette probably finished in fourth place at best.
3. Rebecca Luker-The Music Man
In the second Broadway revival of Meredith Wilson's 1957 classic, Rebecca Luker played Marian Paroo, a prim librarian and music teacher in the fictional town of River City, Iowa. Over the course of the musical, she sees through fast-talking traveling salesman Harold Hill, who originally arrived with plans to con the townspeople into buying instruments and uniforms for a boys' band that he vowed to organized, but was going to skip River City without giving any music lessons. Yet when Harold helps Marian's younger brother, Winthrop, overcome his lisp and social awkwardness, she begins to fall in love with him.
This was the second of three Tony nominations for the recently departed Rebecca Luker. At that point, she was already a previous nominee from 1995 for her performance as Magnolia in the Hal Prince-helmed revival of Show Boat. She'd later receive an additional bid in the category of Best Featured Actress in a Musical in 2007 for originating the role of Winifred Banks in the stage adaptation of Mary Poppins. Leading up to the 2000 Tonys, Rebecca had nominations from the Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Awards.
When this production of The Music Man opened to strong buzz in the spring of 2000, people thought it was going to be very competitive for Best Revival of a Musical. Rebecca's co-star, Craig Bierko, was also considered to be the alternative in the Best Lead Actor in a Musical race for his performance as Harold Hill to the eventual winner, Brian Stokes Mitchell in Kiss Me, Kate. Although given how competitive our top two contenders were in this category, I think she probably finished in third place at best.
After all, Rebecca Luker was taking on a role that previously won Barbara Cook a Tony for the original Broadway production back in 1958. Although the latter performer won it as a featured actress due to rules the American Theatre Wing had back then of only having those billed above the title compete in lead while those billed below the title compete in featured. With that being said, I'm glad Marian was nominated as lead for the 2000 revival because if she isn't the female lead of The Music Man, then who is?
2. Marin Mazzie-Kiss Me, Kate
This was the second of three Tony nominations for the recently departed Rebecca Luker. At that point, she was already a previous nominee from 1995 for her performance as Magnolia in the Hal Prince-helmed revival of Show Boat. She'd later receive an additional bid in the category of Best Featured Actress in a Musical in 2007 for originating the role of Winifred Banks in the stage adaptation of Mary Poppins. Leading up to the 2000 Tonys, Rebecca had nominations from the Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Awards.
When this production of The Music Man opened to strong buzz in the spring of 2000, people thought it was going to be very competitive for Best Revival of a Musical. Rebecca's co-star, Craig Bierko, was also considered to be the alternative in the Best Lead Actor in a Musical race for his performance as Harold Hill to the eventual winner, Brian Stokes Mitchell in Kiss Me, Kate. Although given how competitive our top two contenders were in this category, I think she probably finished in third place at best.
After all, Rebecca Luker was taking on a role that previously won Barbara Cook a Tony for the original Broadway production back in 1958. Although the latter performer won it as a featured actress due to rules the American Theatre Wing had back then of only having those billed above the title compete in lead while those billed below the title compete in featured. With that being said, I'm glad Marian was nominated as lead for the 2000 revival because if she isn't the female lead of The Music Man, then who is?
2. Marin Mazzie-Kiss Me, Kate
In the second Broadway revival of Bella Spewack, Samuel Spewack, & Cole Porter’s 1948 classic, Marin Mazzie played Lilli Vanessi, a movie star who returns to the stage to play Katharine in a musical adaptation of William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. Yet, passions run high as she constantly argues with the director and producer, Fred Graham, who also happens to be her co-star and real-life ex-husband. Over the course of the musical, they continue to battle each other onstage and off.
This was the third and (sadly) final Tony nomination for Marin Mazzie. At that point, she had already been nominated twice before. First in 1994 for her featured role as Clara in Stephen Sondheim & James Lapine's Passion, then in 1998 for originating the role of Mother in Ragtime. Leading up to the 2000 Tonys, Marin had won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical and was also nominated by the Drama League and Drama Desk Awards.
According to the New York Times' Tony voter survey that year, Marin seemed to have been gaining support among those in the industry who felt badly about her never having won a Tony despite her previous nominations. Personally, when I see a nominee at any awards show who's on their third bid, but didn't win on either of their two prior nods, I don't count them as overdue unless they're this industry veteran who has been working for decades (like André De Shields was when he won on his third Tony nomination for Hadestown in 2019). However, it appears to me that Marin Mazzie probably could've won on either of her two previous bids had it not been for the competition she had. Despite appearing in Passion, the Best Musical winner of 1994, she ended up losing Best Featured Actress in a Musical to the aforementioned Audra McDonald in Carousel, who at the time was a breakout star of that season. It also looks like that had Natasha Richardson not opened to rave reviews for her performance as Sally Bowles in the Sam Mendes/Rob Marshall-helmed 1998 revival of Cabaret, Marin probably could have won Best Lead Actress in a Musical for Ragtime.
