Tom Hanks arriving at the 67th Annual Tony Awards held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on June 9, 2013.
On a night that looked like it would be devoid of surprises, no winner appeared to be more of a lock than Tom Hanks, for Best Actor in a Play in Nora Ephron’s Lucky Guy. So when the winner’s name was called — Tracy Letts — it came not just as a shock to theater insiders but probably a mystery to much of the TV audience. Hanks is a big Hollywood star making his Broadway debut — doing a credible job and creating a sellout hit to boot. Letts is better known as a playwright (August: Osage County) than an actor, but his riveting performance as George was a key ingredient in the superb revival of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf — a show that closed months ago but was remembered with three Tonys, including Best Revival.