Staying Fit
Actors over 50 took 13 of the 41 nominations for Broadway’s 2019 Tony Awards, announced April 30. Those likeliest to win include Fionnula Flanagan, 77 (The Ferryman), Beth Leavel, 63 (The Prom), and either Bryan Cranston, 63 (Network) or Jeff Daniels, 64 (To Kill a Mockingbird). James Corden will host the 73rd annual Tony Awards presentation on June 9, telecast live on CBS from Radio City Music Hall.
Many Broadway insiders were startled by the Tonys’ snub of Glenda Jackson, 82, whose performance as King Lear got better reviews than the production did. Last year, her Tony win for Three Tall Women was regarded as long overdue; this time, the judges overlooked her. Janet McTeer, 57, was a bit of a surprise nomination for Bernhardt/Hamlet, but she is unlikely to beat the frontrunner for best leading actress in a play, Elaine May, 87 (The Waverly Gallery).
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Eight of the 10 nominees for musical or play direction also are over 50, including probable winners Daniel Fish, 52 (Oklahoma!), and Sam Mendes, 53 (The Ferryman).
2019 Tony Award Nominees for Acting
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Annette Bening, 60, Arthur Miller’s All My Sons
Laura Donnelly, The Ferryman
Elaine May, 87, The Waverly Gallery
Janet McTeer, 57, Bernhardt/Hamlet
Laurie Metcalf, 63, Hillary and Clinton
Heidi Schreck, What the Constitution Means to Me
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Paddy Considine, The Ferryman
Bryan Cranston, 63, Network
Jeff Daniels, 64, To Kill a Mockingbird
Adam Driver, Burn This
Jeremy Pope, Choir Boy
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Stephanie J. Block, The Cher Show
Caitlin Kinnunen, The Prom
Beth Leavel, 63, The Prom
Eva Noblezada, Hadestown
Kelli O’Hara, Kiss Me, Kate
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Brooks Ashmanskas, The Prom
Derrick Baskin, Ain’t Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations
Alex Brightman, Beetlejuice
Damon Daunno, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
Santino Fontana, Tootsie
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Fionnula Flanagan, 77, The Ferryman
Celia Keenan-Bolger, To Kill a Mockingbird
Kristine Nielsen, 63, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Julie White, 57, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Ruth Wilson, King Lear
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Bertie Carvel, Ink
Robin De Jesús, The Boys in the Band
Gideon Glick, To Kill a Mockingbird
Brandon Uranowitz, Burn This
Benjamin Walker, Arthur Miller’s All My Sons
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Lilli Cooper, Tootsie
Amber Gray, Hadestown
Sarah Stiles, Tootsie
Ali Stroker, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
Mary Testa, 63, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
André De Shields, 73, Hadestown
Andy Grotelueschen, Tootsie
Patrick Page, 57, Hadestown
Jeremy Pope, Ain’t Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations
Ephraim Sykes, Ain’t Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations
