Tonys 2012: Rising stars

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Standout performersJeremy JordanDa'Vine Joy RandolphNina AriandaSpencer KaydenJosh YoungJessie MuellerLaura OsnesCondola RashadElizabeth A. DavisCristin MiliotiJames CordenTracie BennettJeremy ShamosTom EddenSteve Kazee

When a buxom redhead asks Corden in "One Man, Two Guvnors" whether he prefers eating or making love, the portly 33-year-old actor pauses for a beat, then a wicked smile curls around his lips. Turning to the audience — who by now is well acquainted with his rapacious appetites — he says, "It's a tough one that, innit?" Corden, who made his Broadway debut in "The History Boys" in 2006, proves a hilarious guide into a comic world of 1960s petty gangsters. As the servant Francis Henshall, his lead-actor nominated performance is a master class in low British comedy, split-second timing, and cunning improvisation.

James Corden

( Joan Marcus / May 31, 2012 )

When a buxom redhead asks Corden in "One Man, Two Guvnors" whether he prefers eating or making love, the portly 33-year-old actor pauses for a beat, then a wicked smile curls around his lips. Turning to the audience — who by now is well acquainted with his rapacious appetites — he says, "It's a tough one that, innit?" Corden, who made his Broadway debut in "The History Boys" in 2006, proves a hilarious guide into a comic world of 1960s petty gangsters. As the servant Francis Henshall, his lead-actor nominated performance is a master class in low British comedy, split-second timing, and cunning improvisation.

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