When the Kiss Me, Kate revival opened in the fall of 1999, it was expected to be a huge contender at the Tony Awards (with Marin Mazzie being the presumed frontrunner in this category). Yet when the Susan Stroman-helmed production of The Music Man opened to strong buzz in the spring of 2000, a race was on for Best Musical Revival. However, the producers of Kiss Me, Kate were smart enough to invite voters back during Tony season, which gave them a second look at the production. It ended up winning 5 awards overall (including Best Revival of a Musical), yet Marin wasn't able to win Best Lead Actress as part of the show's final prize haul. Which you think it should've been easy for her to do so, but she was up against a huge breakout star of the 1999-2000 Broadway season.
1. Heather Headley-Aida
This was the third and (sadly) final Tony nomination for Marin Mazzie. At that point, she had already been nominated twice before. First in 1994 for her featured role as Clara in Stephen Sondheim & James Lapine's Passion, then in 1998 for originating the role of Mother in Ragtime. Leading up to the 2000 Tonys, Marin had won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical and was also nominated by the Drama League and Drama Desk Awards.
According to the New York Times' Tony voter survey that year, Marin seemed to have been gaining support among those in the industry who felt badly about her never having won a Tony despite her previous nominations. Personally, when I see a nominee at any awards show who's on their third bid, but didn't win on either of their two prior nods, I don't count them as overdue unless they're this industry veteran who has been working for decades (like André De Shields was when he won on his third Tony nomination for Hadestown in 2019). However, it appears to me that Marin Mazzie probably could've won on either of her two previous bids had it not been for the competition she had. Despite appearing in Passion, the Best Musical winner of 1994, she ended up losing Best Featured Actress in a Musical to the aforementioned Audra McDonald in Carousel, who at the time was a breakout star of that season. It also looks like that had Natasha Richardson not opened to rave reviews for her performance as Sally Bowles in the Sam Mendes/Rob Marshall-helmed 1998 revival of Cabaret, Marin probably could have won Best Lead Actress in a Musical for Ragtime.
When the Kiss Me, Kate revival opened in the fall of 1999, it was expected to be a huge contender at the Tony Awards (with Marin Mazzie being the presumed frontrunner in this category). Yet when the Susan Stroman-helmed production of The Music Man opened to strong buzz in the spring of 2000, a race was on for Best Musical Revival. However, the producers of Kiss Me, Kate were smart enough to invite voters back during Tony season, which gave them a second look at the production. It ended up winning 5 awards overall (including Best Revival of a Musical), yet Marin wasn't able to win Best Lead Actress as part of the show's final prize haul. Which you think it should've been easy for her to do so, but she was up against a huge breakout star of the 1999-2000 Broadway season.
1. Heather Headley-Aida
In this stage musical adaptation of Giuseppe Verdi's 1871 opera of the same name, Heather Headley played Aida, who is the daughter of King Amonasro and Princess of Nubia. With her royalty unknown to all except the Nubian slaves, who recognize her as their princess, she is taken into slavery with the rest of Nubia but attracts the attention of Radames, the captain of the Egyptian army. Aida may be loyal to her people, but she is also torn between her heritage and love for Radames.
This was the first and only Tony nomination for Heather Headley. Prior to getting involved with Aida, she had previously made her Broadway debut originating the role of Nala in the stage adaptation of Disney's The Lion King about two years prior. Although before that, she was actually Audra McDonald's understudy in the 1996 world premiere production of Ragtime in Toronto. Leading up to the 2000 Tonys, Heather had won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical and was also nominated by the Outer Critics Circle Awards.
So How Did Heather Headley Win?: First, let me explain that Aida had quite a bumpy road to Broadway. It was the third stage musical produced by Disney following Beauty & the Beast and The Lion King, though the first of which that was not based on any of their cinematic properties. Originally, the show had its world premiere in Atlanta, Georgia in the fall of 1998. It consisted a lot of the same creative team as the Broadway production of Beauty & the Beast, most notably director Robert Jess Roth and book writer Linda Woolverton. Yet when the Atlanta production opened to scathing reviews, Disney still moved forward with Aida, but they replaced a lot of people behind the scenes. One year later, a brand new production directed by Robert Falls with a revised book by him along with David Henry Hwang debuted in Chicago. By the time the show opened on Broadway in the spring of 2000, critics were mixed on it overall.
