77th Annual Tony Awards Predictions, Mason Pilevsky
CATEGORY: LEAD ACTOR IN A PLAY
William Jackson Harper, Uncle Vanya
The mannerisms that Harper brought to the doctor were a significant part of making this story, which premiered in 1898, relevant to me as a modern theatre audience member. Harper’s doctor was the kind of person I interact with every day, and yet somehow not the image we associate with a doctor—which is to say we don’t think about a doctor’s interests outside of medicine. We don’t see them as painters and seducers and philosophers. Harper made Uncle Vanya relatable by simultaneously humanizing, the character, the character’s occupation, and the world in which the character lives.
Leslie Odom Jr., Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch
Leslie Odom Jr. was a very consistent Reverend Purlie Victorious who didn’t go through a lot of character development. I thought his costar, Billy Eugene Jones, who played Gitlow was more human, more dynamic, and more interesting, possibly because his character was written to develop as foil to Purlie.
Liev Schreiber, Doubt: A Parable
It took me a while to get into Liev Schreiber’s detached approach to Father Flynn. He seemed reasonable at times, but rarely passionate, rarely engaged. He was a pillar of placidity, and even when he lost it towards the end there was very little energy in this performance.
Jeremy Strong, An Enemy of the People
I had to adjust to this one a little bit. I admire that Strong remained a man of reason in the face of unthinkable accusations, but the transition in his character from someone who wanted to run away to someone who wanted to stay and rebuild his good name didn’t happen emotionally on stage and prevented the end from working.
Michael Stuhlbarg, Patriots
Stuhlbarg made a power hungry, greedy character simultaneously likable and revolting. The energy that he brought to this difficult role, and the nuance in his portrayal were both truly admirable. He gave the most dynamic performance of any actor on this list, including commendable character development that, in conjunction with the world of the play around him, asked profoundly relevant questions in a thought provoking way.
WHO I THINK WILL WIN: Michael Stuhlbarg
IF IT WERE UP TO ME: Michael Stuhlbarg
CATEGORY: LEAD ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Betsy Aidem, Prayer for the French Republic
Marcelle is a character who went on an incredible inner journey during the show, which led her to brave an external journey. The show exposed the contradictions on her rules and ethics and beliefs, both in her own portrayal, and in the portrayals of how her children developed under her influence.
Jessica Lange, Mother Play
This performance showing the struggles of unwanted motherhood through the aging process contained a rollercoaster juxtaposing love and understanding of Phyllis’s children with revulsion and fear; the character went through a similar journey with her feelings about herself. The ten minute scene where she comes home to an empty apartment and doesn’t know what to do with herself was marvelously (wordlessly!) acted.
Rachel McAdams, Mary Jane
Mary Jane was an interesting character because, while she gained the awareness that she was tired, she never gained the awareness that she was suffering. Her positive attitude was more depressing for the audience because she never got depressed. Rachel McAdams committed to a character who fully accepted her lot in life and rarely wondered where else her life might have gone. In the end, it kept her from hurting the way the audience felt she should have.
Sarah Paulson, Appropriate
From passive aggressive to emotionally charged and hysterical, Sarah Paulson’s portrayal of Toni ran the full gambit of human emotion and showcased how feelings sour and rot inside of you when you hold them in for too long. Paulson provided quips and comic relief at the beginning, and then worked herself up to delivering the climactic monologue that broke apart her family. She did it masterfully.
Amy Ryan, Doubt: A Parable
Sister Aloysius is an interesting character. I’ve often said that Doubt is a master class on subtext, and I believe that Amy Ryan delivered this better than any actress I’ve ever seen (Meryl Streep included, because she was aided by cinematography while Ryan had to make it clear to a theatre full of people all on her own). Everything from her horror at the lumps of sugar to the hypocrisy of that very sugar coming out of her own desk drawer made sense out of a story that never contains a word of its thematic content.
WHO I THINK WILL WIN: Jessica Lange
IF IT WERE UP TO ME: Jessica Lange
CATEGORY: FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
Will Brill, Stereophonic
Will Brill’s character had the widest range of emotions in Stereophonic, and the challenge he faced as an actor was that they were nonlinear. He was a mess, he was stoic, he was philosophical, he was crazy… all of it. Whenever he walked into the room, his presence and our inability to anticipate his mood added interesting depth and texture to this play. Will Brill played the wild card in an otherwise consistent deck.
