Cheers for the ‘Wicked’ witch

The tightest race in the Tony Awards this year, according to just about every handicapper, was the diva derby -- otherwise known as the competition for leading actress in a musical.

Three of the five contenders were given a reasonable shot at the trophy. Broadway’s prognosticators predicted an award for either Tonya Pinkins, Donna Murphy or Idina Menzel. The fan survey on the Tony website suggested a win for Menzel. But no one sounded certain.

In winning, Menzel overcame the handicap of being one of two actresses from “Wicked” nominated for the same award. Many observers assumed that Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth would split the “Wicked” vote and cancel each other’s chances.

Menzel played the musical’s pivotal role of Elphaba, the green-skinned rebel who became the famous wicked witch in the “Wizard of Oz” prequel. The show’s story belongs to Elphaba more than it does to the good but shallow witch, Glinda, played by Chenoweth.

But Menzel’s reviews weren’t as good as Chenoweth’s in the San Francisco tryout, although most reviewers blamed her role, not her performance. Her reviews on Broadway were much better, although the influential New York Times review again carried the torch for Chenoweth, suggesting that she was the main reason to see the show.

Menzel didn’t win when she was nominated for “Rent” in 1996, so she offered the advantage of a fresh face.

The word on Pinkins, who was nominated for “Caroline, or Change,” was much more consistently favorable than for the show she’s in. But a few observers wondered if her character, a maid in pre-civil rights Louisiana, was ultimately too depressed -- or depressing -- to win such a showy award. The more animated Anika Noni Rose, as the maid’s daughter, was playing an easier character to root for -- and she won for featured actress in a musical.

On the other hand, Pinkins’ real-life story offered plenty of rooting opportunities. Even though she had won a featured actress Tony in 1992 for “Jelly’s Last Jam,” she was a welfare mother when she began working on “Caroline, or Change.” Apparently, that back story wasn’t enough to push her to the top of the pack.

Despite wide agreement that Murphy was wonderful in the revival of “Wonderful Town,” she had the disadvantage of having won this award twice -- for “Passion” in 1994 and “The King and I” in 1999. And her chances probably were hurt by reports that she had missed too many performances.

The final nominee, Stephanie D’Abruzzo, played multiple characters in “Avenue Q,” but it wasn’t the kind of star turn that the other nominees had, so no one gave her much of a chance. Of course, she got the last laugh when “Avenue Q” upset “Wicked” to win best musical, score and book of a musical.

Those losses for “Wicked” mean Elphaba, who was once considered “Wicked’s” weakest link, now emerges as its most easily promoted asset. To paraphrase the song Menzel sang on the Tony show, she has defied gravity.

Surely the wicked witch is cackling this morning.