However, one aspect that received rave reviews was its star, Heather Headley, who had been with the musical since the Atlanta production. Her performance was not only seen as a force to be reckoned with, but she was also considered a shoo-in to win this award. Before Tony nominations were announced, Aida was widely expected to make the cut in several categories, including the biggest one of them all. Although despite receiving bids for Best Lead Actress in a Musical (Heather Headley), Best Original Score (Elton John & Tim Rice), Best Lighting Design (Natasha Katz), Best Scenic Design (Bob Crowley), and Best Costume Design (Bob Crowley), it was snubbed for Best Musical. Michael Riedel reported that three of the nominators who were interviewed by the New York Post said that they thought the musical was simply not good enough to be a Tony contender. One of them specifically said "I think it got the nominations it deserved, and it didn’t deserve Best Musical."
When Riedel later polled several Tony voters for his predictions column, they appeared to have liked Aida a lot more than the critics did. He also mentioned that had the show been nominated for Best Musical, "it would have given “Contact (the eventual champion)” a scare" for the win. As for Best Lead Actress, a producer (who was reportedly friendly with Marin Mazzie) specifically told the New York Times that ''This is the category which breaks your heart the most, but Heather is the title character of an enormous show and the only thing that's great in it.''
From 1997-2002, the first hour of the Tonys were televised on PBS. They would not only present all the design awards, but also both directing categories, book, score, choreography, and orchestrations. Then, viewers would switch over to CBS to watch the main ceremony with the acting and production awards presented as well as the performances. So during the first hour, Aida ended up winning three awards for score, scenic design, and lighting design. When Best Lead Actress in a Musical was later presented during the main telecast on CBS, Kenneth Branagh had the honors of reading out each of the five nominees before announcing the winner (@0:56)...
This was the first and only Tony nomination for Heather Headley. Prior to getting involved with Aida, she had previously made her Broadway debut originating the role of Nala in the stage adaptation of Disney's The Lion King about two years prior. Although before that, she was actually Audra McDonald's understudy in the 1996 world premiere production of Ragtime in Toronto. Leading up to the 2000 Tonys, Heather had won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical and was also nominated by the Outer Critics Circle Awards.
So How Did Heather Headley Win?: First, let me explain that Aida had quite a bumpy road to Broadway. It was the third stage musical produced by Disney following Beauty & the Beast and The Lion King, though the first of which that was not based on any of their cinematic properties. Originally, the show had its world premiere in Atlanta, Georgia in the fall of 1998. It consisted a lot of the same creative team as the Broadway production of Beauty & the Beast, most notably director Robert Jess Roth and book writer Linda Woolverton. Yet when the Atlanta production opened to scathing reviews, Disney still moved forward with Aida, but they replaced a lot of people behind the scenes. One year later, a brand new production directed by Robert Falls with a revised book by him along with David Henry Hwang debuted in Chicago. By the time the show opened on Broadway in the spring of 2000, critics were mixed on it overall.
However, one aspect that received rave reviews was its star, Heather Headley, who had been with the musical since the Atlanta production. Her performance was not only seen as a force to be reckoned with, but she was also considered a shoo-in to win this award. Before Tony nominations were announced, Aida was widely expected to make the cut in several categories, including the biggest one of them all. Although despite receiving bids for Best Lead Actress in a Musical (Heather Headley), Best Original Score (Elton John & Tim Rice), Best Lighting Design (Natasha Katz), Best Scenic Design (Bob Crowley), and Best Costume Design (Bob Crowley), it was snubbed for Best Musical. Michael Riedel reported that three of the nominators who were interviewed by the New York Post said that they thought the musical was simply not good enough to be a Tony contender. One of them specifically said "I think it got the nominations it deserved, and it didn’t deserve Best Musical."
When Riedel later polled several Tony voters for his predictions column, they appeared to have liked Aida a lot more than the critics did. He also mentioned that had the show been nominated for Best Musical, "it would have given “Contact (the eventual champion)” a scare" for the win. As for Best Lead Actress, a producer (who was reportedly friendly with Marin Mazzie) specifically told the New York Times that ''This is the category which breaks your heart the most, but Heather is the title character of an enormous show and the only thing that's great in it.''
From 1997-2002, the first hour of the Tonys were televised on PBS. They would not only present all the design awards, but also both directing categories, book, score, choreography, and orchestrations. Then, viewers would switch over to CBS to watch the main ceremony with the acting and production awards presented as well as the performances. So during the first hour, Aida ended up winning three awards for score, scenic design, and lighting design. When Best Lead Actress in a Musical was later presented during the main telecast on CBS, Kenneth Branagh had the honors of reading out each of the five nominees before announcing the winner (@0:56)...
