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 2015. So for each of the five nominees, let's go in order of who was (probably) last place to first place, shall we?
5. Leanne Cope-An American in Paris
5. Leanne Cope-An American in Paris
In Craig Lucas' stage adaptation of Vincent Minnelli's 1951 Academy Award-winning movie musical of the same name, Leanne Cope played Lise Dassin, a mysterious French girl who is yearning for a new beginning in the aftermath of World War II. She is also quite guarded after the time she spent in hiding during the Nazi occupation of France. Lise may be sweet, but she is also determined to find her place in her world.
This was the first and only Tony nomination for Leanne Cope. An American in Paris marked the British ballerina's first (and as of now, only) appearance on Broadway. Leading up to the Tonys, she had nominations from the Outer Critics Circle, Drama League, and Drama Desk Awards. Cope was also the recipient of the Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence, which was bestowed upon by Theatre World Awards.
Despite her show being a major frontrunner for Best Musical (which you can read more about here), Leanne Cope was never really a factor for the win in this race. Although her co-star, Robert Fairchild, was very competitive for Best Lead Actor in a Musical. With that being said, I do think that this nomination was pretty much the culmination of Cope's journey from dancing in The Royal Ballet to getting the chance to co-lead a Broadway musical. Especially given how she never had any prior experiences acting nor singing professionally before An American in Paris.
4. Beth Malone-Fun Home
This was the first and only Tony nomination for Leanne Cope. An American in Paris marked the British ballerina's first (and as of now, only) appearance on Broadway. Leading up to the Tonys, she had nominations from the Outer Critics Circle, Drama League, and Drama Desk Awards. Cope was also the recipient of the Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence, which was bestowed upon by Theatre World Awards.
Despite her show being a major frontrunner for Best Musical (which you can read more about here), Leanne Cope was never really a factor for the win in this race. Although her co-star, Robert Fairchild, was very competitive for Best Lead Actor in a Musical. With that being said, I do think that this nomination was pretty much the culmination of Cope's journey from dancing in The Royal Ballet to getting the chance to co-lead a Broadway musical. Especially given how she never had any prior experiences acting nor singing professionally before An American in Paris.
4. Beth Malone-Fun Home
In Jeanine Tesori & Lisa Kron's stage musical adaptation of Alison Bechdel's 2006 graphic memoir of the same name, Beth Malone played Alison Bechdel, a real-life lesbian cartoonist. The story follows her as she discovers her own sexuality, her relationship with her gay father, and her attempts to unlock the mysteries surrounding his life. While I didn't get to see the Broadway production of Fun Home, I did see the national tour (with Kate Shindle as Alison Bechel) when it came to my area in the fall of 2016. I swore that her character never left the stage at all during the show's 100 minute runtime.
This was the first and only Tony nomination for Beth Malone. Prior to Fun Home, her one other appearance on Broadway was back in 2006 when she appeared in a flop Johnny Cash jukebox musical titled Ring of Fire. Though despite starring in the eventual Best Musical winner, Beth Malone could not seemed to have overcome the competitive nature of the top three contenders in this category. Perhaps in another year, she would've been in the conversation a lot more than she ended up being. After all, the way that grown up Alison Bechdel is characterized in the musical is that she's the glue that holds the whole show together, narrating her story from childhood to young adulthood. Although as it was for Leanne Cope, I think it's safe to say that for Beth Malone, the nomination was the award.
3. Chita Rivera-The Visit
This was the first and only Tony nomination for Beth Malone. Prior to Fun Home, her one other appearance on Broadway was back in 2006 when she appeared in a flop Johnny Cash jukebox musical titled Ring of Fire. Though despite starring in the eventual Best Musical winner, Beth Malone could not seemed to have overcome the competitive nature of the top three contenders in this category. Perhaps in another year, she would've been in the conversation a lot more than she ended up being. After all, the way that grown up Alison Bechdel is characterized in the musical is that she's the glue that holds the whole show together, narrating her story from childhood to young adulthood. Although as it was for Leanne Cope, I think it's safe to say that for Beth Malone, the nomination was the award.
3. Chita Rivera-The Visit
In Terrence McNally, John Kander, & Fred Ebb's stage musical adaptation of Friedrich Dürrenmatt's 1956 satirical play of the same name, Chita Rivera played Claire Zachanassian, one of the world's wealthiest women. She returns to her financially depressed hometown and offers its residents a new lease on life in exchange for the murder of Anton Schell, the man who abandoned her years ago.
