Get Ready for the Tonys

KaGina Wilhelm Actress - Get Ready for the Tonys

The Tony Award ceremony will air Sunday night at 8 p.m. on CBS. Before the awards are handed out, Linda Winer of newsday.com looked at several magic moments from this year on Broadway.

Among the actress-related highlights was the confrontation between Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots in "Mary Stuart."

The powerful meeting reveals both the courage and insecurity in both queens.

Lauren Ambrose received plaudits for her performance in "Exit the King." In it, she believes that she "love the life back into" Geoffrey Rush's titular king.

Winer feels Kristin Scott Thomas has been wrongly overlooked for her work in the revival of "The Seagull."

Pia Glenn's work in Will Ferrell's "You're Welcome, America, A Final Night with George W. Bush" also deserves some appreciation.

Glenn received the Astaire Award for best female dancer for her turn as the disco-dancing Condoleezza Rice.

Finally, Winer highlights Angela Lansbury's work as Madame Arcati in the revival of "Blithe Spirit." Lansbury is nominated for a Tony for this work. Tomorrow we'll see if she wins!

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Writing is a Family Affair

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Writing is a Family Affair

Zoe Kazan is one of the youngest playwrights ever to have a play produced at the Humana Festival of New American Plays at Actors Theatre of Louisville.

This isn't that surprising; her grandfather is Elia Kazan, writer of "On the Waterfront." Her parents are both Oscar-nominated screenwriters.

Her father, Nicholas Kazan, also had a play produced at Actors Theatre. They are the only father and daughter to have had shows produced there.

The play, "Absalom," is her first. The director, Giovanna Sardelli, was so impressed by the script, she assumed it was written by a 40-year-old man, not a 25-year-old.

This caps off a big year for Ms. Kazan, who made her Broadway debut in January 2008 in "Come Back, Little Sheba."

She's also appeared in "The Seagull" on Broadway with Cynthia Nixon and Peter Sarsgaard this year.

On film, she appeared in "The Savages" with Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman and "The Valley of Elah" with Tommy Lee Jones.

She also had a pivotal role in "Revolutionary Road" as a woman who has an affair with Leonardo DiCaprio's character.

She was involved in the casting of "Absalom," which gave her insight into her own acting auditions.

Choosing others for roles, she realized that an actor may just not be the right person for a role. "It isn't a failing not to be chosen."

After the Festival, Kazan will visit with family before returning to film acting. She admits, however, that she has caught the playwriting bug.

Sardelli, her director, is impressed by Kazan's maturity. It's clear she has a bright future ahead of her.

Gina Wilhelm Actress