Tonys 2012: This is how stars are born
When “Newsies,†adapted from the 1999 Disney film, opened last fall at New Jersey¿s Paper Mill Playhouse, word drifted back across the Hudson River that a star had been born. That assessment was seconded when the 27-year-old Texas-born actor was tapped to play Clyde Barrow in the ill-fated Broadway musical version of “Bonnie and Clyde.†Once that show closed, Jordan was free to reprise his role of crusading newspaper boy Jack Kelly. With his velvety voice and classic good looks, Jordan — Constantine Maroulis’ understudy in “Rock of Ages†— the Tony nominee for lead actor has sparked a persistent question: Is this guy the next Hugh Jackman? (Mike Coppola / Getty Images)
By Patrick Pacheco
Winners list | Best & worst | Snubs & surprises | Full coverage
The actress long ago dispelled whatever skepticism greeted her Broadway debut in “Grease†— she won the role of Sandy Dumbrowski in a reality TV show, ¿Grease: You¿re the One That I Want.¿ In the five years since, she took over for Kelli O¿Hara in “South Pacific,†played ingénue Hope Harcourt in “Anything Goes†and was Bonnie Parker in this season’s short-lived musical “Bonnie and Clyde,†for which she¿s been nominated as lead actress in a musical. Osnes, 26, is said to have helped shape her role in the musical, which first bowed in a 2009 production at the La Jolla Playhouse. (Ari Mintz / AP)
In “Clybourne Park,†the drama inspired by Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun,†Shamos plays dual roles that he has described as “jackassy.†In the first act, set in 1959, he is a community leader who discourages his white neighbors from selling their house to a black family. Fifty years later, he is half of a young couple moving into the now-blighted neighborhood and meeting with longtime residents. His character often says what others might think but would never say aloud. To Shamos’ great credit, pegging either character as simply “racist†becomes complicated, and he was nominated for a featured actor Tony. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times )
At a recent Broadway fundraising gala, Kazee shyly accepted compliments for his tender and poetic performance as the disillusioned Irish busker in “Once.†Raised in a Kentucky trailer by blue-collar parents, the 36-year-old community college dropout is astonished to find himself a Broadway star. He shouldn¿t be. He’s paid dues: a replacement Sir Lancelot in “Spamalot,†playing opposite Audra McDonald in ¿110 in the Shade¿ and years in Los Angeles with then-girlfriend Megan Hilty looking for TV work. But nothing has fit Kazee so perfectly as “Guy,†for which he is nominated as best lead actor. (Jennifer S. Altman / For The Times )
