Chastain or Comer -- Who will inch closer to the Triple Crown?
Saturday, May 6, 2023 at 10:04AM
by Matt St Clair
When looking at the recently announced Tony nominations, you might have noticed that the Best Actress in a Play lineup has only four nominees. That's because there were fewer than nine leading actresses from the 23 eligible plays during the 2022-23 Broadway season. Due to Tony rules and regulations, only four women were able to nab a spot. As a refresher, those four women are Jessica Chastain for A Doll’s House, Jodie Comer for Prima Facie, Jessica Hecht for Summer, 1976, and Audra McDonald for Ohio State Murders. Given that Hecht and McDonald are the only nominees for their respective plays, the potential winner is surely a contest between Jessica Chastain and Jodie Comer...
On one hand, A Doll’s House received six nominations including Best Revival of a Play which benefits Jessica Chastain. Meanwhile, Prima Facie received four nominations, yet it missed out in both Best Play and Best Direction of a Play which could be a sign of weakness for Jodie Comer. However, Comer is coming off a recent Olivier win for the same role she’s nominated for. Either way, we’ll not only see a great actress get her due, but one of them will be two-thirds of the way to completing their Triple Crown (Oscar, Emmy and Tony).
Thus far, Jessica Chastain only has an Oscar for playing famed televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker in The Eyes of Tammy Faye. A Tony Award would leave just the Emmy which she might claim this year thanks to her starring role in the Showtime miniseries George & Tammy. Her surprise SAG win is an early sign of strength. However, with Lead Actress in a Miniseries being a packed category, it won’t be smooth sailing. Amazon Prime’s slate alone: Riley Keough for Daisy Jones & the Six, Dominique Fishback for Swarm, Rachel Weisz for Dead Ringers, and Emily Blunt for The English, makes the field super competitive. Then again, Chastain won an Oscar for playing a woman named Tammy. Who says similar lightning can’t strike twice?
As for Jodie Comer, she currently has an Emmy on her mantle for her role as Villanelle in the BBC spy thriller series Killing Eve. Winning a Tony for the one woman play would leave only the Oscar for the Triple Crown. This year, Comer might indeed find herself in the Oscar running as she’ll appear in Jeff Nichols’ upcoming ensemble drama The Bikeriders. Depending on how substantial her role is, and the film’s quality, that could be her ticket into the club.
Going back to the Tonys, though, it remains a toss-up. I’m currently leaning towards Chastain as the predicted victor as she has the more storied role in what is clearly the more well-liked play (at least by Tony voters). It’s still plausible that Jodie Comer will ride the wave of her Olivier Award victory to the United Palace stage on June 11th. No matter which actress wins, though, each of them will still have more chances in the near future to claim the jewels needed to piece together their Triple Crown.
Which actress do you think will claim the prize? Please share your thoughts!
Reader Comments (12)
Haven't seen either one, but I did hear that Chastain is a bit more low-key and understated while Comer gets to be big and flashy so that could be another pro for Comer. What's also helping Comer is that Chastain is not really seen as overdue. Yes, she was on Broadway before, a decade ago, but she wasn't exactly lauded then.
But Chastain does have the name recognition, in the more lauded play. Should be fun. I do think the Olivier is more influential than the Oscars here (or even an Emmy). SPEAKING OF OVERDUE though, I'm happy for Hecht's nomination. The fact that it's only her 2nd nod is a little insane. I'm rooting for her ever so slightly.
Keep in mind that the Best New Play category in which Prima Facia would compete was the most stacked with 14 contenders, including the 3 pulitzer winners that were nominated. Best Revival for which A Doll's House was nominated had only 6 contenders, so more chances to get in. A Doll's House getting in and Prima Facie not doesn't mean they liked the former more, because they were not in the same category. Prima Facie was better reviewed than A Doll's House (Did they like it) and Comer's personal reviews are more impressive, and she has the Olivier as well. Chastain could still win on her name recognition, but don't underestimate the hype for Comer's performance in this play.
I agree with Ryan T.
