These 3 actresses could get 2 Tony noms this year for their multiple Broadway roles
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
At this year’s Tony Awards, there are three actresses in contention for two separate performances in two separate productions they’ve appeared in this past season. They are Carolee Carmello, Crystal Lucas-Perry, and Phillipa Soo. Will any of them land at least one Tony nomination on May 2? Let’s go over each of the three.
Back in the fall, Carmello played John Dickinson in a limited run of Roundabout Theatre Company’s revival of “1776.” Now she’s playing the wicked stepmother in Andrew Lloyd Webber‘s newest musical, “Bad Cinderella.” Carmello has been nominated three times before. First in 1999 for the original production of “Parade,” then in 2006 for “Lestat,” and in 2013 for “Scandalous.”
More from GoldDerby
Oscars: Every Best Picture this century ranked by total wins
Can Steve Martin and Martin Short pull a Tina Fey and Amy Poehler at the Emmys?
As she is on the ballot for Best Featured Actress in a Musical twice, it’s possible she could split her support in the nominating process. However, what could hurt her more from getting nominated for “1776” is that the production (with a non-traditional all-female cast) had such a sprawling ensemble. It might be hard for nominators to single out any one cast member. With “Bad Cinderella,” while critics weren’t all that kind to the show, they at least saw her as a standout.
Greg Evans (Deadline) applauded Carmello as “always crowd-pleasing” as the “deliciously villainous stepmother.” Meanwhile, Matt Windman (AMNY) credited her for giving a “wickedly over-the-top and scenery-chewing performance.” According to the combined predictions of Gold Derby users, Carmello is currently in eighth place for a nomination for “Bad Cinderella” with 46/1 odds. As for “1776,” she’s in 12th place with 100/1 odds.
Back in the fall, Lucas-Perry made her Broadway debut starring as John Adams in the aforementioned revival of “1776.” Then she left a little over two weeks after opening to play Passenger #5 in Jordan E. Cooper‘s play, “Ain’t No Mo’.” Unlike Carmello, she’s on two separate ballots for Best Actress in a Musical and Best Featured Actress in a Play, respectively. And with “1776,” she doesn’t have a co-star to pull votes away from her as everyone else is in the featured category.
John Adams is a role that is traditionally played by a man. William Daniels was actually nominated for the original production back in 1969. Yet, because of the rules back then of only having those billed above the title compete in lead, he was categorized as a featured performer. As a result, Daniels withdrew from the race. His co-star Ronald Holgate (who played Richard Henry Lee), ended up winning in his absence. Although the crowded nature of Best Actress in a Musical this year coupled with the underwhelming reception the revival received could prevent Lucas-Perry from getting in there.
In “Ain’t No Mo’,” critics saw her as a standout. Elizabeth Vincentelli (New York Times) thought she nailed “the evening’s single most poignant moment as an inmate being released.” Meanwhile, Joey Sims (Theatrely) thinks “the exhilarating feat of her work” should guarantee her a Tony nomination. As of this writing Lucas-Perry is in third place there with 9/2 odds. As for “1776,” she’s in 11th place for Best Actress in a Musical with 100/1 odds.
Last summer Soo opened the most recent main stem revival of “Into the Woods” as Cinderella. Now, she’s currently starring as Guenevere in Lincoln Center Theater’s revival of “Camelot.” Soo is a previous nominee from 2016 for originating the role of Eliza Schuyler in “Hamilton.” This year she’s on two separate ballots for Best Actress in a Musical and Best Featured Actress in a Musical, respectively.
While critics were divided on “Camelot,” some of them still singled out Soo’s performance as a highlight. Frank Rizzo (Variety) writes that she “personifies beauty, brains and defiance, and shows off an elegant soprano that shines in songs ‘The Simple Joys of Maidenhood,’ ‘The Lusty Month of May’ and ‘Take Me to the Fair.'” Meanwhile, Jackson McHenry (Vulture) argues that “she finds a believably conflicted and compelling person to play.”
As for Soo’s work in “Into the Woods,” David Rooney (The Hollywood Reporter) writes that “her vocals on ‘No One is Alone’ make that solemn reminder of the comforts of solidarity intensely moving.” Meanwhile, Tim Teeman (The Daily Beast) credits her for “making as much of tumbling over and talking birds to make us laugh.” Both roles Soo is in contention for have been recognized by the Tonys in the past.
Julie Andrews was nominated for starring as Guenevere in the original Broadway production of “Camelot” back in 1961. Laura Benanti was nominated for playing Cinderella in the 2002 revival of “Into the Woods.” But our combined predictions have Soo in sixth place with 22/1 odds for Best Actress in a Musical for “Camelot.” For “Into the Woods,” she’s currently in seventh place for Best Featured Actress in a Musical with 20/1 odds.
SEE‘Fat Ham’: Broadway’s latest take on ‘Hamlet’ joins a long list
Here’s a reminder of actors who had two major performances on Broadway in the same season and went on to receive one Tony nom:
Jill O’Hara – She opened “George M!” in the spring of 1968, then left to open “Promises, Promises” in December of that year, and was Tony-nominated for the latter.