In fact, Heather Headley that year became the first performer to have won the Tony in this category despite her show not having a corresponding nomination for Best Musical nor Revival since Chita Rivera for The Rink in 1984. The former remained the last person to have accomplished that until 2019 when Stephanie J. Block won for The Cher Show. Where ironically, she also ended up beating someone playing Lilli Vanessi/Katharine in a Broadway revival of Kiss Me, Kate, which in the case of that production was Kelli O'Hara.
Though back to Heather Headley, the overall success she had with Aida really opened a lot of doors for her as a performer. The following year, she played Lorrell Robinson in a concert production of Dreamgirls with a cast that also featured Lillias White, Audra McDonald, Norm Lewis, and Billy Porter. It was presented in benefit of the Actors Fund of America, recorded, and later released in its entirety on CD. Heather also went on to become a successful recording artist, having made about 5 studio albums to date (one of them even won her a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album in 2010). Although she has continued to act on stage from having earned a Laurence Olivier Award nomination in 2013 for taking on the Whitney Houston role in a stage adaptation of the 1992 film, The Bodyguard, in London's West End to taking over for Jennifer Hudson as Shug Avery in the most recent Broadway revival of The Color Purple in 2016. Heather has also appeared on screen in recurring roles on Netflix's recent television series adaptation of the 1986 Spike Lee movie, She's Gotta Have It, the NBC medical drama series, Chicago Med, and is currently a series regular on another Netflix show, Sweet Magnolias. Though she will next be seen as gospel legend Clara Ward in the upcoming Jennifer Hudson-led Aretha Franklin biographical film, Respect, which ironically also features Audra McDonald.
Looking at this lineup now, it is very unfortunate that two of the nominees are no longer with us. After a three-year battle with ovarian cancer, Marin Mazzie sadly died on September 13th, 2018 at the age of 57 (just less than a month before turning 58). She had six more Broadway credits following her run in Kiss Me, Kate. Two of which (Enron in 2010 and Bullets Over Broadway in 2014), she opened, but wasn't able to gain any awards traction for either of them. Though in 2019, Marin received a posthumous Special Tony Award for her legacy as an advocate of women's health that was accepted on her behalf by her widow, actor Jason Danieley. Meanwhile, Rebecca Luker died on December 23rd, 2020 at the age of 59 following a year-long battle with ALS. She had four more Broadway credits following her run in The Music Man. One of them was a show she opened in and was Tony nominated for, which was the aforementioned Mary Poppins in 2007. Though during rehearsals for the 2000 Tony Awards, a certain photograph was taken which was shared on Instagram back in January of this year by Bygone Broadway. It's very special to look at now.
Though back to Heather Headley, the overall success she had with Aida really opened a lot of doors for her as a performer. The following year, she played Lorrell Robinson in a concert production of Dreamgirls with a cast that also featured Lillias White, Audra McDonald, Norm Lewis, and Billy Porter. It was presented in benefit of the Actors Fund of America, recorded, and later released in its entirety on CD. Heather also went on to become a successful recording artist, having made about 5 studio albums to date (one of them even won her a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album in 2010). Although she has continued to act on stage from having earned a Laurence Olivier Award nomination in 2013 for taking on the Whitney Houston role in a stage adaptation of the 1992 film, The Bodyguard, in London's West End to taking over for Jennifer Hudson as Shug Avery in the most recent Broadway revival of The Color Purple in 2016. Heather has also appeared on screen in recurring roles on Netflix's recent television series adaptation of the 1986 Spike Lee movie, She's Gotta Have It, the NBC medical drama series, Chicago Med, and is currently a series regular on another Netflix show, Sweet Magnolias. Though she will next be seen as gospel legend Clara Ward in the upcoming Jennifer Hudson-led Aretha Franklin biographical film, Respect, which ironically also features Audra McDonald.
Looking at this lineup now, it is very unfortunate that two of the nominees are no longer with us. After a three-year battle with ovarian cancer, Marin Mazzie sadly died on September 13th, 2018 at the age of 57 (just less than a month before turning 58). She had six more Broadway credits following her run in Kiss Me, Kate. Two of which (Enron in 2010 and Bullets Over Broadway in 2014), she opened, but wasn't able to gain any awards traction for either of them. Though in 2019, Marin received a posthumous Special Tony Award for her legacy as an advocate of women's health that was accepted on her behalf by her widow, actor Jason Danieley. Meanwhile, Rebecca Luker died on December 23rd, 2020 at the age of 59 following a year-long battle with ALS. She had four more Broadway credits following her run in The Music Man. One of them was a show she opened in and was Tony nominated for, which was the aforementioned Mary Poppins in 2007. Though during rehearsals for the 2000 Tony Awards, a certain photograph was taken which was shared on Instagram back in January of this year by Bygone Broadway. It's very special to look at now.