The 20 Tony-nominated actors below gave performances this Broadway season—soaring, stunning, often gut-wrenching performances—that linger in our minds. From “The Little Foxes” to “Oslo,” here are your 2017 nominees for actors in plays.
LEADING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Cate Blanchett, “The Present”
It’s not every day one gets to witness film royalty onstage, dancing on a table and pouring vodka over her head. As an unhinged Russian widow on the eve of her 40th birthday in this adaptation of Chekhov’s “Platonov,” Blanchett never steps back from the ledge, making for a thrilling Broadway debut.
Jennifer Ehle, “Oslo”
The steely determination this two-time Tony winner emanates in J.T. Rogers’ depiction of the 1993 Oslo Accords is outmatched by her innate charm. As Norwegian emissary Mona Juul, who, with her husband, accomplished the impossible in bringing together Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization, Ehle proves that diplomacy is as complicated—and riveting—as brain surgery.
Sally Field, “The Glass Menagerie”
A formidable role in American theater, Amanda Wingfield is omni-performed, but watching a truly great interpreter step into her well-worn shoes is to see her anew. Bringing an insidious desperation to the matriarch, Field’s Amanda incites pity and rage, and yet, she emerges sympathetic; a testament, certainly, to the actor portraying her.
Laura Linney, “Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes”
What happens to a woman’s identity when her ambitions and ideals are constantly thwarted? A parable of ambition and greed is enhanced by Linney’s masterful Regina Giddens, a role she alternates with co-star Cynthia Nixon. Linney plays against type to produce an intense, chilling performance that amplifies the twisted, proto-feminism underlying Hellman’s script.
Laurie Metcalf, “A Doll’s House, Part 2”
In praising Metcalf’s surprising, canny, irresistible choices as the feminist Nora in Lucas Hnath’s Ibsen sequel, it may be tempting to label the performance a master class in acting. But can what she does on that stage even be taught...?
LEADING ACTOR IN A PLAY
Denis Arndt, “Heisenberg”
A kiss on a stranger’s neck sets into motion the events of “Heisenberg,” Simon Stephens’ curious and compelling two-hander. Arndt’s unforgettably stirring performance is made all the more remarkable by the fact that he made his Broadway debut in the role—at age 77.
Chris Cooper, “A Doll’s House, Part 2”
Torvald is hardly Hnath’s showiest character, but Cooper nails the complexities of an abandoned, quietly wounded man. Too ashamed to face his town with the truth and confronting the consequences after his wife’s return, Cooper makes us feel for Torvald, even if we’re not always rooting for him.
Corey Hawkins, “Six Degrees of Separation”
Somewhere between his brilliant delivery of Paul Poitier’s first monologue and the 180-degree shift to his character’s previous life, Hawkins solidifies his status as a star in the making. From the stiff, studied physicality to that elaborate eloquence, his Upper East Side con artist astounds.
Kevin Kline, “Present Laughter”
They should replace the dictionary definition of the word “droll” with a picture of Kline. The star seems right at home as Noël Coward’s exasperated, egocentric Garry Essendine, a fictional stand-in for the author himself and a perfect showcase for Kline’s impeccable, less-is-more approach to light comedy.
Jefferson Mays, “Oslo”
Mays brings his signature exacting style to the role of sociologist Terje Rød-Larsen, embodying the two-steps-forward-one-step-back negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian officials in the Oslo meetings he coordinated. Yet in the play’s final moments, he expands the performance into something more, with a direct address to 2017 audiences that cuts to the bone.
FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Johanna Day, “Sweat”
Performances don’t get much more fiery than Day as Tracey, Lynn Nottage’s doomed protagonist, who begins the play as a lifelong factory worker celebrating her birthday and ends it unemployed, impoverished, and nursing an opioid addiction. As the writing on the factory walls comes into focus, Day’s bitter determinedness makes her oncoming downfall that much more heartbreaking.
Jayne Houdyshell, “A Doll’s House, Part 2”
As nanny and caretaker to Torvald and his three children, Anne Marie lives in a man’s world. But Tony winner Houdyshell dominates in this stunning drama, going toe-to-toe with Metcalf’s Nora to deliver the most memorable “fuck you” uttered on the boards this season.
Cynthia Nixon, “Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes”
“Regina is a delicious meal,” Nixon told Backstage about the two roles she plays in this revival, “but Birdie is the frosting.” Her Birdie is a broken woman, a heartbreaking blend of trilling self-recrimination and fluttering woe—the saddest butterfly onstage.
Condola Rashad, “A Doll’s House, Part 2”
Now a three-time Tony nominee at just age 30, Rashad is becoming nothing less than one of the finest stage actors of her generation. Her take on Emmy, the now-grown daughter of Nora in “A Doll’s House, Part 2,” avoids the obvious angst expected from her circumstance and spins her as a soft-spoken but whip-smart firecracker ready to give Nora a piece of her mind.
Michelle Wilson, “Sweat”
Wilson can make you forget she’s an actor on a stage. Nottage’s lines crackle with compassion, desperation, and, at times, venom, as Wilson’s Cynthia puts herself up for a promotion only to fall victim to a corporate bait-and-switch. Socially conscious theater risks falling on deaf ears with the wrong vessel; Wilson, thankfully, sears “Sweat” into audiences’ minds for good.
FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
Michael Aronov, “Oslo”
A three-hour drama about the nuances of diplomacy might not seem like the setting for a cocky, hip-swinging rock star. But that’s exactly how Aronov plays Uri Savir, the Israeli politician who in the 1990s agreed against all odds to meet with the leaders of his sworn enemy. Throughout the actor’s performance, he never loses sight of what’s at stake: the course of history itself.
Danny DeVito, “Arthur Miller’s The Price”
DeVito may well become the first actor to clinch an award for eating a boiled egg. He does much more than that, of course, in this production of Arthur Miller’s elusive family drama. As the clever Russian-Jewish antiques dealer Gregory Solomon, DeVito steals the show with formidable comic timing and an honesty that first disarms, then endears, his delighted audience.
Nathan Lane, “The Front Page”
Lane proved long ago to be the master of both riveting character acting and underhanded punch line delivery. He did so yet again in the laugh-out-loud revival of “The Front Page,” playing the tyrannical newspaper editor Walter Burns—blustery, wry, and genuinely scary.
Richard Thomas, “Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes”
Thomas proves riveting as the ailing Horace, meeting his wife’s greed with steely resolve. When his own internal guilt bubbles to the surface to match his external afflictions, you can hear a pin drop. There’s no better role to earn Thomas his first nomination, and on his 13th Broadway credit.
John Douglas Thompson, “August Wilson’s Jitney”
If only there were a Tony Award for best ensemble! Thompson was one of an entire cast of acting powerhouses in this (first ever on Broadway) revival of one of August Wilson’s early dramas. But as Jim Becker, manager of the Pittsburgh jitney station and this story’s hero, Thompson stood out with his quiet majesty, painting a portrait of dignity and lifelong regret.
Inspired and ready to win your Tony Award? Check out Backstage’s Broadway audition listings!