Len Cariou – He opened (and closed) “King Henry V” in November of 1969, then went on to open “Applause” in the spring of 1970, and was Tony-nominated for the latter.
Meg Bussert – She was in “The Music Man” in June of 1980, then opened “Brigadoon” in the fall of that year, which ran into February of 1981, and was Tony-nominated for the latter.
Judy Kuhn and Terrence Mann – They both opened (and closed) “Rags” in August of 1986, then went on to open “Les Misérables” in the spring of 1987, and they both received their very first Tony nominations for the latter.
Faith Prince – She opened (and closed) “Nick and Nora” in December of 1991, then went on to open “Guys and Dolls” in the spring of 1992, and she won the Tony for the latter.
Blair Brown – She opened “James Joyce’s The Dead” in January of 2000, then left in March to open “Copenhagen” the following month, and she won the Tony for the latter.
Christine Ebersole – She appeared in “The Best Man” in the fall of 2000, then opened “42nd Street” in the spring of 2001, and she won her first Tony for the latter.
Nathan Lane – He did “The Man Who Came to Dinner” in the summer/fall of 2000, then opened “The Producers” in the spring of 2001, winning his second Tony for the latter.
Audra McDonald – She was in “Henry IV” in the fall of 2003, then opened “A Raisin in the Sun” in the spring of 2004, and won her fourth Tony for the latter.
Kelli O’Hara – She opened “Dracula” in the summer of 2004, closed that show in January of 2005, then opened “The Light in the Piazza” in the spring, and she received her very first Tony nomination for the latter.
John Cullum – He performed in “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” during the 2006 holiday season, then opened “110 in the Shade” in the spring of 2007, and was Tony-nominated for the latter.
Boyd Gaines – He had “Pygmalion” in the fall of 2007, then opened “Gypsy” in the spring of 2008, and he won his fourth Tony for the latter.
Jessica Hecht – She opened (and closed) “Brighton Beach Memoirs” in the fall of 2009, then appeared in “A View From the Bridge” in the winter/spring of 2010, and was Tony-nominated for the latter.
Beth Leavel – She was in “Elf” during the 2010 holiday season, then opened “Baby It’s You!” in the spring of 2011, and was Tony-nominated for the latter.
Mark Rylance – He was in “La Bête” in the fall of 2010, then opened “Jerusalem” in the spring of 2011, and he won his second Tony for the latter.
Jeremy Jordan – He opened (and closed) “Bonnie and Clyde” in December of 2011, then went on to open “Newsies” in the spring of 2012, and was Tony-nominated for the latter.
Danny Burstein – He appeared in “The Snow Geese” in the fall of 2013, then opened “Cabaret” in the spring of 2014, and he received his fifth Tony nomination for the latter.
Christian Borle – He starred in “Falsettos” in the fall of 2016, then opened “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” in the spring of 2017, yet in this case he was Tony-nominated for the former.
Jefferson Mays – He had “The Front Page” in the fall of 2016, then opened “Oslo” in the spring of 2017, and was Tony-nominated for the latter.
Mary Beth Peil – She appeared in “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” in the fall of 2016, then opened “Anastasia” in the spring of 2017, and was Tony-nominated for the latter.
Add to that the six actors who have managed to be nominated in two categories for two different roles in the same year. They are Amanda Plummer (“A Taste of Honey” and “Agnes of God” in 1982), Dana Ivey (“Heartbreak House” and “Sunday in the Park with George” in 1984), Kate Burton (“Hedda Gabler” and “The Elephant Man” in 2002), Jan Maxwell (“The Royal Family” and “Lend Me a Tenor” in 2010), the aforementioned Mark Rylance (“Richard III” and “Twelfth Night” in 2014), and Jeremy Pope (“Choir Boy” and “Ain’t Too Proud” in 2019).
Then again, there are exceptions to the rule:
J.K. Simmons – He co-starred in “Peter Pan” in the fall of 1991, then opened “Guys and Dolls” (featuring the aforementioned Faith Prince) in the spring of 1992, but wasn’t nominated at all.
Seth Numrich – He appeared in “The Merchant of Venice” in the fall of 2010, then left to open “War Horse” in the spring of 2011, but wasn’t nominated at all.
Bobby Steggert – He opened and closed “Big Fish” in the fall of 2013, then opened “Mothers and Sons” in the spring of 2014, but wasn’t nominated at all.
Brandon J. Dirden – He appeared in “Skeleton Crew” in the winter of 2022, then went on to open “Take Me Out” in the spring, but wasn’t nominated at all.
So how helpful will the visibility of Carolee Carmello, Crystal Lucas-Perry, and Phillipa Soo be this year?
PREDICT the 2023 Tony Award nominees through May 2
Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs. Can you top our esteemed leaderboards next? Always remember to keep your predictions updated because they impact our latest racetrack odds, which terrify Hollywood chiefs and stars. Don’t miss the fun. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our famous forums where 5,000 showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz. Everybody wants to know: What do you think? Who do you predict and why?
Best of GoldDerby
Sign up for Gold Derby's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
