Tony Awards 2018 Predictions - The Actors

Check out Part 3 of our 2018 Tony Awards predictions...

Following on from our first two installments of our Tony Awards 2018 Predictions - Part 1: The Shows and Part 2: The Actresses - it's now time for the boys to step up center stage and face the music! There have been some tremendous performances this season from the males of the species known as actors, including ever-dependable Broadway stalwarts such as Nathan Lane, Mark Rylance, Tony Shalhoub and Norbert Leo Butz, and some stunning Broadway debuts from the likes of Ethan Slater and Harry Hadden-Paton. And with a sprinkling of Hollywood stars such as Denzel Washington and Michael Cera to boot, what more could you want from a Broadway season?!

But who will be crowned king at The 72nd Annual Tony Awards, you ask? Well, here are our royal predictions... 

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY

Andrew Garfield, Angels in America - PREDICTED WINNER!
Tom Hollander, Travesties
Jamie Parker, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Mark Rylance, Farinelli and The King
Denzel Washington, The Iceman Cometh

Aside from Mr. Washington, this esteemed category appears to be somewhat of a British Invasion. Indeed the productions of Farinelli and The King, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Travesties and Angels in America are all London imports and have all garnered great acclaim on this side of the pond. Our predicted winner Andrew Garfield was actually born in Los Angeles and spent the first three years of his life on US soil before moving to the UK, and his performance as Prior Walter in the American classic (and London re-born epic) Angels in America is undoubtedly a career-defining moment. With equal amounts of flamboyant comedy and heartbreaking pain in his performance, Mr. Garfield is one of the highlights of the National Theatre's outstanding revival. Whether he is wrestling with angels, climbing neon stairways to heaven or parading the stage of the Neil Simon Theatre as a dressed-entirely-in-black prophet of doom, Garfield is mesmerizing and not to be missed.

Angels in America Tickets are available now for performances through to July 15, 2018. 

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL

Harry Hadden-Paton, My Fair Lady
Joshua Henry, Carousel - PREDICTED WINNER!
Tony Shalhoub, The Band's Visit
Ethan Slater, SpongeBob SquarePants

The "Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical" category is tough to call and could go any way this year. My own personal favorite is Ethan Slater who has brought a 2D cartoon character fantastically to life in SpongeBob SquarePants and he might be considered the dark horse in this race. And while I feel The Band's Visit will clinch the "Best Musical" award, I'm not sure if Tony Shalhoub's character of Tewfiq is appealing enough for him to take the win, so I have a feeling that the Tony voters will opt for a more traditional choice with interpretations of Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady or Billy Bigelow in Carousel. For our money, Joshua Henry has the edge this year. Nominated previously for his turns in The Scottsboro Boys and Violet, it may be a case of third time's a charm for Mr. Henry, whose take on the complex, multi-layered character of Billy Bigelow is commanding and whose mammoth "Soliloquy" at the end of Act I is a wonder to behold.

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel Tickets are available now for performances through to January 6, 2019. 

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A PLAY

Anthony Boyle, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Michael Cera, Lobby Hero
Brian Tyree Henry, Lobby Hero
Nathan Lane, Angels in America - PREDICTED WINNER!
David Morse, The Iceman Cometh

This is certainly an interesting category with a good mixture of dramatic and comic performances. Anthony Boyle picked up the Olivier Award in London for his hilariously endearing portrayal of Scorpius Malfoy in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and he may well make the double, come June 10, but we predict the Tony will go to a Broadway veteran by the name of Nathan Lane. I think it's fair to say we've grown accustomed to Mr. Lane's comedic roles. He could write the book on how to draw a laugh from a Broadway audience. But in Angels in America, he once again reminds us of his versatility and depth as an actor. His performance as Roy Cohn, warts and all, is a master class. Whether he's depicting a venomous personality or an extremely graphic deterioration in health, Mr. Lane is as captivating as ever. He hasn't won a Tony since his second triumph for The Producers in 2001 (his first was for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum in 1996) and it's high time this Broadway loyalist was again rewarded for his continuing excellence on the stage.

Angels in America Tickets are available now for performances through to July 15, 2018.    

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A MUSICAL

Norbert Leo Butz, My Fair Lady
Alexander Gemignani, Carousel
Grey Henson, Mean Girls
Gavin Lee, SpongeBob SquarePants
Ari'el Stachel, The Band's Visit - PREDICTED WINNER!

The most difficult category to predict this week is "Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical" and after long deliberation we've chosen Ari'el Stachel for this win. A special mention goes to my personal favorite Gavin Lee, whose all-singing and all-dancing (with four legs to boot) portrayal of Squidward in SpongeBob SquarePants had me tickled pink. I also feel the Tony voters may show their love once again for Norbert Leo Butz, who has already climbed the mountain twice before (Catch Me If You Can and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), and his rendition of "Get Me to the Church on Time" in Act II is nothing short of a showstopper. But we feel the opportunity is here to promote some fresh talent and Mr. Stachel was a standout in the critically beloved The Band's Visit. He oozes charm and provides plenty of moments of comic relief in his portrayal of Haled. In addition, he frequently asks us all that eternal, soul-searching question... "Do you like Chet Baker?" Safe to say, we like Ari'el Stachel.

The Band's Visit Tickets are available now for performances through to October 7, 2018. 

And that's all folks for Part 3 of our 2018 Tony Award predictions. Check back in with us next week for our fourth and final part when we take a look at the members of the creative teams of this year's best productions and give our two cents accordingly. Sit tight, Broadway fans - The 72nd Annual Tony Awards will be here before we know it!