This was the tenth of 10 Tony nominations for Chita Rivera. At that point, she had already won twice before; first in 1984 for starring as Anna in Kander & Ebb's The Rink opposite Liza Minnelli, and then in 1993 for her performance as Aurora in Kander & Ebb's Kiss of the Spider Woman. Chita's additional seven bids were for Bye Bye Birdie (1961), Chicago (1976), Bring Back Birdie (1981), Merlin (1983), Jerry's Girls (1986), Nine (2003), and Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life (2006). Leading up to the 2015 Tonys, she had nominations from the Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Awards. Not to mention that Chita did manage to win the Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance.
The Visit was a musical that was a long time coming. Originally, it was set to debut during the 2000-01 Broadway season with Angela Lansbury set to star, but she had to withdraw due to the illness of her husband, Peter Shaw, which led to his death in 2003. So Chita Rivera took over, and the show had its world premiere at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago in the fall of 2001. However, The Visit didn't end up moving to Broadway back then due to the recent tragedy of 9/11. Audiences at the time just weren't ready for a musical about the dark side of human nature. Though following a couple of regional stints in the years since, The Visit finally arrived to New York in the spring of 2015, and was also the final Kander & Ebb musical to have made it to Broadway after lyricist Fred Ebb died of a heart attack in 2004.
When it was announced that Chita Rivera was coming in with The Visit, it was believed that it was going to be her final Broadway appearance. My reaction to that headline was like "This is going to be quite a race for Best Lead Actress in a Musical." After opening on April 23rd, 2015, Chita received rave reviews for her performance. Yet, her buzz quickly faded away throughout Tony season that year, which I think was a result of two important factors. For one, Chita's performance in The Visit was very subdued. While it's not impossible for subdued performances to win acting awards, it can still be a pretty hard thing to pull off, especially if you're up against some showier performances. The other factor that I think prevented Chita Rivera from gaining any momentum would be that The Visit never really took off at the box office (even after getting nominated for Best Musical). We’ve seen in the past how Tony voters don’t usually like to waste any major awards on a production that's been struggling. Just one week after failing to pick up a single piece of hardware from the American Theatre Wing, The Visit played its final Broadway performance on June 14th, 2015. While that show did mark Chita's most recent appearance on the main stem, she has at least continued performing in concerts and cabarets since then (as well as eventually receiving a special Tony Award in 2018 for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre).
2. Kristin Chenoweth-On the Twentieth Century
This was the tenth of 10 Tony nominations for Chita Rivera. At that point, she had already won twice before; first in 1984 for starring as Anna in Kander & Ebb's The Rink opposite Liza Minnelli, and then in 1993 for her performance as Aurora in Kander & Ebb's Kiss of the Spider Woman. Chita's additional seven bids were for Bye Bye Birdie (1961), Chicago (1976), Bring Back Birdie (1981), Merlin (1983), Jerry's Girls (1986), Nine (2003), and Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life (2006). Leading up to the 2015 Tonys, she had nominations from the Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Awards. Not to mention that Chita did manage to win the Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance.
The Visit was a musical that was a long time coming. Originally, it was set to debut during the 2000-01 Broadway season with Angela Lansbury set to star, but she had to withdraw due to the illness of her husband, Peter Shaw, which led to his death in 2003. So Chita Rivera took over, and the show had its world premiere at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago in the fall of 2001. However, The Visit didn't end up moving to Broadway back then due to the recent tragedy of 9/11. Audiences at the time just weren't ready for a musical about the dark side of human nature. Though following a couple of regional stints in the years since, The Visit finally arrived to New York in the spring of 2015, and was also the final Kander & Ebb musical to have made it to Broadway after lyricist Fred Ebb died of a heart attack in 2004.
When it was announced that Chita Rivera was coming in with The Visit, it was believed that it was going to be her final Broadway appearance. My reaction to that headline was like "This is going to be quite a race for Best Lead Actress in a Musical." After opening on April 23rd, 2015, Chita received rave reviews for her performance. Yet, her buzz quickly faded away throughout Tony season that year, which I think was a result of two important factors. For one, Chita's performance in The Visit was very subdued. While it's not impossible for subdued performances to win acting awards, it can still be a pretty hard thing to pull off, especially if you're up against some showier performances. The other factor that I think prevented Chita Rivera from gaining any momentum would be that The Visit never really took off at the box office (even after getting nominated for Best Musical). We’ve seen in the past how Tony voters don’t usually like to waste any major awards on a production that's been struggling. Just one week after failing to pick up a single piece of hardware from the American Theatre Wing, The Visit played its final Broadway performance on June 14th, 2015. While that show did mark Chita's most recent appearance on the main stem, she has at least continued performing in concerts and cabarets since then (as well as eventually receiving a special Tony Award in 2018 for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre).