I think Jessica Hecht is the winner here. She’s the long time colleague that they’ve known/ worked with/ been watching for the last 30 years. She has the working actor’s resume of bit movie parts, tv guest roles, supporting tv roles. Her decades of theatrical work have been with respected companies in a wide range of roles. She’s the kind of actor that is the backbone of Broadway theatre.
Of course, they may be tempted to give the Tony to Audra McDonald, a rare luminous artist one can only be grateful for.
They’ve shown their enthusiasm and respect for Jodie Comer by giving her the nomination. Her play is a transfer from a state subsidized theatre in England, and from a distance, it may seem that British actors have easier access to better and fresher material, and have less scramble to make a livelihood.
Jessica Chastain’s return to theatre in this time of financial instability signals her loyalty to theatre and its prime importance to a serious actor. Her commitment is appreciated, and her hard work and skill is rewarded with a nomination. But maybe next time for a win.
This is a great group of 4 actresses, and I think their nominations show how much they like and appreciate all of them.
Comer's performance is undeniable.
The Tonys cater less to big-name stars, so the fact that Chastain is a bigger name I don't think means all that much here, and her reviews aren't nearly as good.
Isn't Chastain a producer? She can win Revival and Comer Best Actress.
From what I hear, it's Comer all the way.
(However, at the Drama Desk, Comer isn't nominated in actress, she's in solo performance, so...)
Having seen only one play this season, I thought Jessica Chastain was good in A Doll's House - a play that frequently rewards the actress playing Nora (McTeer, Metcalf). But then again there was Liv Ullmann's unrewarded work as Nora in 1975.
Just a few words about Chastain's performance: there was an emphasis to make A Doll's House more contemporary-sounding not only in the dialogue but also how the words are delivered/exhorted. In Chastain's case, there were filigreed moments where she's delivering the lines as though confiding to someone while casually walking or doing laundry (yes, yes there are no walking or laundry scenes in this iteration of Ibsen's play). I appreciate the desire to be accessible and as regular-sounding as possible although I am aware her acting is not to anyone's taste (I was never a huge fan of hers to be honest but I like her alright). As Nora she achieves tiny victories precisely by pulling back on the histrionics (it was Arian Moayed's Torvald who exploded more forcefully in the play) and letting me believe in her desperation.
From what I've seen of Jessica Hecht's stage (A View from the Bridge, Fiddler on the Roof) and occasional film works, she is always a quietly commanding presence. Even in a small role in Tim Blake Nelson's Anesthesia: she has this small scene where she was exasperated and I could feel the tired molecules of her body when she eviscerates even the most mundane of lines. I will definitely see Summer, 1976 for her and Linney.
Jodie Comer was said to be a force of nature in Prima Facie so I am guessing she might actually win this one. She's great in Killing Eve but that's as far as I have seen her work.
But for me I'd lean towards the two Jessicas with a slight preference for Hecht. It would be a wonderful win.
(But don't count out Audra McDonald though; she almost always wins, almost)
Jessica Chastain is a mediocre actor.
Jodie Comer is one of a handful of actresses working today whose style of acting is completely instinctive. I wasn’t over her performance in the TV movie, Help (for which she won a BAFTA and an Emmy) when I was completely blown away by her work in Prima Facie. Even when the scripts aren’t great (e.g., The Last Duel, Free Guy) she is excellent.
Add to the fact that this is Comer’s first stage role, she’s gonna win.
Since her West End debut, and now her Broadway debut, I feel like Jodie Comer is going to win because when I saw her, she was a tour de force. She’s having to perform such a heavy piece all by herself, while also having to remember the stage directions, writing, choreography, etc. Her performance has been highly acclaimed and Comer is an acclaimed, exciting, upcoming actress with a bunch of potential. She’s also won every category she’s been nominated in so far too. And although, Jessica Chastain is an established actress in Hollywood and Broadway. Her performance I feel deserves the nomination, but not to win. Chastain is a great actress, and so are all the other nominees in the category as well, but I feel like Comer has the odds in her favour. 
Side note: this is all my opinion I am probably wrong.
I prefer Chastain to Comer as she has more than three facial expressions.
I think Comer is going to win this despite being a huge Chastain fan.
McGill -- i agree that Hecht could be a surprise winner, tthough