Eli Gelb, Stereophonic
I felt the most connected to Eli Gelb’s portrayal of an audio engineer. The long hours, the desire to keep doing things, the lack of clarity on why he needed to keep moving, quietly losing a romantic relationship but refusing to bring it to work, fearing that taking a break would lead to a catastrophe… well, let’s just say that Eli Gelb’s ride felt painfully familiar to my own and I believed him the whole way through.
Jim Parsons, Mother Play
In The Big Bang Theory, Jim Parsons plays a character whose mannerisms are different from the rest of the world, and the rest of the world moves around him and accommodates. Even though this was a totally different story, I recognized a lot of Parsons’ mannerisms from his prior role as Sheldon, and had a hard time accepting his portrayal of Carl as a distinct acting performance of a different character.
Tom Pecinka, Stereophonic
Tom Pecinka was a rock of consistency in a world where those around him were trying to learn and grow. He was a jerk and he was stuck being a jerk, and even in his pain he couldn’t get out of it. Pecinka’s genius as an actor lies in his ability not to lose focus on the scenes happening around him while he is engaged in his own.
Corey Stoll, Appropriate
Corey Stoll’s role in Appropriate struck at the heart of human nature. We are inherently self serving, unable to curb our curiosity, and constantly wrestling with our preconceived notions of morality—not so that we can learn what is right, but so that we can justify the course of action we want to take. Stoll’s subtle trembling, visual agitation, and feigned patience held up a mirror to humanity that told us exactly who we are.
WHO I THINK WILL WIN: Eli Gelb
IF IT WERE UP TO ME: Eli Gelb
CATEGORY: FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Doubt: A Parable
Quincy Tyler Bernstine showed a clear picture of not just the abuse her son was suffering, but also showing herself as a victim, with strength. Her resolute belief that physical abuse was not the worst thing that could happen to a person– the worst thing would be getting your path in life derailed. Her nuanced performance was touching and inspiring, and she gave Donald Mueller’s mother the dignity that she deserves.
Juliana Canfield, Stereophonic
Juliana Canfield was the most subdued of the Stereophonic cast, and also the most likable. Her desires were clear and it made her pain at the end all the more heartbreaking. Everybody in this show gave up love and hope and family, but Canfield remained a positive force until the end. When the character did finally break, Canfield did not break character– and it’s an important distinction speaking to Canfield’s mastery of her craft.
Celia Keenan-Bolger, Mother Play
I identified with this character very strongly once she was out as lesbian, but the transition from hating sexual harassment and hating being female translating into being a lesbian felt muddy and a little uncomfortable to me. Keenan-Bolger did not convince me that her character was lesbian, just uncomfortable with the way society treats women. It felt like a self-hating twist a little bit, but I admired the touching way that she related to the other characters onstage as someone living in the same house but feeling very different from her family.
Sarah Pidgeon, Stereophonic
Pidgeon had her work cut out for her with a flighty, headstrong character. Pidgeon had to convey a character who was truly a crazy mess of contradictions. She wanted to be vulnerable and loved while also being tough as nails and self-sufficient. In other words, she struggled with being a woman. At times she was costumed to look beautiful, at others not. She had to be fierce and menacing while also weak and shallow. All in all, Pidgeon gave a very present, believable performance.
Kara Young, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp through the Cotton Patch
Kara Young is a brilliant character actress, who really has to work hard to play Lutiebelle, because Lutiebelle has to be in all the right places and know nothing about where she is. Lutiebelle is a character with wants and hopes and dreams who stumbles through the world absolutely blind as a pawn for others. The character has a lot of layers of consciousness, and Kara Young keeps us guessing. Does Lutiebelle know she’s being used? How far is she willing to go?
WHO I THINK WILL WIN: Kara Young
IF IT WERE UP TO ME: Kara Young
About the Author: Mason Pilevsky
Check back June 13 for our final set of Tony Awards predictions!
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