2. Kristin Chenoweth-On the Twentieth Century
In the first Broadway revival of Cy Colman, Betty Comden, & Adolph Green's 1978 stage musical adaptation of Ben Hecht & Charles MacArthur 1932 stage play (as well as its subsequent film version from 1934) titled Twentieth Century, Kristin Chenoweth played Lily Garland, a glamorous, yet temperamental movie actress. The story involves the behind-the-scenes relationship between her and Oscar Jaffe, a bankrupt theatrical producer. While traveling from Chicago to New York on the luxury train known as the Twentieth Century in the 1920s, Oscar tries to cajole Lily into playing the lead in his new, but not-yet-written drama, and perhaps to rekindle their romance.
This was the third of three Tony nominations for Kristin Chenoweth. At that point, she was already a previous winner from 1999 for her featured performance as Sally in the Broadway revival of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. She was also nominated in 2004 for originating the role of Glinda in the Broadway smash, Wicked. Leading up to the 2015 Tonys, Kristin had wins from the Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Awards as well as a nomination for Distinguished Performance from the Drama League. Many people were predicting her to win for several reasons.
Kristin Chenoweth was taking on a role that her idol, Madeline Kahn, originated on Broadway back in 1978, but left shortly after opening night because of how demanding it was. So her understudy, Judy Kaye, ended up taking over. Meanwhile, Kristin was able to play Lily Garland for all five months of the limited run to universal acclaim. In fact, when she met the press the day after nominations were announced, she was on vocal rest, so she communicated through a small dry and erase board. Not to mention that Kristin was also co-hosting the Tonys that year with Alan Cumming. I was one of many people who believed that she was going to receive some bonus points for committing to that in the middle of a grueling Broadway run. After all, that factor has helped other contenders before such as Glenn Close (Death and the Maiden in 1992 and Sunset Boulevard in 1995), Nathan Lane (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum in 1996 and The Producers in 2001), and Hugh Jackman (The Boy From Oz in 2004). Yet, hosting the Tonys doesn’t always help as was the case with Sean Hayes, who ended up losing Best Lead Actor in a Musical for his performance in the revival of Promises, Promises to Douglas Hodge for La Cage aux Folles, back in 2010.
1. Kelli O'Hara-The King & I
This was the third of three Tony nominations for Kristin Chenoweth. At that point, she was already a previous winner from 1999 for her featured performance as Sally in the Broadway revival of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. She was also nominated in 2004 for originating the role of Glinda in the Broadway smash, Wicked. Leading up to the 2015 Tonys, Kristin had wins from the Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Awards as well as a nomination for Distinguished Performance from the Drama League. Many people were predicting her to win for several reasons.
Kristin Chenoweth was taking on a role that her idol, Madeline Kahn, originated on Broadway back in 1978, but left shortly after opening night because of how demanding it was. So her understudy, Judy Kaye, ended up taking over. Meanwhile, Kristin was able to play Lily Garland for all five months of the limited run to universal acclaim. In fact, when she met the press the day after nominations were announced, she was on vocal rest, so she communicated through a small dry and erase board. Not to mention that Kristin was also co-hosting the Tonys that year with Alan Cumming. I was one of many people who believed that she was going to receive some bonus points for committing to that in the middle of a grueling Broadway run. After all, that factor has helped other contenders before such as Glenn Close (Death and the Maiden in 1992 and Sunset Boulevard in 1995), Nathan Lane (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum in 1996 and The Producers in 2001), and Hugh Jackman (The Boy From Oz in 2004). Yet, hosting the Tonys doesn’t always help as was the case with Sean Hayes, who ended up losing Best Lead Actor in a Musical for his performance in the revival of Promises, Promises to Douglas Hodge for La Cage aux Folles, back in 2010.
1. Kelli O'Hara-The King & I
In the fourth Broadway revival of Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II's 1951 stage musical adaptation of Margaret Landon's 1944 novel titled Anna and the King of Siam, Kelli O'Hara played Anna Leonowens, a real-life British schoolteacher who comes to Bangkok in the 1860s to teach the royal children and wives of the King of Siam. Though the plot is ensued by an unconventional and tempestuous relationship between Anna and the King as they try to modernize the country.
