The Drama League announced today that Megan Hilty (Noises Off) and Zachary Levi (She Loves Me) will host the 2016 Drama League nominees on Friday May 20th.
One of the highlights of the theatre award season is guessing which sole performer will take the group's Distinguished Performance Award. Only one performer is awarded per year, from eligible Broadway and Off-Broadway productions. And once a person has won the award, they can never win it again.
Last year, the legendary Chita Rivera won for Kander and Ebb's final musical The Visit. In years prior it was Neil Patrick Harris (Hedwig and the Angry Inch), Nathan Lane (The Nance), Audra McDonald (Porgy and Bess), and Mark Rylance (Jerusalem). As you can see, the award often goes to an iconic performance that helped define the theatre season. Who fits that bill this year?
The first person who comes to mind is the front-runner for the Best Actress in a Musical Tony, Cynthia Erivo. The British belter made her Broadway debut in The Color Purple and has been the talk of the town since the first performance. With a voice that soars to the stratosphere and a deep emotional well to mine on stage, she is an early favorite.
Close behind her is her Tony competition: Laura Benanti. She was born to play Amalia in She Loves Me. In the musical comedy classic, Benanti gets to showcase her signature comedic chops as well as a glorious coloratura soprano rarely heard on Broadway these days. And since she is a New York theatre mainstay, voters will be more familiar with her and her work.
As for other performers the League will be quite familiar with, Danny Burstein makes a worthy choice for his first Broadway leading role in Fiddler on the Roof. After working for years and graduating from ensemble member to the industry's go to supporting man, Burstein finally gets the chance to anchor a big Broadway musical. As Tevye, his pitch perfect performance is able to capture the character's humor and intense internal struggle about navigating a drastically changing world.
Should the League be feeling more inclined to reward a drama, Phylicia Rashad makes a strong case for herself in Head of Passes, Off-Broadway at the Public Theatre. A contemporary parable of The Book of Job, Rashad portrays a woman who sees her life collapsing around her in apocalyptic fashion. At the end of her gut wrenching journey, there isn't a dry eye in the house.
Of course, one cannot discount the unparalleled year that Hamilton is having. Leading men Leslie Odom Jr. and Lin-Manuel Miranda both make sense as a winner here. Though I think Odom Jr. is ahead in the Tony race, thanks to "The Room Where it Happened", Miranda might be ahead for this particular kudos. No other persona in New York has had as much buzz and exposure as he. And though both men were eligible and did not win for the musical's Off-Broadway run, a Miranda win would be a fitting cap to the year that Hamilton took over our lives.
Performers Frank Langella, Audra McDonald, and Brian Stokes Mitchell are on stage this season, but ineligible for this award having previously won. For my money, one of the six actors mentioned above will get to join them at the winner's table next year.
I am thinking Lin-Manuel Miranda will win this year.
ReplyDeletebtw, what did Sam Waterston win his Distinguished Award for? I was surprised he was on the list of previous winners...