This was the sixth of seven Tony nominations for Kelli O'Hara. At that point, she was previously nominated for her performances in The Light in the Piazza (2005), The Pajama Game (2006), South Pacific (2008), Nice Work If You Can Get It (2012), and The Bridges of Madison County (2014). She'd go on to receive an additional bid for her role(s) as Lilli Vanessi/Katharine in the 2019 Broadway revival of Kiss Me, Kate. Leading up to the 2015 Tonys, Kelli had nominations from the Outer Critics Circle and Drama League Awards.
So How Did Kelli O'Hara Win?: Prior to the 2014-15 Broadway season, she had been nominated five times before, but lost on all of her bids. When it was officially announced that Kelli was going to be starring in a Broadway revival of this show at Lincoln Center Theater, people were thinking "This could be the role that finally wins her a Tony!." After all, the character of Anna Leonowens in The King & I is a classic role that did quite well in the past. Gertrude Lawrence won a Tony Award for playing that part in the original Broadway production back in 1952 while Donna Murphy ended up winning for the previous revival in 1996. To date, the only actress to have ever lost a Tony race for playing Anna in The King & I was Mary Beth Peil in 1985.
Yet, Kristin Chenoweth opened to rave reviews in On the Twentieth Century. While Kelli O'Hara did get raves for The King & I as well, her work provided more subtlety while Kristin was giving a very bombastic performance. As we've seen often times in the past, bigger performances are more likely to win acting prizes. Although the New York Times' Tony voter survey said that "It’s Kelli-vs.-Kristin, and while our tally shows Ms. O’Hara with an edge, it still feels too close to call. For many voters, a vote for Ms. O’Hara is long overdue notice for a sterling career; for others it’s celebrating the perfect match of actress and role — the schoolteacher Anna, who forces her way into the court and the heart of the King of Siam. But the reasoning goes the other way, too: Does Ms. O’Hara bring anything new to a role that won Tonys for two other actresses? Wasn’t she better in South Pacific, in The Bridges of Madison County? Ms. Chenoweth (who already has a Tony) faces a similar conundrum: When is she not Broadway’s musical-comedy Energizer bunny, a go-for-broke comedian with a silvery soprano? She was all that and more in On the Twentieth Century — and she’s sure to put those talents to use as one of the Tonys hosts — but is that enough?"
In a Gold Derby slugfest before the Tonys, Paul Sheehan talked about how if Kelli O'Hara lost again, it would've pretty much mirrored Deborah Kerr’s track record at the Oscars as both ladies would have been nominated 6 times, yet lost all 6 times, and one of those losses would've been for playing Anna in The King & I. However, something that was on my mind throughout the season was how odd it seemed that Lincoln Center Theater's production of The King & I was the frontrunner for Best Revival of a Musical, yet it was also widely predicted to win only one other award for Best Costume Design of a Musical. While I ended up agreeing with the general consensus, I still felt that it had to win more awards than that. You have to go back to 2002 when Into the Woods won Best Revival of a Musical along with only one design award (which was lighting). Yet, when Ruthie Ann Miles won Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance as Lady Thiang over Judy Kuhn and Sydney Lucas (which I guess was partially a case of the Fun Home ladies splitting their support), things were starting to look better for The King & I. Though by the time Best Lead Actress in a Musical was presented on the telecast, that was when I became the most nervous about the outcome. But those nerves quickly faded away when Neil Patrick Harris announced Kelli as the winner.
This was the sixth of seven Tony nominations for Kelli O'Hara. At that point, she was previously nominated for her performances in The Light in the Piazza (2005), The Pajama Game (2006), South Pacific (2008), Nice Work If You Can Get It (2012), and The Bridges of Madison County (2014). She'd go on to receive an additional bid for her role(s) as Lilli Vanessi/Katharine in the 2019 Broadway revival of Kiss Me, Kate. Leading up to the 2015 Tonys, Kelli had nominations from the Outer Critics Circle and Drama League Awards.
So How Did Kelli O'Hara Win?: Prior to the 2014-15 Broadway season, she had been nominated five times before, but lost on all of her bids. When it was officially announced that Kelli was going to be starring in a Broadway revival of this show at Lincoln Center Theater, people were thinking "This could be the role that finally wins her a Tony!." After all, the character of Anna Leonowens in The King & I is a classic role that did quite well in the past. Gertrude Lawrence won a Tony Award for playing that part in the original Broadway production back in 1952 while Donna Murphy ended up winning for the previous revival in 1996. To date, the only actress to have ever lost a Tony race for playing Anna in The King & I was Mary Beth Peil in 1985.
Yet, Kristin Chenoweth opened to rave reviews in On the Twentieth Century. While Kelli O'Hara did get raves for The King & I as well, her work provided more subtlety while Kristin was giving a very bombastic performance. As we've seen often times in the past, bigger performances are more likely to win acting prizes. Although the New York Times' Tony voter survey said that "It’s Kelli-vs.-Kristin, and while our tally shows Ms. O’Hara with an edge, it still feels too close to call. For many voters, a vote for Ms. O’Hara is long overdue notice for a sterling career; for others it’s celebrating the perfect match of actress and role — the schoolteacher Anna, who forces her way into the court and the heart of the King of Siam. But the reasoning goes the other way, too: Does Ms. O’Hara bring anything new to a role that won Tonys for two other actresses? Wasn’t she better in South Pacific, in The Bridges of Madison County? Ms. Chenoweth (who already has a Tony) faces a similar conundrum: When is she not Broadway’s musical-comedy Energizer bunny, a go-for-broke comedian with a silvery soprano? She was all that and more in On the Twentieth Century — and she’s sure to put those talents to use as one of the Tonys hosts — but is that enough?"
In a Gold Derby slugfest before the Tonys, Paul Sheehan talked about how if Kelli O'Hara lost again, it would've pretty much mirrored Deborah Kerr’s track record at the Oscars as both ladies would have been nominated 6 times, yet lost all 6 times, and one of those losses would've been for playing Anna in The King & I. However, something that was on my mind throughout the season was how odd it seemed that Lincoln Center Theater's production of The King & I was the frontrunner for Best Revival of a Musical, yet it was also widely predicted to win only one other award for Best Costume Design of a Musical. While I ended up agreeing with the general consensus, I still felt that it had to win more awards than that. You have to go back to 2002 when Into the Woods won Best Revival of a Musical along with only one design award (which was lighting). Yet, when Ruthie Ann Miles won Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance as Lady Thiang over Judy Kuhn and Sydney Lucas (which I guess was partially a case of the Fun Home ladies splitting their support), things were starting to look better for The King & I. Though by the time Best Lead Actress in a Musical was presented on the telecast, that was when I became the most nervous about the outcome. But those nerves quickly faded away when Neil Patrick Harris announced Kelli as the winner.
In the end, I think Kelli O’Hara winning was a result of three things:
1. Her obvious overdue factor.
2. Lincoln Center Theater’s production of The King & I being the frontrunner for Best Revival of a Musical.
3. The people who voted for Kelli probably thought more about the gravitas of her character as opposed to the flashiness of Kristin Chenoweth’s performance.
In fact, I should let you all know one of the reasons as to why I was happy about this win in particular. Back in the fall of 2008, I volunteered to help out with a charity auction for some friends of mine. The auction was to help raise money for the Players Guild Theatre in Canton, Ohio to install a wheelchair lift for their arena stage, so that disabled people would be able to come downstairs to catch a show in that specific venue. What I did for the auction was that I wrote to about 20 performers who were working on Broadway at the time, and asked if they'd be interested in sending back any memorabilia that could be sold. I only ended up getting two responses, and one of them was from Kelli O'Hara during her run in South Pacific. She had sent in a few things that were successfully auctioned off, as well as a personal note for me.
1. Her obvious overdue factor.
2. Lincoln Center Theater’s production of The King & I being the frontrunner for Best Revival of a Musical.
3. The people who voted for Kelli probably thought more about the gravitas of her character as opposed to the flashiness of Kristin Chenoweth’s performance.
In fact, I should let you all know one of the reasons as to why I was happy about this win in particular. Back in the fall of 2008, I volunteered to help out with a charity auction for some friends of mine. The auction was to help raise money for the Players Guild Theatre in Canton, Ohio to install a wheelchair lift for their arena stage, so that disabled people would be able to come downstairs to catch a show in that specific venue. What I did for the auction was that I wrote to about 20 performers who were working on Broadway at the time, and asked if they'd be interested in sending back any memorabilia that could be sold. I only ended up getting two responses, and one of them was from Kelli O'Hara during her run in South Pacific. She had sent in a few things that were successfully auctioned off, as well as a personal note for me.
